The Extraordinary Royal Palace of Madrid.
The Extraordinary Royal Palace of Madrid is the most important of all monuments to see on a trip to Madrid. But you should not only contemplate its exterior during your walk through the "Plaza de Oriente" but also visit the interior of the Royal Palace.
Some Facts About The Royal Palace
- The Royal Palace of Madrid is known to be the largest in Western Europe by its dimensions, 135,000 square meters.
- In its interior, there are almost 3,500 halls and rooms.
- It is still used by the King of Spain for numerous ceremonies and official acts, although you should know that the current Monarchy has never lived in the stately building.
- Neither the actual King of Spain, King Felipe VI, nor his father, Juan Carlos I, have resided in the Royal Palace, having their residence in the Zarzuela Palace on Monte del Pardo.
History
The Royal Palace of Madrid is not a very old building. Its construction began in 1738 to replace the old Royal Palace building, which had caught fire on Christmas Eve in 1734. This palace suffered a great fire whose flames did not go out four days later, almost destroying it.
The origins of the Royal Palace of Madrid go back to a fortress built by the Arabs in the 9th century, known as the Alcázar.
After King Alfonso VI took over Madrid in 1085, he moved into the old Alcazar. Other kings also lived there.
Over the years, the old Arab fortress of Madrid was remodeled and expanded. It became the seat of the Imperial Court when Felipe II decided in 1561 that Madrid was the capital of the Empire.
For the construction of the new Royal Palace, Felipe V, who reigned when the old Alcázar de Los Austrias was destroyed in 1734, finally opted for the Italian architect Juan Bautista Sachetti.
But when Carlos III became King of Spain in 1760, Francisco Sabatini took over the building of the Royal Palace. He also added to the original plan.
Carlos III began to inhabit the Royal Palace of Madrid in 1764.
Later, it became the residence of successive Spanish kings until Alfonso XIII, in 1931, left Spain before the arrival of the Second Republic.
Visiting the Royal Palace of Madrid
During your visit to the Royal Palace, in addition to visiting the Official Rooms, you can see other dependencies, such as the Royal Kitchen.
Still, it would be best if you remembered to go into the Royal Armory.
In the Royal Armory, you will be fortunate to see one of the world's most important medieval armor collections.
This collection is only comparable to another set in Vienna, the Austrian capital.
Here are some practical tips for visiting the Royal Palace in Madrid.
The best day to visit the Royal Palace is Wednesday. You will also have a great chance to watch the "Changing of the Guard Ceremony."
This simple yet exciting event occurs at the door of the palace on Bailen Street, in the Plaza de Oriente, every Wednesday morning and at all times of the year, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., in July and August, between 10 and 12 hours.
See when is The Best Time to Go to Madrid.
Solemn Relay of the Royal Guard
But also, if your stay in Madrid coincides with the first Wednesday of the month (except in July, August, and September), you will have the opportunity to attend a grand ceremony in the Royal Palace: The Solemn Relay of the Royal Guard.
The solemn relay of the Royal Guard is an excellent Changing of the Guard parade in Plaza de la Armeria. It starts at noon and lasts about two hours, but it's worth it. It has more than 450 soldiers, cavalry, and artillery units from the Royal Guard.
Visiting the Royal Palace of Madrid on Monday
You should know that Madrid's Royal Palace is one of the monuments in the city that opens to the public on Monday, which is the typical closing day for other institutions and museums in the city.
Of course, you should anticipate that this is why queues tend to form at the ticket offices as tourists gather on that day of the week to visit the Royal Palace.
Visit the Royal Palace for free.
If you want to visit Madrid's Royal Palace for free, you should go from Monday to Thursday afternoon, specifically, between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., from April to September, and between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., from October to March.
Royal Armory of the Royal Palace, along with the Official Rooms
In the Royal Palace of Madrid, you can also visit other worthwhile rooms. Specifically, you can see the Royal Armory and the Royal Kitchen (you must buy a joint ticket).
Even if you are in a hurry, I recommend you see the Royal Armory, where you will find the most important collection of medieval armor in the world (along with the one in Vienna). This visit will take you about 30 minutes.
Gardens of the Royal Palace
And finally, if you visit the Royal Palace of Madrid on a nice day and have time to spare, you can walk through the free gardens surrounding the building, such as the Sabatini Gardens and the Campo del Moro Gardens.
Visiting hours of the Royal Palace of Madrid.
The visiting hours of the Royal Palace of Madrid are every day of the week, including Sundays and holidays.
- April to September — 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
- October to March — 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- The ticket offices close one hour before the time of the last visit.
When is the Royal Palace closed to visitors?
The Royal Palace of Madrid is a monument that can be visited almost every day of the year. It only closes on the most significant Christmas holidays, December 24 and 25, and January 1 and 6, as well as on other main festivals of the city, such as May 1 and October 12 (national holidays) and May 15 and November 9 (local holidays).
You should remember that you can't visit the Royal Palace when official events are going on, so if you're not sure, it's best to check that it will be open on the day you want to go.
Entrance Prices to Madrid's Royal Palace
The general ticket prices to visit the Royal Palace of Madrid are 13 euros if there is an exhibition and 12 euros if there is none.
I highly recommend buying the tickets online well in advance of your visit.
The reduced rate is 7 euros with an exhibition and 6 euros without it. It benefits children aged 5 to 16, students aged 18 to 25, seniors over 65 from the European Union and Latin America, and large families.
Visiting The Royal Palace of Madrid. What to expect?
To start your visit, you will enter the Royal Palace through the Plaza de la Armeria, the entrance to the Almudena Cathedral.
In the Royal Palace, you will visit the 18 rooms open to the public, located on the first floor of the building.
You can also go to the Royal Armory, a large building on one side of the Plaza de la Armeria.
Once you enter the grand building of the Royal Palace of Madrid, the first landmark of your visit will be the spectacular main staircase of the imperial type.
Designed by Sabatini, it has two levels, and on the central landing, there is a large sculpture of King Carlos III made of Carrara marble.
The 72 steps of the grand staircase are made of five-meter blocks of Toledo marble.
On the railing are the lions, representing power.
The first room you will enter is the Halberdiers, where the soldiers of the Royal Guard are usually placed during official receptions.
Its vault was originally painted in the 18th century by Tiepolo.
The Throne Room
You will visit two of the most outstanding Official Rooms of the Royal Palace of Madrid, the Hall of Columns and the Throne Room, where the kings hold receptions.
The next room, the Antechamber of Carlos III, is the first room in the neoclassical style, and in it, there are four paintings by Goya, with portraits of King Carlos IV and Queen Maria Luisa of Parma standing out.
You can also see some of the 600 watches from the Carlos IV collection kept in the Royal Palace.
The Gasparini Room
After going through the Gasparini Room, the one room with the most spectacular decoration in the entire Royal Palace of Madrid, you enter the private lounges area.
The so-called Carlos III Room is dedicated to the King's Military and religious orders.
Decorated all in blue, it was once the king's bedroom.
Gala dining room of the Royal Palace
And after passing through the Yellow Saleta, so named because of the yellow silk covering its walls, you will arrive at the impressive Gala Dining Room of the Royal Palace, which today continues to serve as a dining room and ballroom.
Next to the Gala Dining Room is the Hall of Mirrors, where Alfonso XIII and his family gathered on Sunday afternoons to watch movies.
This hall is also known as the Hall of the Band, as it is the usual location of the Royal Orchestra that entertains the official state banquets.
In the center of it, the central mahogany and bronze pedestal from 1788 stands out.
Exhibition rooms and Royal Chapel
The following two rooms are exhibition rooms: the Silver Room, where you will see silver tableware from the 17th and 19th centuries, and the Tableware and Glassware Room, with an exhibition of porcelain and glass tableware used daily by the kings.
After exiting the interior gallery on the first floor, you reach the Royal Chapel, another of the highlights of the Royal Palace.
And then, you will access another room where you will find another artistic jewel of the Royal Palace, the Stradivarius Palatinos quarters, considered the most important complex in the world.
Finally, you will visit some small rooms that King Alfonso XII widely used in his day (the Billiard Room, Smoking Room, Stucco Room, and the office with the marquetry furniture of King Carlos III).
From there, you arrive again at the other wing of the main staircase, where you will descend towards the Plaza de la Armería.
There, you can complete the tour of the Royal Palace with a visit to the Royal Armory or outside the building, and you can stroll through the Moro or Sabatini gardens, which surround the palace.
The entire visit to the interior rooms of the Royal Palace of Madrid can take you between one to two hours.
