Royal Palace of Madrid Guided Tour with Fast Track Access

The Royal Palace of Madrid was the official residence of the Spanish Royal Family, and it remains the largest working royal palace in Western Europe. This is a guided visit with fast-track entry, so you go past the ticket queue and straight in.

The palace has some three thousand rooms. Nobody sees them all, and the point of a guided visit is that somebody who knows the building takes you to the ones worth your two hours — the state rooms, the ceremonial spaces, and the decoration that four reigns layered on top of one another.

The Hall of Halberdiers, the guard’s own hall, is on the route. If your visit falls at the right moment you may also catch the Changing of the Guard in the courtyard outside.

Your guide works in English or Spanish, and the commentary is as much about the Spanish monarchy as about the architecture: who built which wing, who refused to live here, and what the rooms were actually used for.

Allow about two hours. The palace is a working royal residence and rooms are occasionally closed for state occasions, which is decided by the Royal Household rather than by any operator. It stands beside the Almudena Cathedral, an easy addition afterwards.