Madrid Río Self-Guided Audio Walk: Puente de Segovia, Puente de Toledo and Perrault's Steel Bridge





Duration
Free cancellation
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Audio guide
Guided tour
- Walk Madrid's river park downstream from a Baroque riverside chapel to the Arganzuela park.
- See the 16th-century Puente de Segovia under the palace ridge, Ribera's Puente de Toledo and Perrault's steel bridge.
- Follow a river walled in granite and hidden behind a motorway, until the road went into tunnels and the city got its banks back.
- Stand on a promenade of thousands of pines planted on the roof of the M-30 motorway tunnels.
- 10 stops over 3.4 km, about 75 minutes, with English audio you start whenever you like.
- Self-guided audio tour in English, 10 stops, 75 minutes- Stops at Ermita de la Virgen del Puerto, Parque Atlético de Madrid, Fuente Castellana- GPS map, walking directions in browser- Lifetime access to tour, start anytime
- Live guide
- Fixed start time
- Museum and monument tickets
- Food and drinks
- Tips or gratuities
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
For decades Madrid had its back to its river. The Manzanares was walled in granite and held in ponds, and then a ring road ran along both banks. In 2003 the city decided to put the motorway into tunnels and build a park on top.
Start at Pedro de Ribera's Baroque riverside chapel and cross the Puente de Segovia, begun in 1574, with the palace and the Almudena's dome above it. Follow the river past a concrete laboratory where engineers modeled rivers, to the weirs whose opening in 2016 let the river build its own islands.
Walk a promenade of pines on the roof of the motorway, look across to the stadium site that became a park in 2024, see the saints on Ribera's Puente de Toledo, and climb through Perrault's steel bridge to a summer beach and a fountain that has moved across Madrid.
Ten stops, about 3.4 km and 75 minutes, flat and almost step-free, at your own pace, in English.
What to bring
- Ticket code: Enter your ticket code on the Roamer redemption page before you set off, while you still have signal.
- Phone setup: Open the tour in your phone browser so you can follow the GPS map without downloading an app.
- Charged phone: Bring a fully charged phone so the audio, GPS map, and directions last the whole 75-minute walk.
- Earphones: Bring earphones so you can hear the commentary clearly along the shared promenade.
- Connectivity: Use mobile data if you have it, or open the tour on Wi-Fi before you start walking.
- Water and sun protection: Carry water and sun protection, especially in July and August when shade is patchy.
What's not allowed
- Photography around children: Avoid pointing cameras at children in playgrounds or at the summer beach areas along the route.
Accessibility
- Steps and step-free option: There is a flight of 21 steps from Puente de Segovia; for a step-free route, use the adjacent ramp to reach the riverside.
- Slippery surfaces: The wooden decks at the weir footbridge and Perrault's bridge become slippery when wet.
Additional information
- Best time to walk: Walk in daylight; weekday mornings are quiet and weekends are busy with families, runners, and cyclists.
- Summer timing: In summer, walk early or late, since shade is limited and the Arganzuela end is open lawn.
- Playa urbana hours: The Playa urbana jets and pools run only in summer from 11am to 9pm; check esmadrid.com for yearly dates.
- Starting transport options: Reach the start via Príncipe Pío or Puerta del Ángel Metro or buses 25, 31, 33, 36, 39, 41, 50, 62, 65, 138, 158, C1, and C2.
- End transport options: From the end, walk about 650 to 700 metres to Pirámides station; the nearest step-free entrance is slightly further.
- Leaving midway: To leave partway through, use Marqués de Vadillo Metro at the south end of Puente de Toledo.
- Extended route: If you want to keep walking, continue about 1.3 kilometres downstream to Matadero and Legazpi Metro.
- Extra walking at stop 6: To stand on the Parque Atlético de Madrid lawn, add roughly 0.5 kilometres by crossing and recrossing the river on nearby footbridges.
- Shared promenade etiquette: Share the unmarked path with cyclists, scooters, and runners, keep to the river side, and step off the path at every stop.
- Busy road crossing: Between stops 1 and 2, cross the Puente de Segovia roadway only at the traffic lights, using the central island.
- Heat advice: In July and August, carry water and avoid the middle of the day due to strong sun and limited shade.
- After dark: The park stays open and lit all night, but the river paths are quiet after dark.
- Playa urbana note: Expect many children in swimwear at the summer beach area and keep cameras pointed away from them.
- Ermita etiquette: Treat the Ermita de la Virgen del Puerto as a place of worship and keep your voice low during services.
- Ermita visiting hours: Services usually run Thursday to Sunday, and guided visits in Spanish take place on the last Sunday of each month at 1pm.
- Ermita visits on request: You can request additional guided visits to the Ermita by email to its organizers.
- Roadside caution: Be aware that the Paseo beside the Ermita carries heavy traffic, so take care when approaching or leaving the area.
- Please check your final voucher for the redemption details and specific instructions.
- Your voucher will be emailed to you shortly.
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