Royal Palace of Madrid
Palacio Real de Madrid
The largest royal palace in Western Europe, with 3,418 rooms. Visitors can see the Throne Room, the porcelain room and the Stradivarius Royal Quartet. The king uses it only for state ceremonies.
The Royal Palace of Madrid was built between 1738 and 1755 on the site of a former Moorish fortress that had burned down. Philip V ordered its construction in the style of Versailles and the Louvre. It covers 135,000 square meters and has 3,418 rooms, making it the largest royal palace in Western Europe. The Spanish royal family actually lives in the Zarzuela Palace on the outskirts of the city, and the Royal Palace is used only for state ceremonies, so it is open to the public most of the time. The tour covers about 20 rooms: a monumental marble staircase; the Throne Room, decorated with red velvet and gilded lions (its ceiling painted by Tiepolo); the Gasparini Room with its rococo wallpaper; a room of Chinese-style porcelain; the Royal Banquet Hall, which seats 140 people; the Royal Pharmacy; the Royal Armory, one of Europe’s most important armor collections; and the priceless Stradivarius “Royal Quartet” string instruments. Tickets cost about 14 euros and can be booked on patrimonionacional.es. Visitors from outside the EU have no free admission periods. The Almudena Cathedral on the south side of the palace is free to visit. The Plaza de Oriente on the east side and the Sabatini and Moorish Gardens on the west side are also free photo spots. The Campo del Moro garden, which overlooks the palace from the west, and the distant Casa de Campo are among the best places in Madrid to watch the sunset. The Galería de las Colecciones Reales, which opened in 2023 on the south side of the palace, displays royal art treasures. Ópera station on metro lines L2 and L5 is a 5-minute walk away. On Wednesdays and Saturdays around 11:00, guards perform a changing-of-the-guard ceremony at the Príncipe Gate. On the first Wednesday of each month at 12:00, a grander ceremony takes place. Photography is not allowed inside. You pass through security before entering. For the best experience, arrive when the palace opens at 10 a.m.
Opening hours
Oct–Mar 10:00–18:00; Apr–Sep 10:00–19:00; temporarily closed during state events
Nearby sights
- Almudena Cathedral
- Plaza de España
- Mercado de San Miguel
- Temple of Debod
- Plaza Mayor
- Chocolatería San Ginés
- Monastery of Las Descalzas Reales
- Puerta del Sol