11 Best Sights in Palacio, Madrid

After a 20-month closure for renovations, this important 16th-century monastery reopened to the public in late 2021 with 200 new works from its art collection on display. The plain brick-and-stone facade belies an opulent interior strewn with paintings by Francisco de Zurbarán, Titian, and Pieter Bruegel the Elder—all part of the dowry of new monastery inductees—as well as a hall of sumptuous tapestries crafted from drawings by Peter Paul Rubens. Fifty works from the collection were meticulously restored as part of the recent renovations. The convent was founded in 1559 by Juana of Austria, one of Felipe II's sisters, who ruled Spain while he was in England and the Netherlands. It houses 33 different chapels—the age of Christ when he died and the maximum number of nuns allowed to live at the monastery—with more than 120 immaculately preserved crucifixes among them. About a dozen nuns still live here and grow vegetables in the garden.  You must take a tour in order to visit the convent, and tickets must be bought online ahead of time (they sell out fast); those who don't speak Spanish can access an English guide through the app. 

The Palacio Real was built over Madrid's first defensive fortress, established by Berbers in the 9th century. It overwhelms with its sheer immensity against the city's silhouetted background. The palace was commissioned in the early 18th century by the first of Spain's Bourbon rulers, Felipe V. Outside, classical French architecture adorns the Patio de Armas: Felipe was obviously inspired by his childhood days at Versailles with his grandfather Louis XIV. Look for the stone statues of Inca prince Atahualpa and Aztec king Montezuma, perhaps the only tributes in Spain to these pre-Columbian American rulers. Notice how the steep bluff drops west to the Manzanares River—on a clear day, this vantage point commands a view of the mountain passes leading into Madrid from Old Castile. It's easy to see why Madrid's Berber rulers picked this spot for a fortress.

Inside, 2,800 rooms compete with one another for over-the-top opulence. A two-hour guided tour in English winds a mile-long path through the palace. Highlights include the Salón de Gasparini, King Carlos III's private apartments, with swirling inlaid floors and curlicued stucco wall and ceiling decoration, all glistening in the light of a two-ton crystal chandelier; the Salón del Trono, a grand throne room with the royal seats of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia; and the banquet hall, the palace's largest room, which seats up to 140 people for state dinners. Despite being the official seat of the throne, no monarch has lived here since 1931, when Alfonso XIII was deposed after a Republican electoral victory. The current king and queen live in the far simpler Palacio de la Zarzuela on the outskirts of Madrid.

Also inside the palace are the Museo de Música (Music Museum), where five-stringed instruments by Antonio Stradivari form the world's largest such collection; the Painting Gallery, which displays works by Spanish, Flemish, and Italian artists from the 15th century on; the Armería Real (Royal Armory), with historic suits of armor and frightening medieval torture implements; the Real Oficina de Farmacia (Royal Pharmacy), with vials and flasks used to mix the king's medicines; and the Real Cocina, Europe's best-preserved royal kitchens, opened to the public for the first time in 2017 and whose framed handwritten menus, antediluvian wood-burning ovens, enormous copper cauldrons, wooden iceboxes, and nearly 3,000 antique kitchen utensils make it a must-stop for foodies. On Wednesday the Changing of the Guard takes place (every 30 minutes from 11–2) at the Puerta del Príncipe, across Plaza de Oriente, with a more solemn and lavish ceremony (with up to 100 guards and horses) the first Wednesday of each month at noon.

The remains of the Moorish military outpost that became the city of Madrid are visible on Calle Cuesta de la Vega. The sections of wall here protected a fortress built in the 9th century by Emir Muhammad I. In addition to being an excellent defensive position, the site had plentiful water and was called Mayrit, Arabic for "source of life" (this is the likely origin of the city's name). All that remains of the medina—the old Arab city within the walls of the fortress—is the neighborhood's chaotic web of streets and plazas, which probably follow the same layout they did more than 1,100 years ago.

Essentially the Palacio Real's backyard, the Campo del Moro has enough shaded footpaths for a 45-minute stroll. The lone entrance is (rather inconveniently located) at the bottom of Cuesta de San Vicente on Paseo de la Virgen del Puerto. Enjoy the lush copses, narrow trails, and great lawn leading up to the palace. The park closes at 6 pm October–March and at 8 pm April–September.

The first stone of the cathedral, which faces the Palacio Real, was laid in 1883 by King Alfonso XII, and the resulting edifice was consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1993. La Almudena is controversial due to its hodgepodge of architectural styles; it is playfully mocked by Madrileños, who sometimes call it la fea (the ugly one). Built on the site of the old church of Santa María de la Almudena (the city's main mosque during Arab rule), the cathedral has a wooden statue of Madrid's female patron saint, the Virgin of Almudena, allegedly discovered after being hidden by Christian devotees during the so-called Reconquest. The cathedral's name is derived from the place where the relic was found, within the wall of the old citadel (in Arabic, al-mudayna). 

There's some debate over whether this church, the oldest in central Madrid, once formed part of an Arab mosque. It was more likely built after the so-called Reconquest of Madrid in 1083, but the brickwork and horseshoe arches are evidence that it was crafted by either Mudejars (workers of Islamic origin) or Christian Spaniards well versed in the style. Inside, exhibits detail the Islamic history of early Madrid.

The manicured gardens to the north of the Palacio Real, located where the royal stables once were, are a pleasant place to rest or watch the sun set. Renovated in 2022 as part of the Plaza de España overhaul, they are named for the prolific 18th-century architect who designed the Puerta de Alcalá, Royal Botanical Garden, and San Francisco el Grande convent, among other key sights.  

Madrid Río takes in some 32 km (20 miles) of green space and bike-friendly paths along the lazy, shallow Manzanares River, beginning at the Puente de los Franceses in the northwest and terminating at the Pasarela Legazpi in the southeast (though footpaths extend much farther south). A popular place to enter is Puente de Segovia, downhill from the Palacio Real; a Christmas market is held here with craft kiosks and food stalls. Outdoor concerts (check out the Veranos de la Villa series; lineups are posted online) and informal riverside dining round out the park’s offerings. Note to nature lovers: Madrid Río connects to Casa de Campo, Western Park, and Madrid's 64-km (40-mile) Anillo Verde (Green Ring) bike path.

Once connected to the Palacio Real by an underground passageway, this cloistered Augustinian convent now houses fewer than a dozen nuns. It was founded in 1611 by Queen Margarita de Austria, the wife of Felipe III, and has several artistic treasures, including a reliquary where a vial with the dried blood of St. Pantaleón is said to liquefy every July 27. The ornate church has superb acoustics for medieval and Renaissance choral concerts. Tours are in Spanish only and take about 90 minutes.

Madrid's town council met in this medieval-looking complex from the Middle Ages until 2009, when it moved to the Palacio de Cibeles. It now houses municipal offices. The oldest building on the plaza is the Casa de los Lujanes, the one with the Mudejar tower. Built as a private home in the late 15th century, the house carries the Lujanes crest over the main doorway. Also on the plaza's east end is the brick-and-stone Casa de la Villa, built in 1629, a classic example of Dutch-influenced Madrid design with clean lines and spire-topped corner towers. Connected by an overhead walkway, the Casa de Cisneros was commissioned in 1537 by the nephew of Cardinal Cisneros. It's one of Madrid's rare examples of the flamboyant plateresque style, which has been likened to splashed water. Sadly, none of these landmarks are open to the public on a regular basis.

This stately semicircular plaza, sandwiched between the Palacio Real and the Teatro Real (Royal Theater), is flanked by massive statues of Spanish monarchs that were meant to be mounted atop the palace. Queen Isabel Farnesio, one of the first royals to live in the palace, had them removed because she was afraid their enormous weight would bring the roof down. (That's the official reason; according to local lore, the queen wanted the statues removed because her own likeness wouldn't have been placed front and center.) A Velázquez drawing of King Felipe IV is the inspiration for the statue in the plaza's center. It's the first equestrian bronze ever cast with a rearing horse. The sculptor, Italian artist Pietro Tacca, enlisted Galileo Galilei's help in configuring the statue's weight so it wouldn't tip over. The 2021 overhaul of Plaza de España eliminated all car traffic between Plaza de Oriente and Plaza de España and added pleasant footpaths and fountains.