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The Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real de Madrid) is the largest royal palace in Europe by floor space. It’s the official residence of the Spanish royal family in Madrid, but it’s only used for state ceremonies.
History
The palace was built on the site of a 9th century Muslim-era fortress built by Emir Muhammad I of Córdoba and the old Alcázar that was built in the 16th century. Construction of the current building took place from 1738 to 1755, and it was expanded several times. It has a floor space of 135,000 m², making it the largest palace by floor area in Europe. There are a total of 3,418 rooms.
Admission
It’s possible to visit the Royal Palace on a self-guided tour and Royal Kitchen (Cocina Real) on a guided tour for €16 (as of June 2023). It’s also possible to visit only the Royal Kitchen €6 (as of June 2023). Tickets can be purchased online or at the palace entrance opposite the Almudena Cathedral.
I highly recommend purchasing your tickets online ahead of time. When I visited in the winter, there was no queue. In the summer, however, the queue was unbelievable. If you don’t want to wait in the sweltering summer heat, it’s best to buy online.
Armory Square
The huge open space in front of the palace is called Armory Square (Plaza de la Armería). The plaza dates back to 1553, when Felipe II ordered the royal stables to be built there, but the current look is from 1892.
On the east and west sides of Armory Square are long buildings with an arched colonnade. The west side contains the Royal Armory (Real Armería), which is one of the best collections of weapons in the world. Some of the pieces date back to the 13th century. The collection includes the personal arms of the Kings of Spain.
Moor’s Camp
Also on the west side, it’s possible to walk out to a balcony to see the Moor’s Camp (Campo del Moro). It’s a large garden where Ali ibn Yusuf, the Sultan of Morocco, allegedly camped with his troops in 1109 in an attempt to reconquer Madrid. Different kings and queens added their touches to the garden over the years. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a chance to walk through it.
Royal Palace
The façade of the palace, where visitors enter for tours, contains a clock flanked by statues of Felipe V, Fernando VI, Bárbara de Braganza, and María Luisa Gabriela de Saboya. Above the clock is the royal coat of arms flanked by angels. The bells date between 1637 and 1761.
Once inside, the tour starts at the Grand Staircase, which was built in 1789 by Francesco Sabatini out of a single piece of marble. There are two lions at the landing. At the top of the staircase is a statue of Carlos IV in a Roman toga. On the ceiling is a fresco by Corrado Giaquinto depicting Religion Protected by Spain.
Next was a room with a nativity scene of Bethlehem. It contained about 400 figures and buildings created by different artists and was a temporary display for the Christmas season.
The rest of the palace tour takes you through different royal apartments, the throne room, banquet hall, royal chapel, crown room, and other rooms. Photography is forbidden in these rooms, but you can imagine the extravagance. It’s quite an experience walking through the rooms. I was only able to get a photo of the inner courtyard.
Sabatini Gardens
Finally, after visiting the interior of the palace, you can walk to the north side of the building where you can see the Sabatini Gardens (Jardines de Sabatini). They were named for the Italian architect mentioned above.
The gardens were developed starting in 1933 and completed in the 1970s. Juan Carlos I opened them to the public in 1978.
You can enter from the steps near the palace or from the gates on the north side of the garden.
Palace Exterior
From the outside of the gardens and the side facing Plaza de Oriente, you can get a good look at the north and east sides of the palace.
Several statues and busts of different emperors sit on and around the building.
