Dec. 22, 2014
The Royal Palace of Madrid is a great way to spend a few hours while in Madrid, and absolutely should be on your list. It is not lived in today though they are ceremonies that do take place in the castle. It is near the Opera station of the metro and costs 11euro to enter or is FREE from. 4-6 daily. Don’t confuse lines. The one you will see first is for group tours, go around the corner for individual tickets.
The original Castle was in 16th century but sadly burnt in 1734 and the current castle was built on the same site. It took almost 20 years to build the current structure in which Charles III first occupied it in 1764.
There are 3,418 rooms though on the tour you may only see 20-30 rooms. It is the largest square foot palace in Europe. Unlike the Versailles in Paris much of the interior of the palace is original and in tact. There are many famous paintings, much porcelain, gold, silver and even Stradivarius instruments.
All in all a must see when in Madrid. Ironically our host family here have never been! It takes guest sometimes for people to see a touristy thing in the back yard! NO PHOTOS allowed inside the palace rooms so photos are of postcards or off the website.
timistravels 