A house stormed in two riots, a zarzuela that mocked a street that never came, a king's first blow of the pickaxe, a phoenix that moved house, the page boy who opened a bar for Hollywood, the knight who ended up in a waltz, the midnight of 10,000 telephones, the skyscraper that was both a target and a censor's office, a huntress goddess aiming at another phoenix, and a palace of music that opened with an orchestra playing for silent films.
The Gran Vía was sung about before it was built. You start in the Plaza del Rey, in front of a sixteenth-century house stormed in the Esquilache riot and next door to Godoy's, and hear how in 1886 a musical revue turned an avenue that never arrived into a joke: "Well, you'd better wait sitting down." In 1910 a king struck the first blow with a pickaxe beside the church of San José. You carry on past the phoenix that left the Metrópolis, the bar of a former page boy who served three regimes, the real Caballero de Gracia and his oratory, which the pickaxe spared, and the Telefónica skyscraper: the midnight when 10,000 subscribers switched exchanges, and the years when it was a target, a shelter and the censorship office for the foreign correspondents. Then you look up at Diana, the rooftop huntress aiming at a phoenix, and stop at the Palacio de la Música, whose roof collapsed before it opened and where an orchestra played for silent films. You finish in Callao, where the war press stayed.
An outline of the walk. The full stories are in the app.
Open a marker to see its page. Use two fingers to move the map on mobile.
Walking directions are based on mapped pedestrian routes. Check local access and signs; the route is not an accessibility guarantee. Times are approximate.
Madrid makes sense square by square. Leave room for a terrace, an unexpected slope and a proper break when the sunshine gets strong.
You start beside the Bear and the Strawberry Tree and find out how a crossroads worth less than the Plaza Mayor became the point from which Spain's roads are measured: a clock that replaced a bell, a post office with a guardroom where the staircase should have been, the afternoon of the Mamelukes in 1808 and the Kilometre Zero plaque.
The Paseo del Prado isn't a museum: it's a whole city in a single kilometre.
In just a few blocks, the most famous writers in the Spanish language lived, loathed each other and were buried.
An app for self-guided audio walks. Choose a city and a route, then listen to the stories behind its streets. You decide when to start and when to stop.
Podtour is coming to iOS and Android. There is no confirmed launch date yet. Join the waitlist and we will let you know when it is ready.
No. Street walks and monument audio tours do not include admission tickets, transport or a guide accompanying you.
Download the audio in the app before heading out, then listen offline. Loading the online base map and calculating a new route from your location require a connection.
Every route includes Spanish and British English. The English version is adapted for English-speaking travellers, rather than translated word for word.
Join the waitlist, choose a city and confirm your email address. When the app launches, we will email you with access details. No card is required. You can also try one free route in every city.
Yes. Your own access is included and you can choose 0–5 guests: up to 6 people including you. Each guest saves up to €0.50 on a walk, €1 on a pack or €2 on a whole city compared with buying separately. The counter shows the total before you confirm one payment.
After paying, share your purchase’s invitation link. Each guest opens it in Podtour and accepts their place on their own iPhone or Android phone. They must redeem it within 30 days of purchase. Unclaimed places then expire and cannot be recovered or renewed. Access accepted in time is kept. Opening the link does not use a place; one account takes just one place, and no more people can join once all places are taken.
No. Choose all your guests before confirming the first purchase. Afterwards you can share the places you paid for, but you cannot increase their number or restart the 30-day deadline.
Join the waitlist. When we launch, your chosen city is yours to explore.
Join the waitlist and get one whole city free when Podtour launches. You choose where.
Podtour manages your launch request with your consent. You can withdraw it and exercise your rights as explained in our privacy policy. Privacy details.
One city per person. All its Podtour routes in Spanish and English. Available at launch. Offer details.
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