1 WARNING!
2 Guided tours in English
3 Royal Palace free entry hours
4 Tickets and skip the line
5 Reduced price entrance
6 Lockers at the Palace
7 Audioguides
8 Lunch restaurants nearby
9 Royal Palace of Madrid price
The Palace is located in the oldest part of Madrid. This area was just a village in the 12th century and you can still see bits and pieces of the wall that protected it. Countless restaurants and sophisticated wine bars make this area my favorite. I chose it 20 years ago to run my popular Old Town Madrid Tapas & 🍷 Tour
1 Royal palace of Madrid opening times and entry hours
WARNING!
⛔️ROYAL PALACE CLOSED DUE TO OFFICIAL ACTS⛔️
As for opening times only trust the Palace website.
2 Royal Palace of Madrid Guided Tours in English
The Royal Palace offers inexpensive but not very good guided tours. In my experience there are 3 to 7 tours a day in English. When you enter the palace ask when the next tour in English is. If you need to wait go to the bar upstairs.
If you are after a private tour I recommend Sean Renata. Out of the 3 private tours I have taken this was the best. No wonder he has such good reviews: Sean Reviews
You can contact him at: Sean Renata
3 Free hours & free entrance times
Free entrance is limited to:
Citizens of the European Union or holders of an European work permit and Latin American citizens or holders of a Latin America work permit. Although the last time I entered during these hours no one asked for my ID.
Free entrance to the Palace: Monday to Thursday from 5:00 p.m to 7:00 p.m (Access up to 60 minutes before closing)
Warning! I do not think this is the best time to visit the palace due to:
• Never ending line, brace yourself to wait for ever.
• Crowded palace, not comfortable.
• The Palace either runs out of audio guides or the ones you are given have low battery life.
• There are no guided tours of the palace.
4 Tickets and skip the line
The admission to the palace is opposite the cathedral. You have two different lines and only one entry door:
1 The left-hand line is for people with tickets bought online. This is the fastest but you have to select an entry time and abide by it. Click here to purchase the tickets, official website.
2 The right-hand line is for people who want to buy a ticket. In my experience this line is longer.
5 Reduced price entrance
Children ages 5 to 16. Identification card or passport must be shown by young people ages 14 to 16.
Citizens over 65. Identification card, passport, driving licence or work or residence permit must be shown.
Students up to 25 years old holding a valid national or international student card.
6 Lockers at the palace
It is not comfortable to visit the palace with a backpack or a heavy coat. There are lockers in the entry area. You need to put one euro into the slot to be able to take the key out of the lock. Once you open it again you get the euro back.
7 Audioguides
You can rent audioguides, (they are tablets with earphones), at only €3. But I would not do it. You end up spending more time time looking at the tablet than enjoying the palace. I would rather download the audioguide before the visit and get acquainted with the palace:
8 Lunch places nearby
There are countless restaurants surrounding the Palace. My favorites for “menu del dia” are (if you are visiting Spain you must learn what”menu del dia” is):
• Casa Parrondo: Super popular, there are two of them facing each other. Awesome tapas bar and the best “menu del dia” in Madrid. You need to know what “menu del dia” is if you are visiting Spain.
• Rayuela: Cosy, intimate, elegant and outstanding “menu del dia”.
• Casa Jaguar: South America cuisine, awesome reviews, very good “menu del dia”.
9 Royal Palace of Madrid price
Basic Admission fee 12 Euros
Reduced Admission fee 6 Euros