The Royal Palace is the official residence of the King of Spain, but the king does not live here: the royal family lives in the Zarzuela Palace, and comes here for state ceremonies. With 135,000 square metres and 3,418 rooms, it is the largest royal palace in Western Europe. When there are no ceremonies, you can visit its state rooms.
And you can visit them for free: from Monday to Thursday, during the last two opening hours, entry is free for citizens of the European Union and Latin America, with an ID document and buying the ticket at the ticket office. At other times the official ticket costs 18 euros.
Why is an 18th-century palace built entirely of masonry, with vaults even where beams would have done?
The castle that burned
Before the palace, this spot was occupied by the Alcázar, the castle of the kings of Spain. It is the palace where Velázquez painted Las Meninas, which you can see at the Prado. On Christmas Eve 1734 a fire almost completely destroyed it.
King Philip V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, already found the old castle outdated, and the fire gave him the chance to replace it. To prevent another fire, the new palace was built entirely of masonry, with vaults, and wood was used only for window frames and roofs.
The design was by the architect Filippo Juvarra, who died before building began; his pupil Giovanni Battista Sacchetti had to adapt it to the site of the old Alcázar. Work started in 1738. The first king to live here permanently was Charles III; the last was Alfonso XIII, before the Republic.
The staircase
The visit begins by climbing the main staircase, designed by Francesco Sabatini in 1760; the frescoes on the vault are by Corrado Giaquinto. At the foot of the balustrades, look at the two lions: one is by Felipe de Castro, the other by Robert Michel. In the niche at the start of the stairs stands the statue of Charles IV dressed as a Roman, also by Robert Michel.
The Throne Room
Which is the only room in the palace that has never changed its use?
The Throne Room. Sacchetti designed it in 1737, it was finished in 1772 and it keeps its original decoration: the silver-gilt embroidery, the mirrors, the Venetian chandeliers. The red velvet on the walls, woven in Genoa, had worn out: what you see is new, but the embroidery was transferred from the original.
On either side of the throne are four gilded bronze lions, two on each side, the work of Matteo Bonarelli: they were brought from Italy by Velázquez, who besides being the king’s painter was in charge of furnishing the royal residences.
Now look up. The ceiling is one of the last works of Giambattista Tiepolo, and celebrates the greatness of the Spanish monarchy. Around the base of the vault you can make out the regions and dominions of Spain, each with its attributes.
The Gasparini Room
Why was one of the most beautiful rooms in the palace the one where the king got dressed?
Because getting dressed was a ceremony: the king did it in front of the court, as was the custom then. Matías Gasparini decorated the room for Charles III, in the rococo chinoiserie style. The furniture, the marble floor and the wall hangings were designed together; the silk on the walls has recently been replaced, with the original embroidery sewn on top.
On the mantelpiece, look for the clock by Pierre Jaquet-Droz: when it strikes the hour, a shepherd plays the flute and the figures dance.
The Gala Dining Room
Alfonso XII had three rooms of the queen’s apartment joined to make the ceremonial dining room, which opened in 1879 with the banquet for his second wedding. The table seats up to 144: try to picture it full. On the walls hang 16th-century Brussels tapestries, and on the vaults are frescoes by Mengs, Antonio González Velázquez and Francisco Bayeu.
The king’s Stradivari
The palace also holds the Palatine Stradivari quartet: two violins, a viola and a cello by Antonio Stradivari, called «decorated» because of the ornaments on the wood. Charles IV acquired them. If you find them in their display case, look at the inlay along the edges.
Practical information
Details checked on 30 October 2026 on the official ticketing website of Patrimonio Nacional. Prices and opening hours change: check again before you travel.
The kings’ paintings and objects that are not in the palace are in the Royal Collections Gallery, next door. Many of the paintings collected by the kings are now at the Prado. And fifty kilometres away is Philip II’s palace-monastery, El Escorial.
Photographs from Wikimedia Commons: the façade, by DnTrotaMundos, CC BY 3.0; the staircase, the Gasparini Room and the Stradivari viola, by Joseolgon, CC BY 4.0; the throne room, by José Luis Filpo Cabana, CC BY 3.0; the gala dining room, by José Luis Filpo Cabana, CC BY 4.0; Tiepolo’s ceiling is a public domain reproduction.
