Madrid : Barrio de las Letras, Cervantes and Plaza de Santa Ana

Start point of the tour. Brief introduction to the Spanish Golden Age: who were its protagonists, why the Barrio de las Letras became the literary center of Europe and what we will discover in the next 21⁄2 hours.

You will discover one of the most striking and original traps in Madrid, an optical illusion painted on the facade of a building that has been surprising travelers for decades. We'll tell you the story he's hiding and the artist who created it.

One of the narrowest and most mysterious streets in the neighborhood, scene of the Valley-Inclán Esperpentos in Bohemian Lights. Here time literally stops between 18th century cobblestones and facades.

The heart of the Barrio de las Letras and the most bohemian square in Madrid. You’ll discover the statue of Federico García Lorca, the history of the Spanish Theatre — the oldest theatre in Europe in operation — and the former Golden Age Comedy Corral where Lope de Vega performed.

The most literary church in Madrid, declared a National Artistic Historical Monument. Here were baptized, married or buried some of the most important writers of the Golden Age. We will tell you who and why this building is inseparable from Spanish literary history.

The most famous street in the neighborhood, with verses of the great writers of the Golden Age etched on the floor. We will read Cervantes, Quevedo, Lope de Vega and Góngora literally under our feet as we tell you their lives, their geniuses and their most epic rivalries.

The place where Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Quixote, rests forever. We will tell you the story of the discovery of his remains in 2015, why it took more than 400 years to find his tomb and the connection between Cervantes and this convent that has kept its secret for centuries.

The street dedicated to the most scathing and brilliant poet of the Golden Age. Here we will tell you the most legendary rivalry in Spanish literature: Francisco de Quevedo versus Luis de Góngora — two geniuses who hated each other and copied each other equally. Insults, satires and poetry in equal parts.

We close the tour in front of the house where Félix Lope de Vega lived, the most prolific writer in universal history with more than 1,800 plays. You will discover his life, his love scandals, his rivalry with Cervantes and why he was called the Phoenix of the Ingenious.