This page gathers the 2 free audio guides in English for Madrid: the Puerta de Alcalá, in the city centre next to Retiro Park, and the El Escorial Monastery, a day trip to the north-west. Open the guide for the place in front of you and press play; the map below shows where each one is before you set out.
There are 2 audio guides for Madrid so far, with more on the way.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Spain
Map of Madrid
Each pin is an audio guide. Tap one to open it.
About Madrid
Madrid has 2 free audio guides in English on this site so far. Both play on your phone straight from their page, with no app and no sign-up, and each runs for about 3 minutes. One is in the city centre; the other is a day trip.
In the city, the Puerta de Alcalá is the granite triumphal arch that King Charles III had built where the road from Alcalá de Henares entered Madrid, designed by Francesco Sabatini and dated 1778 in bronze at the top. It stands in Plaza de la Independencia, next to Retiro Park, and it is an open-air monument: free to see at any time. The nearest metro stations are Retiro and Banco de España, both on line 2. Calle de Alcalá between Cibeles and the square is being rebuilt, with the works expected to run until the first quarter of 2027, so watch where you cross.
For a day out, the El Escorial Monastery is about 42 km north-west of the centre: buses 661 and 664 leave from the Moncloa interchange, and Cercanías commuter line C-8a stops in the town below. Philip II built it as a monastery, a basilica, a royal palace, a library and the burial vault of Spain's kings, all in one granite building. From October to March it opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm, with last entry at 4:45pm, and a standard ticket costs €14 (as of 1 October 2026). Over the same months, entry is free on Wednesdays and Sundays from 3pm for citizens of EU and Ibero-American countries and for EU residents or work-permit holders; free tickets are only given out at the ticket desk.
More free audio guides for the rest of the country are under Spain.