Handpicked experience · Madrid
Madrid, Spain
Admission to Liria Palace in Madrid, a private aristocratic house opened to visitors only recently, holding one of Spain's great family art collections.
Visit the 14 most important rooms of the Palace that is still the residence of the 19th Duke of Alba.
Enjoy the nature and the beautiful garden that surrounds the Liria Palace.
Admire a unique collection of art with paintings of Goya, Velázquez, Murillo, El Greco and Zurbarán among many other great masters.
Stroll around one of the most important private homes in Madrid built in 1767
Admission to Liria Palace, the Madrid residence of the House of Alba
An audio guide included, with language options varying by booking
A self-paced route through the principal reception rooms and the family collection
Timed entry, which may apply depending on your booking confirmation
Liria Palace was closed to the public for its entire existence until 2019. That history is still evident inside: this reads as a family residence rather than a museum, with furniture arranged for use, photographs on side tables and rooms that belong to people rather than to curators. The House of Alba retains part of the building, which is why the route is fixed and the atmosphere is closer to being shown around than to wandering a gallery.
The palace was bombed during the Spanish Civil War and burned through. What saved the collection was that the paintings had been removed and hidden beforehand, and the building was later rebuilt to its original plans. So the shell around you dates from the middle of the last century while the Goya, the Velázquez and the Flemish works are exactly what they claim to be.
The family archive is the surprise. Alongside the portraits sit documents of a kind most people never see outside a national library, including material connected to Columbus and a fifteenth-century Bible whose translation predates most of what came after it. Give that section proper attention rather than treating it as a corridor.
Admission runs in limited numbers at set times and the good slots go early, particularly at weekends. Allow around an hour inside, and note that the palace closes for family use on occasion.
Open it to pick a date and work out the price.
What the fare covers, and what to budget for separately.
The practical detail, and the answers people actually ask for.
Not really. It is a private residence of the House of Alba that has admitted visitors only since 2019, and part of the building remains in family use. The route is fixed and the rooms are furnished as a home.
The building was bombed in the Spanish Civil War and rebuilt to its original plans, so the fabric is largely mid-twentieth century. The paintings survived because they had been removed and hidden in advance.
The Goya portrait of the Duchess of Alba is the best known, alongside Spanish and Flemish old masters. The family archive is the quieter surprise, holding documents of national significance.
About an hour is typical at an unhurried pace. The route is compact, but the archive rooms reward more time than most visitors give them.
Yes. Numbers per time slot are deliberately small and weekend slots in particular go well in advance. The palace also closes occasionally for private family use.