The author of this post is Andrés Jarabo, Madrid guide and founder of the famous: Old Town Madrid Tapas Tour.
1 Opening hours WARNING!
2 Should I buy tickets online?
3 Royal Palace free entry hours
4 Guided tour in English
5 Who goes in for free?
6 Reduced price entrance
7 Lockers at the Palace
8 Audioguides
9 Royal Palace of Madrid price
10 Lunch places close by
1 Royal palace of Madrid opening times and hours
WARNING! Don’t waste your time visiting a Palace closed due to official acts, check this website first!:
⛔️ROYAL PALACE CLOSED DUE TO OFFICIAL ACTS⛔️
As for opening times only trust the Palace website.
2 Royal palace of Madrid tickets and skip the line
The admission to the palace is opposite the cathedral. You have two different entry doors, one next to each other:
1 The one on the left 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 one on the right is for people who want to buy a ticket. In my experience the line is so short that you will only wait a few minutes to buy a ticket, that is, I do not see much of a point in buying the tickets online.
3 Royal palace of Madrid 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.
October to March: from 16 to 18 hrs but only on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
April to September: from 18 to 20 hrs but only on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
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 Royal Palace of Madrid Guided tour in English
The Royal Palace offers an 1-hour guided tour for only 4 euros per person. 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. When you join the tour make sure the guide wears the palace suit and not plain clothes or you will be joining a private tour.
5 Royal Palace of Madrid free entrance
• Children under 5 years of age.
• 18 May and October 12th.
• Professors in individual visit with teaching staff card.
• Persons with disability with accreditation.
6 Royal Palace of Madrid reduced price entrance
• Citizens between 5 and 16 years of age. Accreditation by means of identification card or passport from 14 to 16 years of age.
• Persons over 65 years of age of the member States of the European Union or Latin American countries. By means of identification card, passport, driver’s licence, work or residency permit.
• Accredited students up to 25 years of age with updated national or international student’s card.
7 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.
8 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:
9 Royal Palace of Madrid price
Basic Admission fee 12 Euros
Reduced Admission fee 6 Euros
10 Lunch places close by
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”.