Spanish Civil War Free Tour Madrid

The start of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936 placed Madrid at the centre of a conflict that would change Europe. Between 1936 and 1939, the city resisted 863 days of siege and continuous bombings. On this free tour you walk with your local guide through the key Civil War sites in Madrid: from Puerta del Sol and Gran Vía —nicknamed 'avenida del 15 y medio' after the calibre of the shells that crossed it— to the Templo de Debod, built where the Cuartel de la Montaña stood, stormed on 20 July 1936.

The route follows the front line up to the Parque del Oeste, where the remains of the Republican trenches can still be sensed between the trees. You will see facades with shrapnel impacts still visible —the Ministry of Agriculture, the Cuesta de la Vega, the surroundings of the Royal Palace— and understand how the Spanish Civil War was lived day to day: air-raid shelters, propaganda, hunger and radio. On this tour you won't learn history from a book — you will walk through the very streets where bombs fell, where trenches were built and where thousands of Madrileños tried to carry on with their lives.