An Epicurean Odyssey in Madrid

Madrid

☾ 3 Nights

TRIP OVERVIEW

Madrid is red hot right now.

Madrid today is Spain’s most exciting gastronomy destination! In this Madrid getaway we’re showcasing some of the premier eats, wines and even cocktails. There is no shortage of things to do and see in Madrid but eating & wine tasting will take you to the heart of this quintessential Spanish city. We’ll start you off with a private wine tasting to acclimate your palate the range of Spanish wines available or to help you learn about any wine regions you plan to visit. Then fill your days with cultural tours and great eating.

An Epicurean Odyssey in Madrid

WHERE YOU’LL STAY

Hotel Único

One of the benchmarks for luxury accommodation in Madrid, the Hotel Único is in the heart of Salamanca, the ritziest neighborhood in central Madrid. The Único offers incredible privacy and discretion, making it a popular bolthole for recognizable guests. You have everything you might want available in the hotel: a restaurant, a superb cocktail bar, a spa, even an outdoor terrace. If you want to get away from the business of Madrid, the Único is a perfect choice.

WHERE YOU’LL GO

MADRID

When you land in Madrid you can really feel that this is a powerful city. The Spanish capital was built exactly in the middle of the country, much to the chagrin of locals trying to get to the beach for their summer vacation. Yet when you visit, you won’t mind, because Madrid has everything you could want. Great hotels, restaurants, boutiques and especially museums are everywhere. A huge old center is great to get lost in, with neighborhoods from swanky to multicultural to alternative. People from all over Spain and all over the world have shaped the city, yet the old Madrid still asserts itself. The culture of the capital won’t be globalized away, even as Madrid proves year after year that it is one of Europe’s great cities. The city's greatness comes not in spite of but because of its deeply Spanish character, a city where the language and customs of the country are defined but also preserved. Spain is not Madrid, but Madrid is very much a microcosm of Spain.

DINING IN MADRID

Madrid’s food scene once lived in the shadow of the famous tables of San Sebastián and Barcelona, but no longer. Traditionally, every indicator from press coverage to Michelin stars to chef star power tilted towards the Basque and Catalan food capitals. Madrid has asserted itself, both by developing its own cuisines and local talent to new heights and by attracting the best chefs from around Spain to the city. Today all eyes are on Madrid, firmly established as a global food city on all fronts.

The first pillar of Madrid’s food strength is the regional Spanish restaurants of the city. Madrid has long been Spain’s main internal migration destination, bringing populations to the capital from every corner of the country. This has led to the proliferation of restaurants serving the best of Spain's regional cuisines. Thus, Madrid has long been an excellent place to eat Galician, Asturian, Basque, Valencian, or Andalusian dishes. Dishes from around the country have come to form the foundation of Madrid’s cuisine.

From this traditional regional repertoire innovation has emerged. Many young chefs at the casual fine dining restaurants of Madrid’s “bistronomica” movement are working with recipes and ingredients from all over Spain. Others are blending far-flung Spanish flavors with influences from Latin America and Japan, whose cuisine has long been revered by Spanish chefs. This flood of groundbreaking new restaurants and the awards and accolades that have followed has helped draw the country’s regional stars to the capital, with top chefs like Quique Dacosta, Dani García, and Rafa Zafra choosing Madrid as the location for flagship openings.

The city’s culinary creativity has also brought about the refinement of typical Castilian dishes from the surrounding provinces. Classical Madrid cuisine pulls heavily from the carnivorous repertoire of the Spanish meseta, as seen in hearty dishes like Madrid-style tripe. But today, Madrid’s chefs are showcasing a different kind of countryside bounty. There's an exciting new native cuisine that highlights fresh local vegetables, wild products like mushrooms and pine nuts, and wild game. With a light touch and close contact with farmers, chefs in and around the capital are helping to forge a product cuisine that embraces and enhances the native. In a region where the most respected dishes once were from far away, this newfound identity has allowed locavore chefs and restaurants to define a new Madrid cuisine and reach world-class status.

See our blog Madrid Wine Bars

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• 3 nights hotel, double occupancy, breakfast daily, expert private guides, private tours, restaurant concierge service and all reservations, private luxury transport

NOT INCLUDED

• flights to/from Spain or Portugal, gratuities to guides and drivers, travel insurance (recommended)

EPICUREAN WAYS ADVANTAGE

We pride ourselves on our discerning taste in hotels, a concierge approach to restaurants for you, and our long experience in the world of wine enabling us to select wineries worth visiting and arrange premium tastings at each winery.

You will be accompanied by a driver-guide during your wine touring. Your visits and tastings will be private and with the winemaker, a family member or an expert who knows the winery and the wines well. We work with the wineries to make sure that you taste the best and most representative wines during each visit. It is sometimes possible to arrange extended tastings that include old vintages or rare wines. We have an extensive group of wineries whose owners we know and with whom we work regularly, so we can guarantee high-level visits even if a winery has to be substituted. If you have an interest in visiting a particular producer please let us know.

We include restaurant concierge service as part of your trip. Note that our restaurant suggestions are just that–suggestions. Places we love, places to go back to time after time. We recommend these places after years of experience eating in Spain and Portugal together with frequent research and input from our local partners. We aspire to guide your choices with information on the styles of cuisine and restaurants; the choice on where to eat is yours based on your preferences and desires.

We have extensive experience with hotels ranging from 5-star luxury properties to private boutique hotels. Let us know your preferences and we will tailor the hotel choices for you.

All tours, experiences and hotels are subject to availability and will be confirmed upon booking the trip.

TRIP PRICES

Note that we can customize this trip for you. Add days in your arrival or departure city or in other locations or make changes to the experiences, winery visits, restaurants, or hotels included in the trip. Whatever it is, we’re here to work with you. Once you’re happy with the trip plan and have some idea of your dates we will send you the price.