There are meals you enjoy—and then there are meals you remember for a lifetime. Our visit to Sobrino de Botín in Madrid falls firmly into the second category. Tucked away on a cobbled street just a short stroll from Plaza Mayor, Botín isn’t just any restaurant. It’s officially the oldest restaurant in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records, with its doors having first opened in 1725. But the history of this place goes back even further—far further.
Cave basement of Botín restaurant
We were lucky enough to receive a private tour, and it was like walking through a living museum.
The staff took us below the dining rooms to explore the cellars and wine caves, some of which date back to the early 16th century.
Dining area of the lower area of Botín Restaurant
You could feel the centuries in the cool stone walls, and imagine the stories the space could tell—from secret meetings during times of conflict to quiet toasts over vintages now long gone.
16th century wine cave under Botín Restaurant
In the cellar’s quiet shadows, surrounded by dusty bottles and timeworn brick, we got a deeper sense of the rich, layered history of the restaurant and Madrid itself.
Shelley and Michelle in the wine cave of Botín Restaurant
Botín has hosted some truly iconic names over the centuries. Ernest Hemingway wrote about it in The Sun Also Rises and was known to frequent the restaurant. Francisco de Goya, before becoming a famed painter, worked there as a dishwasher! Kings, celebrities, writers, and travelers from every corner of the globe have passed through these doors, drawn by the same thing that brought us there: a craving for something truly special.
Area of restaurant where Hemingway usually ate.
Then there was the meal—a decadent, flavourful five-course experience paired with regional Spanish wines that perfectly complemented each dish.
Gerry, Ray, Michelle and Shelley enjoying 5 course meal at Botín
From the moment the first plate arrived, the food was every bit as historic as the setting. The standout? Without question, their signature cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig), cooked in the original wood-fired oven that’s been in use since the restaurant’s founding. Crisp, tender, and rich with flavor, it was unlike anything we’ve had before.
Kitchen wood fired Oven with their roasted suckling pig
It was so much more than a meal, it was about connecting with history in a way few other places allow. You can almost taste the past, feel the stories in the walls, and walk out with a deeper appreciation of the tradition, craftsmanship, and the Spanish culture.
If you ever find yourself in Madrid, do yourself a favor: make a reservation, or if you’re lucky like we were, arrange a tour. Whether you’re a history buff, a food lover, or both, Botín offers an experience that’s truly one of a kind.
We met our friends Dan and Kathy from Canada in Madrid. From there we did a tour of some of the most beautiful cities of Spain. We of course began our adventure in Madrid. We walked the city centre exploring the architecture, food and culture of Madrid.
Dan in front of a Bocadillo restaurant in Madrid
Ibérico de bellota, is a type of ham, the ¨bellota¨ refers to the acorn-rich diets of free-range Iberian pigs. It is considered one of the best type of ham in Spain.
Shelley, Kathy and Dan in front of the oldest restaurant in the world ¨Botin¨ located in Madrid.View of the Palacio de Comunicaciones in MadridThe front of the Royal Palace of Madrid
We decided to take a break and try some Madrid tapas.
Dan enjoying tapas in Madrid
Toledo
The following day we took the high speed train to Toledo.
Kathy and Dan at the Toledo sign
The city of Toledo represents the essence and soul of Spain. There are beautiful historical landmarks that are located throughout the city. Toledo was declared a Historic-Artistic Site by UNESCO in 1940 and later, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986 for its extensive monumental and cultural heritage. It has a rich and long history and dates back to the fifth century BC. In 193 BC, it was taken by the roman empire and remained an important city. During the ages Toledo was known for the quality of the weapons it made for the Romans.
Store front in Toledo selling assorted swords and knives.
We went into the ¨Iglesia de los Jesuitas¨ a beautiful 18th-century baroque church.
Iglesia de los Jesuitas in Toledo Spain
We explored the church and even went up the tower and onto the roof area.
From there we could see the spectacular views of Toledo and the surrounding area.
View of Toledo Spain from the roof of the Iglesia de los Jusuitas
We had a wonderful day in Toledo exploring the many sites and historic areas.
Barcelona
The following day we took the high speed train from Madrid to Barcelona. The train speed was as fast as 300 kilometers per hour during the trip. We arrived in the heart of the city and began exploring the second largest city in Spain.
We went to the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, known as the Sagrada Familia basilica. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is an extraordinary cathedral. It is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world. Designed by the Famous architect Antoni Gaudí,
Barcelona Cathedral
Dan in the base of the Sagrada Familia church
We went to see the Güel park which was built from 1900 to 1914. It was designed by the same architect Mr. Antoni Gaudí that was in charge of the construction of the Sagrada Familia Church. The Güel park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984. It is one of the large green spaces in Barcelona, with more than 17 hectares. We walked throughout the park admiring the unique designs of the walls and walkways.
The Entrance to the Güel park in BarcelonaOne of the stone walls along the walkway in the Güel Park in BarcelonaStone pillars of the bridge section in Güel ParkShelley towards the top of the Güel park with views that overlook Barcelona
After exploring Barcelona for a few days we were off on the train again this time to Alicante
Alicante
Alicante is a historic Mediterranean port city with a long rich history. The history of Alicante spans thousands of years. The first settlements in the Alicante area were made by Iberian tribes. Since then the area has been inhabited successively by Greeks, Romans, Muslims, and Christians. Today Alicante is a bustling city of over 320,000 population.
Kathy and Dan near the entrance to the Castillo de Santa Bárbara in Alicante
We explored the city and walked the beautiful coastline of the Mediterranean sea enjoying the kilometres of white sandy beaches.
Kathy, Dan, Shelley and Ray on the beach in AlicanteKathy and Dan walking in the Mediterranean sea in AlicanteKathy and Dan leaving their mark on the shore of the mediterranean Sea.
Over the next few days we explored the city at a relaxed pace. We walked the promenade. It was decorated for Christmas and there was a very large nativity scene on the promenade.
Kathy and Dan at luceros plaza in Alicante10 meter hight Nativity scene on the promenade in AlicanteDan and Kathy on the Promenade in AlicanteDan and Kathy in front of an old Ficus Microcarpa tree in the Canalejas Park in Alicante.
We explored some museums which were quite unique. The Fogueres Festival museum was very special with different fogueres on display.
Kathy and Dan in the Fogueres Museum in Alicante
We went to the Castillo de Santa Barbara and explored this historic castle.
View of the Santa Bárbara castle from the waterfront of Alicante.
The medieval castle is a historic landmark and was built on the top of Mount Benacantil. The views of the mediterranean Sea where amazing and the colour of the water stunning.
View from the top of the Castle of Santa Bárbara in AlicantePartial view of the castle and the mediterranean seaKathy and Dan with some Knights of the Castle of Santa BarbaraKathy, Dan and Shelley on a section of the castle of Santa Barbara
Kathy in the lookout on the top of the Santa Bárbara Castle
Kathy on the lookout tower of the Santa Bárbara Castle in Alicante.
While in Alicante we enjoyed trying a few of the traditional Spanish restaurants and walking through the fresh food markets.
Dan and Kathy at one of the Spanish restaurants in Alicante
Guadalest
After spending time in Alicante we took a few day trips around the area. The first trip was to Gaudalest a small village anchored in a small valley. Gaudalest was declared a Historic-Artistic monument in 1974. It is known for its ‘castle’, which is literally hanging on the edge of the cliffs.
Kathy and Dan looking out over the Valley in Guadalest
We did a day trip with our friend and tour guide Filipe to a town called Novelda.
Novelda
The day began with a tour of the Mola castle which stands 360 metres above sea level. The castle was built in the late 12th century by Islamic occupiers. The castle was originally a polygonal layout with eight square turrets jutting out from the outer wall, although only four still survive today.
Dan, Kathy and Shelley with Filipe explaining the history of the Mola castle
We climbed the steep narrow stairs inside the towers reaching the top of the tower.
Narrow and steep staircase within the Mola castle
We also could see the remains of the 12th century layout of the castle from the rooftop.
View of the remains of the rooms within the 12th century castle
We could also see the church Shrine of Mary Magdalene .
View from Castle of the Church Shrine of Mary MagdaleneThe church Shrine of Mary Magdalene in Novelda
We explored this amazing and unique church. Work began on the church in 1918 and was completed in three phases. The architect Jose Sala Sala, who is a native of Novelda, he dedicated the church to Mary Magdalene, the patron saint of Novelda.
The outside is made of stone, brick and marble with a similar style to the Sagrada Familia Church in Barcelona.
Outside walls of the church
The main entrance archway is made of large sections of marble and is quite impressive. The marble organ system which is still under construction is made completely of marble. The three main marble pipes are mounted above the entranceway of the church.
Shelley and Dan at the entrance area of the church
After visiting the church we finished our day by visiting the Bodega Casa Cesilia which has a great restaurant. We enjoyed a great meal and then toured the winery.
Casa Cesilla winery in Novelda
It was a great way to end our day. Over the next few days we relaxed and enjoyed home cooked meals and some quiet time in Alicante before heading back out on our next adventure.
“Las cosas bonitas se aprecian mucho mejor en compañía de amigos”
We were in Madrid and exploring the streets when we came across the restaurant called Casa Botin. It is known as the oldest restaurant in the world and was founded in 1725. This is according to the Guinness Book of Records.
Shelley Kathy and Dan outside of the oldest restaurant in the world Botin in Madrid
It was featured on several documentaries and was listed by Forbes magazine’s as third place of the world’s top 10 classic restaurants. It is renowned for its delicious suckling pig.
We took a look at the outside of the restaurant and noticed a mockup model of the interior of the restaurant in the window. We stopped and checked out the layout of the nearly 300 year old restaurant.
The Botin Restaurant model layout
Inside the restaurant was packed with patrons and it was very lively with lots of laughter and chatter..
We decided to ask on the off chance that we could get a table for dinner, even though we did not have a reservation. We were greeted by a friendly waiter who after looking for a few minutes found us a table. We were very fortunate to be able to be accommodated and had a table on the second floor. We walked along the main floor past the kitchen area which as we looked in we could see the wood fired oven and an array of meals being prepared.
The Botin restaurant wood fired ovenSuckling pigs and preparing area inside the kitchen area.
So upstairs we went for a meal at the oldest restaurant. We ordered several different meals including the suckling pig. We had some wine and enjoyed the amazing atmosphere of the restaurant.
Ray and Shelley at the Botin Restaurant in MadridKathy and Dan at the Botin Restaurant in Madrid
After enjoying our very tasty meals we mentioned to the waiter that we had seen a documentary on the Botin Restaurant. He was very friendly and we even were given a quick tour of the lower area of the restaurant which was quite interesting.
Dan walking down the stairs into the lowest level of the Botin restaurant in MadridShelley, Kathy and Dan in the basement level of Botin Restaurant in Madrid
Down in the lowest level of the restaurant we could see the old curved brink walls of an ancient wine cellar. You could almost see the history come out of the walls. Earnest Hemingway was a regular at the Botin restaurant along with many other celebrities over the centuries. It was truly a great experience to see and have a meal at the Botin restaurant.
We went to the Museo Telefonica which is located inside the beautiful national Telefonica building in Madrid.
National Telefonica building in Madrid
The entrance which was free is at the side of the main building. We went into a lobby area which had a small model of the Telefonica building on display.
Shelley beside the model of the telefonica building
We took an elevator up to the top floor and explored the exhibit which was a history of the phone company in Spain.
Display of different phones that were used over the years.
Ornate telephone used in early 1900’s in Spain
There were exhibits of different pieces of equipment that was actually used in Spain.
Telegraph decoder of morse code which was used until 1950.
The telegraph decoder was used in Spain beginning in 1875 and was in use until 1950. The importance of the telegraph decoder was its ability to instantly decode into printable and readable text messages from morse code. This particular telegraph decoder was used to send news of the movement of Spanish soldiers during war.
Breaker switches and circuit wall which was in actual use at the telefonica company
This switchboard was used in connecting different customers manually.
After exploring the history of the telephone in Spain we went to the third floor to check out the digital exhibit. This exhibit was truly unique and very enjoyable. It is divided into three different parts. The first section called “Black Waves: Lost, Immersed, and Reborn” which is the largest part of the exhibit. When we entered the exhibit it was truly spectacular. There were large digital waves throughout several different large rooms.
View of the digital waves throughout the exhibit.
We walked through the rooms and were immersed into the 3D digital art.
Shelley and Ray in the 3D digital exhibit
The telefonica museum was an interesting spot and the 3D digital exhibit was very enjoyable.
It was a rainy day in Madrid so we decided to go to the National Museum of Art to see some of the exhibits which included Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso and H.C. Westermann.
Entrance to the Museo Reina Sofia
We explored the museum which had many different exhibits. We explored some of the ones which were of interest to us. The first one we went to was the cubism exhibit which featured some famous Spanish artists, including Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso.
Bust and Pallet, (1925) Pablo Picasso
Face of the great masturbator, (1929)- Salvador Dali
Some of the exhibits were quite unique and interesting, in particular we enjoyed the Horace Clifford Westermann exhibit.
Ray looking at some of the HC Westermann exhibits
He is known for his folkloric sculptures and works on paper with playfulness and humour,
We saw some interesting pieces that were very unique including the “Memorial to the Idea of Man If He Was an Idea,”
Memorial to the Idea of Man If He Was an Idea, HC Westermann
We looked at the different pieces and some where quite interesting while others were simply strange.
Antimobile (1966) HC Westermann
Shelley “just missing the bullseye”
“In God we trust” HC WEstermann
Robot by HC Westermann
The Museum was well worth the visit and we enjoyed seeing the different styles of art on display.
Ray in mirror art
It was a great way to spend a rainy day in Madrid.
We saw some interesting pieces that were very unique including the “Memorial to the Idea of Man If He Was an Idea,”
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