Royal Palace

mariapiquet's picture

Location

Madrid
Spain
40° 25' 4.7424" N, 3° 42' 51.4476" W
ES
General info: 

A visit to Madrid is an excellent cultural experience and there are always new ways of enhancing this feeling. One of the best opportunities is to visit the Royal Palace, also known as Palacio Real. The construction of the palace spanned between 1734 and 1755 and it served as residence of several crowned figures of Spain, now being only used for state ceremonies.

The palace has 3,418 rooms and it is the largest European one taking into consideration its floor area. A lot of fine art is found in the palace, including paintings from Caravaggio and Goya.

There are several museums inside the palace, the most famous ones being the Royal Pharmacy and the Royal Armory. There are also several gardens around the palace where you can spend time and admire more artworks, such as the statues in Plaza de Oriente.

Getting there: 

You can get to the Royal Palace using the metro and traveling until Opera station. The palace is only partially open to public, in its museum areas. There are times when the palace is closed, namely the days when official business takes place here. You can visit the museum daily between 10 AM and 6 PM during wintertime and between 10 AM and 8 PM during summertime.

Costs: 

If you are not a resident of the Iberian Peninsula, you will have to pay an admission fee of EUR 11.

You might be interested in

Meiji Shrine, dedicated to the deified spirits of late 19th century Emperor Meiji and his wife is the most famous shrine in Tokyo. In this wonderfully serene and austere shrine the city sounds are quickly replaced by a tranquil forest.

On over 80 hectares in the heart of Rome stretches an English-type garden, named the Villa Borghese. It was made in 17th century, when Cardinal Scipione Borghese decided to turn his vineyard into a large landscape garden.

Sensō-ji is an ancient Buddhist temple and located in Asakusa, Tokyo. It is Tokyo's oldest temple, and one of its most significant. The temple is dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon (the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy) .

Pantheon is one of the best-preserved of all Roman buildings. It was completed around 14AD and has been in continuous use ever since which is probably why it is still in a very good shape.

Roppongi Hills is a small city within a city. The popular complex opened in 2003 and there's a lot going on — a garden, a cinema, loads of shops, cafés and restaurants.

The Sistine Chapel is the official residence of the Pope, but its global fame this church owes to the works of arts in its interior.