TheOneToGo
Madrid does its real eating standing up, in the old-quarter bars of La Latina, far from the polished terraces ringing the Plaza Mayor.
Our pick
Your guide moves you between standing bars in the historic center, ordering tapas that never make the English menu and matching each with a wine poured to order for the table. Three hours feels exactly right, long enough to eat properly and short enough to finish full but not stuffed, with a real read on the streets you just crossed. The good Madrid bars look unremarkable from the door, and knowing which to walk into is the whole game.
If our pick doesn't fit
Slightly more stops and a longer walk at a noticeably lower price, though the guide pool is smaller and reviews fewer.
Takes you out of Madrid entirely for a vineyard visit and Toledo sightseeing, a much bigger day that suits a slower itinerary.