How to visit and what to see at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez: schedules, prices

One of the most interesting visits you can make in the surroundings of Madrid is  Royal Palace of Aranjuez and its grounds.

It is located in the Royal Site of Aranjuez, On the banks of tagus riverdeclared Heritage awarded by the Unesco.

Both the palace building and its splendid gardens I'm sure they will bring you to mind Concert of Aranjuez, one of the most listened to musical works in the world.

From the entrance, and facing your visit of the Aranjuez Palace, you should know that in addition to touring the interior of the palatial building, where the lavish decoration of its halls and private rooms stands out, you should also take a walk through its famous grounds.

Curiosities about the history of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez

El Royal Palace of Aranjuez It has its origins in a first palace-house, known as the Masters of Santiago, which was built in the time of the Catholic kings, at the end of the 15th century, on the north side of the site of the current building.

Subsequently, these lands became real property and were Felipe II who in 1561 ordered the construction of a first palace. Already with the name of Royal Site, the gardens began to be built.

This enclave became a spring residence of recreation Kings of Spain, which was surrounded by a large hunting reserve.

It was in the seventeenth century when Philip V commissioned the construction of the current building of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.

Work started by the architect John the Baptist of Toledo, was continued by Juan de Herrera, although it was not completed until the 18th century, during the reigns of Ferdinand VI and then Carlos III.

This is the experience of visiting the Royal Palace of Aranjuez

When you go to visit the imposing Royal Palace of Aranjuez, the most advisable thing is that you sign up for one of the guided tours that are carried out to explore its interior.

Guided tours of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez

These official guided tours They are carried out on the fly, every so often, but without specific schedules.

On the one hand, you must visit the interior of said palace, where the lavish decoration of its halls and private rooms stands out.

You must choose between two types of tour, the one that takes place along the Official Rooms, and the most complete visit, which also covers the Private Rooms of the palace.

I advise you to sign up for the latter tour which is done in groups, compared to the option of going on your own, since in the latter case you will not be able to visit the aforementioned private rooms.

These guided tours They last an hour, but then you have the possibility of going back to explore the public rooms of the palace on your own.

The price also includes the visit of Royal Barge Museum, in the nearby Prince Garden, which is carried out with a audioguide included in the price, and Labrador House, small palace, used by the kings as hunting lodge, which is covered in guided tours in groups.

Therefore, when you arrive before the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, it is recommended that you go directly to the ticket office to sign up for one of these guided tours of the Private Rooms.

If you have to wait a while until the start time of your visit, you can spend the time walking around the palace.

La Complete guided tour of the Aranjuez Palace starts by going up a staircase of the original building from the time of Felipe II, XNUMXth century.

After passing through the Guard Room, where you will see flamenco tapestries from this same period, you arrive at the office that was Felipe II y Charles II. With a ceiling decorated by Luis Giordano, you will see a gallery of landscapes.

Next you will go through the Antechamber y King's music chamber, where you will see a large French grand piano, and the Smoking room.

Arab Cabinet of the Royal Hall

In the next room, known as Cabinet Arab, built in the time of Isabel II, you find stucco decoration with geometric figures, from Nasrid art, and reminiscences of the Alhambra of Granada.

During the complete guided tour you now access the first area of ​​the Private Rooms, going through the Room of King Francis of Assisihusband of Isabel II, where you see a baroque ceiling, silk fabrics and style furniture Empire.

At Dressing room: Husbands' Room, highlights the Pompeian ceiling and the three-color marble floor.

El King's Office, used by Bourbons, has stylish furniture Empire.

And then you arrive at one of the most surprising rooms, the Chinese Painting Room, on whose walls there are 200 pictures of Chinese paintings given to Isabel II in 1846 by Emperor of China, on the occasion of his wedding with Francis of Assisi.

Royal Palace Ballroom

Once again in the public area, you will see the great Ballroom of the Palace of Aranjuez, decorated with green tones at the time of Charles IV, which shows two large Bohemian crystal lamps and a two-color marble floor from Andalusia.

La Queen's Dressing Room is victorian style, really beautiful, with silks on the walls and a photo from 1865 of the Queen isabel II.

El Queen's Bedroom It has Elizabethan, neo-baroque style furniture, and a 2,10 meter long bed that weighs 1.200 kg!!

Porcelain Hall of the Royal Palace

Another surprising room is the Porcelain Room, decorated in 1763 by Carlos III, where you will see up to 5.000 pieces of porcelain screwed to the walls, and which was used as Ambassadors waiting room.

El Queen's Office It is decorated with greater sobriety than that of the King; With a Pompeian roof, you can see an oratory and neoclassical furniture.

Great Throne Room of the Royal Palace

Below is the great Throne room, decorated with maroon velvet combined with gold.

This room is still used when the King of Spain celebrates institutional events in Aranjuez.

During the guided tour of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, you enter again from the private zone, seeing the Pool's room, with a table from the time of Ferdinand VII, and the Queen's bathtub (which overlooks her bedroom) made from a single cast piece of marble. Carrara.

Now you come to Gala dining room, decorated by Carlos III, with a stuccoed marble floor in natural colors, and Infants Room, where you will see five paintings with portraits of the children of Isabel II.

El Oratory of the Kings, again in a private area, is a chapel built in 1791 in neoclassical style by Juan de Villanueva, and fresh from Francisco Bayeu on ceiling and walls.

Finally, the guided tour of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez takes you to the Queen's Chamber of Music and Queen's Salette, the latter a protocol room, with a large carpet from 300 years ago, from the time of Philip V, made by the Madrid Tapestry Factory.

The visit concludes after going down a grand staircase in rococo style from the time of Philip V.

Museum of Life in the Palace of Aranjuez

From this point, apart from the fact that you can return to see some of the public rooms to see them again, on your own you conclude the tour of the Aranjuez palace with the visit to the Museum of Life in the Palace.

You will go through a series of rooms where you will find the most diverse objects used by various bourbon kings who have used this beautiful palace as a leisure residence.

You will see objects from the times of Ferdinand VII, Carlos III, Charles IV, Isabel II y Alfonso XII, among which the different personalized tableware of various kings, or the 19th century cribs, or the numerous military uniforms will catch your attention.

In this museum of life in palace You can also see various portraits, photos and costumes of Alfonso XII, as well as order layers.

Or a saddle and horse trophies from the east bourbon king.

Another notable outfit is the large royal cloak of Queen Victoria Eugenie. And among other curious objects, you will see the armchair that the King Alfonso XIII used during his illness in Rome, until he died in 1941.

Wedding dresses of Queen Sofia and the princesses in Aranjuez

But, without a doubt, very outstanding objects from this curious museum that you can see in Aranjuez, because it will take you to the current times of our monarchy, they are the wedding dresses for the Queen Sofia and the princesses.

Thus, in a large room with a dark environment you find large glass and illuminated spaces where in all their splendor you can see the aforementioned wedding dresses.

The one with the Queen Sofia, who was married in Athens in 1962, and which was designed by Jean Desses; also that of the princess Elena, married in 2005, Pedro Valverde, and of the princess christina, Lorenzo Caprile, used at their wedding in Barcelona in 1997.

Of course, the Leticia Ortiz wedding dress, design of Pertegaz, and whose wedding I remind you was in Madrid in 2004.

A very prominent element of this enormous room is a large painting that shows us the wedding of King Alfonso XII and María de las Mercedes.

El Museum of Life in the Palace of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez It is completed with a room where you will see ceremonial costumes of the Queen Sofia, and a morning coat and a uniform of the current King Philip VI.

And in the last room of the museum you find a black horse-drawn carriage, and a very curious stagecoach used by Isabel II, with several trunks arranged before her.

The tour inside Royal Palace of Aranjuez is completed with the visit of the palace chapel.

built by Sabatini in 1778, and with three altarpieces, look at its large dome finished with stucco, and the frescoes of Bayeau.

Visit of the Gardens of Aranjuez

If you have more time during your visit, you can come and walk through some of the Aranjuez gardens.

At least, those of Parterre and the Isla, which are adjacent to the aforementioned building.

And now, needing much more time, you can approach the extensive Prince's Gardens where, on the one hand, you can see the Royal Pier On the banks of tagus river, which was used in its day by Ferdinand VI.

Next to it is the Museum of the Royal Falúas, where curious boats used by the kings of spain since the 17th century.

You can also visit the royal pavilion built by Charles IV known as the Labrador House, as well as the nearby Chinese Pond  work of the architect of the time, Villanueva.

For these visits, in addition to knowing how to get from Madrid to Aranjuez, this information about schedules and ticket prices will be useful to you.

Royal Palace and Gardens of Aranjuez schedules

The Visiting hours of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez They are, from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 19 p.m., with last access one hour before closing.

On Mondays this monument is closed to visitors, and here you can consult the most updated schedules of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.

The Visiting schedule of the Museum of the Royal Falúas and Labrador House They are the same as those of the Royal Palace.

Keep in mind that the Labrador House it is only traveled with guided tours which you must reserve in advance by calling 91 891 03 05.

As for Visiting hours of the Aranjuez gardens, vary according to the time of year, always opening at 8,30:18,30 a.m., and closing from 21,30:XNUMX p.m., from November to February, until XNUMX:XNUMX p.m. in summer.

On its official website you can also consult the calendar with the closing dates of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.

Royal Palace of Aranjuez ticket prices

The ticket prices to visit the Royal Palace of Aranjuez vary depending on the dependencies you want to visit and if you do tour or free.

The price of admission for the most complete guided tour, official lounges and private rooms, is 13 euros.

If you prefer visit the Aranjuez Palace on your own (without the possibility of entering private rooms), the normal price is 9 euros.

The price of the reduced fare under normal conditions is 4 euros, which benefits children from 5 to 16 years old, seniors +65 from EU and Latin American countries and students up to 25 years old, as well as members individuals of large families.

These prices also include the visit of the Royal Falúas museum with audio guide, while the visit of the Labrador House It is done in a guided group and the price is 5 euros.

You can visit the Royal Palace of Aranjuez and the Royal Falúas museum for free on Wednesdays and Sundays, from 15 to 19 p.m.

Tour to Aranjuez from Madrid

On the other hand, if instead of going to Aranjuez on your own you prefer to sign up for a organized excursion, under normal conditions you have the option of Tour to Aranjuez in half a day.

Departing from Madrid at 15 p.m., the transfer is in an air-conditioned bus accompanied by a Spanish-speaking guide.

On this excursion of a total duration of four hours you will not only visit the Royal Palace, but you can also discover the curious Royal Barge Museum found in the Prince's Gardens.

Here you have more information and you can do the online reservation for the Tour to Aranjuez.