Aranjuez, with about 63,000 inhabitants, lies in the south of the Community of Madrid, where the Tagus meets the Jarama. For centuries it was one of the royal residences of the Spanish kings, who spent the spring here. Its cultural landscape of palaces, gardens, tree-lined avenues and orchards has been a UNESCO site since 2001.
History
Already a hunting estate of the Catholic Monarchs, Aranjuez became a royal site under Philip II, who in the 16th century had the palace built by the architects of El Escorial, Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera. In the 18th century the Bourbons enlarged it and laid out the town with straight streets and squares, one of Spain's first planned towns. In 1808 the Motín de Aranjuez broke out here, the uprising that led to Charles IV's abdication and the fall of the minister Godoy.
What to see
- The Royal Palace, with richly decorated rooms, the porcelain room and the Arab room.
- The gardens: the Parterre in front of the palace, the Jardín de la Isla on an island in the Tagus, with mythological fountains, and the large Jardín del Príncipe, with avenues, ponds and ancient trees.
- The Casa del Labrador, a small neoclassical palace in the Jardín del Príncipe, lavish inside.
- The Royal Barge Museum, with the gala boats the kings used on the river.
- Plaza de San Antonio, the church of Alpajés and the market.
Music and traditions
Aranjuez is linked to the Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra by Joaquín Rodrigo, from 1939, inspired by the palace gardens and one of the most famous works of Spanish music. The Motín de Aranjuez, in early September, re-enacts the 1808 uprising with hundreds of locals in costume.
Food
The Tagus-watered gardens produce the famous Aranjuez strawberries and wild strawberries and asparagus. From spring to autumn the Tren de la Fresa, the Strawberry Train, runs from Madrid with vintage carriages, recalling the railway of 1851, the second on mainland Spain.
Getting there
Cercanías trains link Madrid Atocha and Aranjuez in about 45 minutes. Toledo is also easy to reach from here. See also Madrid.