Is it true that Che Guevara visited Franco's Spain?

Yes, it is a documented historical fact. Ernesto 'Che' Guevara made two visits to Madrid in 1959, during the Franco dictatorship. He did so incognito but with the full knowledge and surveillance of the Spanish secret services.

What did Che Guevara do during his visit to Madrid in 1959?

During his short stay, Che Guevara visited the city's outskirts, the University City, the Vistalegre bullring, and the Galerías Preciados department store. On his second visit in September, he even attended a bullfight.

Why did Franco allow Che Guevara's visit to Spain?

Although the regimes were ideological opposites, the visit was permitted within a complex diplomatic context. The Franco regime maintained relations with Cuba and likely saw the visit as an opportunity to gather intelligence and keep communication channels open, all under strict surveillance.

Ché Guevara trip to Spain - Actually Notes Magazine (English version)

Contents

1 The First Visit: June 1959
2 The Second Visit: 1966, The Clandestine Trip
- - 2.0.1 Read the original version in Spanish:
- 2.1 History is not what you were told

Editor’s Note: This article has been revised and technically updated in August 2025 to improve its structure and readability, while fully respecting its original content.

Che Guevara, a well-known motorcycle traveler in his youth, journeyed to Spain during the Franco regime, incognito, but with the full knowledge of Generalissimo Franco’s secret services.

It happened in 1959, at the height of the Franco dictatorship. Ernesto “Che” Guevara, on a tour that would take him to many countries (Japan, Pakistan, Indonesia, India, Egypt, Yugoslavia, and Morocco), made a stop in Madrid, the capital of Spain.

The First Visit: June 1959

Few people knew that Che would disembark from a Cubana de Aviación plane on the afternoon of June 13, 1959. Only Franco’s secret services, officials from the Cuban embassy, and a Spanish photographer and journalist who accompanied him were aware. However, at the time, not a single word or image of the event was published in Spain, although it was reported in other countries.

Six months after Fidel Castro’s guerrillas had defeated Batista, Che was seeking information and training from other countries to apply the best practices in Cuba. The trip was mysterious, as it could hardly be an official visit between two countries governed by diametrically opposed political regimes.

According to Antonio D. Olano, a journalist for the newspaper “Pueblo,” Che was primarily interested in seeing life in the outskirts of Madrid. Apparently, he believed the peripheral neighborhoods were in a state of greater misery, but he was surprised to find that while life was humble in areas like Carabanchel, he did not find the poverty he expected.

Che Guevara at the Plaza de Toros de las Ventas in Madrid, 1959 — The mysterious journey of Che Guevara to Spain. In the Plaza de Toros de las Ventas, Madrid.

Che Guevara in front of the Faculty of Medicine. Madrid. University City. — The mysterious journey of Che Guevara to Spain. In the Plaza de Toros de las Ventas, Madrid.

During his sixteen-hour stay, he visited the University City, the Vistalegre bullring, and the now-defunct department store, Galerías Preciados, where he bought a portable typewriter and several books on Spanish history. He stayed unnoticed at the luxurious Hotel Plaza. In September, at the conclusion of his tour, Che returned to Spain, making another stop in Madrid. This time, he even gave a small press conference and attended a bullfight.

The Second Visit: 1966, The Clandestine Trip

In 1966, Che Guevara returned to Spain. He landed again at Madrid’s Barajas airport, but this time with a false passport bearing the name of Ramón Benítez, a merchant from Montevideo. His photo, though in disguise, betrayed his unmistakable face. Why did he travel this time? That is a question to which we know no answer. Do you know? If so, please tell us.