Royal Palace

Royal Palace Review

A 10-minute walk along the narrow avenue of Palacio Real will lead you onto the southeastern corner of the Royal Palace. The palace dates back to the year 1561, when Felipe II entrusted its design and construction to architect Juan Bautista de Toledo. The work was continued by Bautista's disciple, Juan de Herrera, but it was the Bourbon kings and architects (especially Giacomo Bonavia, who also built the facade) who decided to part with the austerity of the former dynasty, enlarging the palace to adapt it to the ostentatious baroque period and to the increasing number of members of the court. The interior reflects the taste of the last monarch who inhabited it (Elizabeth II, in the mid-1800s). East and north of the palace extend two gardens: the Parterre, designed during the Bourbon period, and the Island, originally designed by Herrera and mixing Spanish, Flemish, and Italian elements. A tourist train departs from the palace, making an hour tour of the city.