The Palacio Real dominates the western side of central Madrid, overlooking the Manzanares valley, on the spot where the Arab fortress of Mayrit and later the Habsburg Alcázar stood. It is the official residence of the King of Spain, but the royal family lives in the more modest Zarzuela Palace on the north-western outskirts: here only state ceremonies, receptions and audiences take place. The rest of the time the palace is open to the public and is one of Madrid's essential sights. It is part of the Madrid guide.
An Italian story
On Christmas Eve 1734 a fire destroyed the old Alcázar. Philip V, Spain's first Bourbon king, raised at Versailles, decided to replace it with a palace worthy of the new dynasty and summoned Filippo Juvarra from Turin, the architect of the Superga basilica and the Stupinigi hunting lodge. Juvarra drew up an immense design but died in Madrid in 1736. His pupil Giovanni Battista Sacchetti, also from Turin, scaled it down and directed the works from 1738. Built entirely of stone and granite to prevent another fire, the palace was completed in 1755 and first lived in by Charles III in 1764. Charles III, who came from Naples, commissioned Giambattista Tiepolo to paint the throne room ceiling with the Glory of the Spanish Monarchy, and entrusted the finishing touches to Francesco Sabatini.
What you see
The tour covers about fifty of the more than three thousand rooms, enough to grasp the splendour of the Bourbon court.
- The main staircase, with marble lions and a vault painted by Corrado Giaquinto.
- The Hall of Columns, where Spain signed its accession to the European Community in 1985.
- The Throne Room, with crimson velvet, Venetian mirrors, bronze lions and Tiepolo's ceiling.
- The Gasparini Room, Charles III's chamber, entirely decorated with stucco and Chinese silks: one of Europe's most spectacular rococo interiors.
- The Gala Dining Room, seating up to 144 guests at state banquets.
- The Royal Chapel and the Stradivarius collection, the world's only decorated quartet by the Cremonese luthier.
Outside the main route are the Royal Armoury, one of the world's finest collections of arms and armour, with the suits of Charles V and Philip II, and the Royal Pharmacy, with its jars and stills.
The Royal Collections Gallery
Beside the palace, cut into the slope towards the Campo del Moro, the Galería de las Colecciones Reales opened in 2023, a modern museum displaying paintings, tapestries, carriages, furniture and objects from the crown collections, including works by Caravaggio, Velázquez, Goya and El Greco. It complements the palace perfectly, and a combined ticket is available.
Around the palace
Opposite the south façade, across the vast Plaza de la Armería, stands Almudena cathedral, consecrated by John Paul II only in 1993 after more than a century of work: neoclassical outside, neo-Gothic inside with modern stained glass and painted ceilings. Below is a neo-Romanesque crypt. On the east side, the Plaza de Oriente with its statues of Visigothic kings and the Teatro Real, Madrid's opera house. To the north lie the formal Sabatini gardens, and to the west, below, the romantic Campo del Moro, with peacocks and fountains, which offers the best view of the façade.
The changing of the guard
The Royal Guard holds a small changing of the guard at the Puerta del Príncipe on Wednesdays and Saturdays in late morning, and once a month, usually the first Wednesday, the solemn changing of the guard in the Plaza de la Armería, with over four hundred soldiers, horses and a band in period uniform: a free show worth planning for. Dates are on the Patrimonio Nacional website.
Practical information
- Getting there: Ópera metro (lines 2, 5 and Ramal), five minutes' walk; from the Puerta del Sol walk along calle Mayor or calle Arenal.
- Tickets: sold on the Patrimonio Nacional website; booking a time slot is wise, especially at weekends and in summer.
- Free entry: for EU citizens and Spanish residents in the last two hours Monday to Thursday, with long queues.
- Closures: the palace may close at short notice for official ceremonies.
- Time: about an hour and a half for the palace, two hours with the Armoury, half a day with the Gallery.
Afterwards walk down to the Austrias district and the Plaza Mayor, or up to the Temple of Debod for sunset. More ideas in what to see in Madrid.