- The Audiovisual Office of the Delegate Department for Tourism presents these two initiatives, which expand the range of screen-based tourism on offer in the capital.
- The third edition of the ‘Madrid on Screen’ tour programme will offer, every Saturday and Sunday between 18 July and 20 September, seven different itineraries to discover Madrid through its audiovisual heritage.
- The guided tours are inspired by the screen tourism leaflets published by the Madrid Film Office and are free of charge, subject to collecting a ticket in advance.
- The illustrated cultural map ‘New Madrid Comedies’ takes in the locations of eight contemporary TV series that have portrayed life in the city through humour.
- The Museo Chicote, the Palace of the Duchess of Sueca and the Moncloa Lighthouse are just some of the places featured in the guide, which is illustrated in a retro comic-book style by Van Saiyan and includes texts by the writer Pedro Sánchez Castrejón.
The Councillor for Tourism, Almudena Maíllo, today presented the third edition of ‘Madrid on Screen’, the Madrid Film Office’s programme of summer guided tours, and the illustrated cultural map ‘New Madrid Comedies’, an innovative resource for discovering the capital through some of its most successful TV series.
These two initiatives form part of the Madrid City Council’s audiovisual office’s strategy to promote screen-based tourism and showcase the city’s audiovisual heritage, thereby expanding the range of cultural activities and tourist experiences on offer in Madrid. Maíllo emphasised that “the guided tour programme and the map invite people to discover Madrid through its audiovisual heritage, linking culture, history and tourism with the film and television productions shot in the city”. He also stressed that these initiatives “help to expand the city’s cultural and tourist offering during the summer months for both Madrileños and visitors”.
Seven guided tours exploring Madrid’s audiovisual heritage
‘Madrid on Screen’ will be offering seven guided walks this summer, allowing visitors to explore the city through films and TV series. Every Saturday and Sunday, between 18 July and 20 September, visitors can enjoy a tour inspired by the Madrid Film Office’s ‘screen tourism’ publications, reliving iconic scenes, hearing anecdotes from film shoots and discovering interesting facts about the history of Madrid and its film stars.
The programme will begin on 18 July with the ‘New Madrid Comedies’ tour, inspired by the new illustrated cultural map. This tour takes in some of the most iconic locations from contemporary comedy series such as *Poquita fe*, *Paquita Salas*, *Machos Alfa* and *Valeria*. The tour will be repeated on 9, 15 and 30 August and on 20 September. TV series will continue to take centre stage with the ‘Madrid, Capital of TV Series’ walk, which will take participants on a tour of the city with a focus on shows such as *La casa de papel*, *Élite*, *Las chicas del cable*, *El Ministerio del Tiempo*, *Antidisturbios*, *30 monedas* and *Veneno* (22 and 29 August and 5 September).
Another highlight is ‘Concha Velasco’s Madrid’ (19 July, 8 August and 6 September), a tour exploring the life and work of one of Spanish cinema’s most beloved actresses, star of such iconic films as *Las chicas de la Cruz Roja* (1958) and *Tormento* (1974). Fans of Pedro Almodóvar’s films can explore the city through his films with the ‘Pedro Almodóvar’s Madrid’ walking tour (25 July, 2 August and 12 September).
The programme also includes the ‘The Landscape of Light on Screen’ tour (26 July and 23 August). A tour of the monuments, buildings and unique spaces of this cultural landscape, designated a World Heritage Site in 2021, through films such as *Manolo, the Traffic Warden* (1956), *The Little Flat* (1959), *The Fabulous World of the Circus* (1964) and *The Day of the Beast* (1995).
‘Madrid on Screen’ also highlights the connection between the film industry and the city’s various districts through two tours. The first, ‘Chamberí, a Film Set’ (1 August and 13 September), invites visitors to immerse themselves in a setting portrayed in numerous productions as a symbol of everyday life in the city. The second, ‘Tetuán, a film district’ (16 August and 19 September), will take participants on a tour of the locations featured in such iconic Spanish films as *Mi tío Jacinto* (1956); *El Lute, camina o revienta* (1987), *Abre los ojos* (1997) and *Volver* (2006). Both districts share a common history as major hubs for film screenings.
With this varied programme, the City Council broadens the perspective on the capital and its links with the audiovisual sector. The guided tours are organised by the Carpetania Madrid association and are free of charge, subject to booking a ticket in advance. Full details are available on the Madrid Film Office website.
A visual tour of the ‘new Madrid comedy’
The so-called ‘new Madrid comedy’ of the 1970s and 1980s put Madrid at the centre of everyday, relatable and recognisable stories, populated by characters striving to find their way amidst the changes of a city in the midst of transformation. Decades later, series such as *Poquita fe*, *Paquita Salas*, *Machos Alfa*, *Valeria* and *Su Majestad* have taken up the baton and brought it up to date to portray, through humour, life in a diverse, open and constantly evolving capital. These are joined by *Furia*, *Arde Madrid* and *El Ministerio del Tiempo*.
All of them feature on the illustrated cultural map ‘New Madrid Comedies’, through which Madrid City Council pays tribute to a tradition that remains vibrant in our audiovisual landscape. The project is supported by the Foro por Madrid, via the Office for Strategic Projects and Business Engagement within the Department of Economy, Innovation and Finance.
The guide takes the form of a visual tour in Spanish of 21 iconic locations from some of the most beloved series on the current scene. The publication, written by the author Pedro Sánchez Castrejón and illustrated by Van Saiyan in a retro comic-book style, features references to bars such as Válgame Dios and the Museo Chicote, as well as the restaurant La Carmencita, where the protagonists of *Machos Alfa* gather to unwind. The Palace of the Duchess of Sueca, which for years served as the headquarters of *El Ministerio del Tiempo*, and the Palace of the Counts of Paredes de Nava, where the protagonist of *Poquita fe* works as a security guard, are among the historic sites featured. And there is no shortage of tourist landmarks such as the Cuesta de Moyano or the Moncloa Lighthouse, where the heroine of *Su Majestad* has a date with a prince to whom she is showing Madrid around.
This resource allows visitors to get to know the city better and discover how Madrid continues to be a great backdrop for contemporary comedy. The illustrated cultural map ‘New Madrid Comedies’ is available in libraries, tourist information points and cultural centres. It is also available in digital format on the Madrid Destino website, on the capital’s official tourism portal, esMADRID.com, and on the Madrid Film Office website. /
Source: MADRID CITY TOURISM