DETAILS
The National Trust and the Museum Travel Alliance invite you to experience this legacy with behind-the-scenes access to ancestral palaces, private family collections, and members-only institutions that remain closed to the general public. Art historian and painter Madeline Díaz, who has been drawn to Madrid for decades, will accompany this program. “
- Pricing from
- $10,999
- Trip Type
- Group Travel Tour, International Land & Rail Tours
- Departure Dates
-
Apr 18, 2026 - Apr 25, 2026
Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid
A landmark of Belle Époque grandeur, this hotel sits at the nexus of Madrid’s cultural core, steps from the Prado and Retiro Park. Behind its restored façade lie 153 rooms and suites, a tranquil spa with a heated pool, and five dining venues led by Michelin-starred chef Quique Dacosta.
TOUR MAP
ITINERARY
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day 1
Depart on an overnight flight to Madrid
Following an independent arrival and check-in at the Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel, our journey begins with an entrée into the world of Los Angeles art collecting. The evening commences with a visit to a significant private art collection (pending confirmation), followed by a welcome reception with fellow travelers.
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day 2
Madrid, Spain
Arrive in Spain’s capital, a city known for the museums in its “Golden Triangle of Art” and divine culinary experiences. You will be transferred to the palatial Mandarin Oriental Ritz to meet your study leader and fellow travelers. This evening, we are invited to Palacio de Liria, the palace of the Duke of Alba, for an exclusive after-hours visit and a special reception with tapas. Completed in 1785, the palace features a luxurious garden space and an impressive art collection with works by Goya, Velázquez, Murillo, Zurburán, El Greco, Ribera, Titian, and Rubens. The palace library also houses more than 18,000 prints, including a first edition of Don Quixote.
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day 3
Madrid
The day begins with a guided tour of the Museo Lázaro Galdiano, a 12,600-piece collection assembled by José Lázaro Galdiano representing works from the sixth century B.C. through the 20th century. The tour will focus on the Spanish section, featuring panels by El Greco and Velázquez, and a special collection of paintings by Goya. Our inside look at Goya continues at the Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida, a neoclassical chapel that is Goya’s final burial place and houses one of his frescoes. After lunch at a local restaurant, we explore the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, one of Madrid’s “Golden Triangle of Art” museums. A specialized curator will guide our contemplation of Picasso’s Guernica, followed by a look at pieces by Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, and Francis Bacon. This evening concludes with a tapas dinner.
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day 4
Madrid
We will enjoy a private, before-hours visit to the 200-year-old Museo del Prado, the apex of Madrid’s UNESCO-listed “Golden Triangle of Art”. Away from the crowds, we will view masterworks such as Velázquez’s Las Meninas and Goya’s Third of May, 1808. Highlights will also include works by Spanish masters, such as El Greco, as well as international figures, including Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Bosch, and Raphael. We will then be hosted for an exclusive lunch at the home of a private collector. In the afternoon, we will meet a curator at the Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson for a behind-the-scenes look at the Masaveu Collection, one of Spain’s most important private art collections. We will experience the collection’s richly eclectic holdings, which span from medieval paintings to contemporary expression, with works by artists including El Greco, Goya, Picasso, Dalí, Miró, and Warhol. Dinner is at leisure this evening.
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day 5
Madrid / Toledo / Madrid
We will journey an hour south of Madrid to Toledo, Castile’s ancient capital, known as the “City of the Three Cultures” for the converging Christian, Jewish, and Muslim influences that shaped it. Our exploration begins at the Catedral de Toledo, a mammoth Gothic marvel, where a guided tour will highlight its superb art collection, with masterpieces by artists, such as El Greco, Titian, and Goya, and an impressive five-section altarpiece. We continue to the Iglesia de Santo Tomé, a church with a 14th-century Mudéjar tower, to admire its most important treasure: El Greco’s renowned, 15-foot-tall Burial of the Count of Orgaz. To experience Toledo’s Spanish-Jewish heritage, an expert will guide our look at the 14th-century Sinagoga del Tránsito, with its beautiful geometric motifs and inscriptions in Arabic and Hebrew, and the Sinagoga de Santa María la Blanca, constructed in the 12th century by Islamic builders as a Jewish house of worship in the Christian kingdom of Castile. Lunch will be served in a private location before we return to Madrid for an evening at leisure.
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day 6
Madrid
This morning, we will join a curator for a visit to the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, part of Madrid’s “Golden Triangle of Art.” We will wander through one of the finest and most varied collections of Western painting, with more than 1,000 pieces spanning the 13th through 20th centuries, including works by Caravaggio, Van Eyck, Monet, Van Gogh, Dalí, Pollock, and O’Keeffe. After lunch, we will take a guided walking tour of the historic Habsburg area on our way back to the hotel. A light dinner will be available at the hotel this evening.
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day 7
Madrid
This morning is dedicated to private visits to local artists’ studios, guided by a painter. Lunch and the rest of the afternoon are at leisure.
Our trip will conclude with an elegant farewell dinner at the exclusive Gran Peña Club hosted by a marquis who is also a renowned winemaker. We will enjoy a delicious meal paired with excellent wines from his family vineyards as our host shares insights into his life and heritage, Spanish history, and his unique perspective of Madrid. -
day 8
Madrid / Return
Depart the hotel early this morning for the flight home
Everything you need to know about the tour
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