Royal Palace, Madrid

As you know, I am compelled to visit the palace in any country that has a monarch. Spain has a king and queen so…let’s find the palace.

Palacio Real de Madrid. Hmm…which direction from here?

Plaza Espana. That sounds right. Plus I know Plaza Oriente is near the palace, so if parking for that is to the right….let’s give it a try.

(Hint: click on any photo to enlarge it.)

Ah ha! This looks promising.

Yes, that is a palace!

Let’s head through the security gates and then into that huge courtyard we saw through the fence.

Vast courtyard, isn’t it.

And if you turn around and look back…

there is Almundena Cathedral.

Remember, that beautiful church that we thought might be the palace when we were on the other side. Yes, Almundena Cathedral.

You are correct.

It is very hot out here in the courtyard so let’s head over to the edge.

This covered walkway is very wide, pretty and cool!

Much nicer out of the sun, eh. Madrid does get awful hot during the summer!

And here is the entrance (entrada). Let’s head in.

Another security check…this time more elaborate (an airport security type of system) and then into the palace.

Aside: I thought the signs said no photography inside, but now I realize it was no flash cameras inside. Oh well, next time I will have photos!

I can tell you the palace is beautiful…large rooms beautifully decorated, paintings that likely are worth a fortune, massive staircases, ceilings that soar upwards forever. Yes…very royal.

Well, okay I do have pictures, but … while I did not get photos, I did buy postcards and I do keep a journal … so here are two pages from my journal to give you a flavour of the palace interior.

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We learn this palace is officially the residence of the royal family but in reality they do not live here and it is only used for state occasions. That means when there is no state occasion much of the palace is open to the public.

Before we visit the Armory (across the courtyard),  let’s stop here in the cafeteria for a snack. Then we can truly say we had “lunch at the palace”.

We have lucked out and get a table in a little alcove right next to a window. There is the Royal Armory building across the courtyard.

No, we are not in prison!

When we are ready to leave the palace, let’s take a different exit. We came in on the west side of the palace, so now let’s exit on the east side.

As we exit the palace we enter onto Plaza Oriente…there is the Royal Theatre (Teatro Real)

Teatro Real is Madrid’s Opera House

Standing in Plaza Oriente you just have to look over your shoulder to see the palace.

Did you notice the statues on the left? Formal gardens to the right, statues to the left.

We learned those statues were originally designed to go on the top of the palace but when completed they were too heavy to safely place on the palace roof so they ended up here in Plaza Oriente. Much better, in my humble opinion, because here at ground level one can see them clearly. 

Another point of interest. Oriente in Spanish does not refer to Oriental countries. It refers to the direction east. So… Plaza Oriente is East Plaza.

FYI: There is a fee to enter the palace. We paid 20 euro for two people.

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