Royal Palace of Madrid
in small group

The Royal Palace of Madrid is considered one of the most beautiful palace complexes in the world. Although it is not one of the oldest buildings, as it was built in the second half of the 18th century, it does delight us with its splendour. The impetus for building a huge palace was a fire that consumed the former seat of the Habsburgs, the so-called Old Alcazar.

Philip V, who ruled at the time, ordered the creation of a new building of impressive dimensions and interesting interiors. The appearance of the individual rooms was supposedly influenced by the fact that the king came from France and wanted to give the rooms some atmosphere similar to that of the Palace of Versailles. Thus, the royal family moved into the palace for the first time in 1764. Philip V’s successor was given around 2,800 rooms with an ensemble of adjoining buildings and a beautiful garden, some of which, it must be said, have undergone various modifications over the years.

This enormous facility was a joint project of four different architects, who worked on the project in different years. Almost the entire property is made of white stone with marble decorations. The building is centred around a large central courtyard that makes a great impression on anyone who enters it. The entrance to the Royal Palace is dominated by a beautiful light-toned marble staircase, while the artwork on the ceiling depicts Spain’s role as a defender of the Catholic religion. We will also see the image of the coat of arms of the Spanish monarchy, the statue of Charles III, son of Philip V and first inhabitant of the palace. Here you will also see the sculptures of two lions, similar to the sculptures that stand guard outside the Congress of Deputies. The Royal Palace of Madrid also has four Stradivarius instruments, two violins, a viola and a cello. And with a unique and varied collection estimated at approximately 100 million euros. The ensemble was originally a quintet, but two violas disappeared during the Napoleonic Wars and only one was recovered.

Today, the Royal Palace has only a representative function, i.e. it is not inhabited by the King of Spain, and its rooms are sometimes used only for important state ceremonies. A great advantage in terms of tourism is that visitors can walk around the palace freely and admire much of it. Visitors can look into more than one royal bedchamber, walk through the Throne Room, where the collection of thrones is guarded by majestic depictions of lions, and huge chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. You can also exercise your imagination in the Banqueting Hall, which is a combination of 3 previous rooms, or look for the best photos of your trip in the Hall of Columns. The well-stocked Royal Library also awaits the most demanding visitors, as well as the Carriage Museum and the Armoury, where you can find, among others, the sword of Cortez, as well as the Royal Pharmacy, which resembles the ones you used to see in old movies, i.e. shelves full of brown bottles with stickers and other containers with various medicines. In each of the rooms you can admire colourful frescoes and pictures framed in beautiful frames. In addition, like all palaces, the Madrid palace also has its own gardens, and the Manzanares River flows under the cliff on which the building stands. For those visiting the Royal Palace on the first Wednesday of the month, an additional attraction awaits: the ceremonial changing of the guard in front of the Throne Room (between 12:00 and 13:00).

In our opinion, those who will most enjoy a visit to the Royal Palace or for whom we most recommend this attraction are:

• For families with children, singles, couples and school trips.
  For the curious who like to know how the ancient rulers lived; or lovers of history, art and culture.
• For those who appreciate baroque and classicist styles
• For lovers of books (since, in the Royal Palace, we will have the opportunity to see the first edition of Don Quixote), painting, music and porcelain.
• For enthusiasts of antique weapons and utensils
• For lovers of old-time pharmacies.

To get to the Palacio de Madrid we have three options, the metro, the bus and the car. These are the lines you can take to get there.

By metro:

• M ° 2 Ópera
• M ° 5 Ópera

By bus:

• B ° 3
• B ° 25
• B ° 39
• B ° 148

By car: Getting to the palace area by car is not a particular challenge. Likewise, you can easily find a good car park, as there is no shortage of paid parking facilities in the vicinity of the Royal Palace.

The nearest car park is only 300 metres from the palace, at Calle de Vergara 2. Within 1 kilometre or so, you can also find many more, mostly multi-storey car parks, such as the Plaza Mayor car park or the Garaje Fermar car park. The easiest way to find reasonably priced parking is, of course, to look for a shopping centre nearby.

Remember that we offer a guide service and free tickets for children from 0 to 3 years old. We hope this information will be of help on your next trip to Madrid, and that, above all, you will enjoy all the secrets and attractions of the Royal Palace.

Near the Royal Palace you will also find other worthwhile tourist attractions, for example:

• Real Monasterio de la Encarnación
• Jardines del Campo del Moro
• Basílica de San Miguel
• Muralla Árabe
• Puerta de San Vicente
• Ermita de la Virgen Puerto