Castles in Spain to Visit
92 listings across Granada, Seville and Madrid, 106,959 reviews, three managing bodies whose rules do not transfer. The median here is 62 EUR; the counters charge 14 to 24.
Spain sells its castles through three separate public bodies, and a rule that holds at one of them is worth nothing at the next. The Alhambra answers to the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife, an Andalusian public body that prints your name on the ticket and scans your identity document at the gate. The Royal Palace of Madrid and El Escorial belong to Patrimonio Nacional, which gives away free afternoons but only over the counter, and gives the two sites different days for it. The Real Alcazar of Seville belongs to the city, which lets anyone born there walk in free and folds three municipal museums into a 15.50 EUR entry without advertising it. This catalogue tracks 92 listings across those three cities, and most of what they sell is not access. It is a half hour, a guide, or a coach.
The cheapest listing on the Spanish side of this catalogue costs 1.99 EUR, and it is not a ticket to anything. It is a tip-based walking tour with a token booking fee, one of three listings here priced under 10 EUR, and one of those three is the best rated product in the whole Spanish catalogue: a 2.99 EUR walk through old Madrid that passes the palace, with 7,436 reviews and a flat 5.0. Write from 1.99 EUR and you have described a genre, not a castle. The number that describes this catalogue is the median, and it is 62 EUR with those three taken out, 60.50 with them left in. The first quartile sits at 39 EUR, the third at 120.60, and five listings run past 250 because they are private tours with a car and a driver. Set that against the counters: 22.27 EUR for the Alhambra's general daytime ticket, 15.50 for the Real Alcazar, 24 for the Royal Palace of Madrid, 14 for El Escorial. The distance between those numbers and 62 is not a markup on the door price. It is a guide, and in Granada it is somebody else having secured the half hour before you thought to look.
Granada holds 37 of the listings and Seville 20, both built around one monument each. Madrid holds 35 and splits them between a palace in the middle of the city and a monastery out in the sierra, which is why its products last longest. The three cities behave differently enough to be worth comparing before anything is booked.
Choose a destination in Spain
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Granada
One hill, three separate walks, and a climb nobody sells you: 37 listings meet in Granada, two of them already up on the Paseo del Generalife, and not one of…
37 experiences in 2 destinations -
Seville
A Mudejar palace in the old town whose 15.50 EUR entry quietly opens three municipal museums as well.
20 experiences -
Madrid
Two royal sites, one national body, opposite weekly rhythms: El Escorial shuts every Monday, the palace shuts at 16:00 every Sunday, and the only day both…
35 experiences in 2 destinations
Castles Experiences in Spain
El Escorial Seen from Outside, Plus the Valley: Half-Day Morning
Five hours in the morning with a guide. Note that the monastery is seen from the outside, and the day also takes in the Valley of the Fallen.
Royal Alcázar Guided Tour: Courtyards, Tilework and Fountains
A guided walk through the tiled courtyards and the rooms the Spanish monarchy used, then the gardens and their fountains. Tickets are non-refundable.
Royal Palace of Madrid and an Iberian Tasting on Calle Mayor
Two guided hours through the Throne Room and the Gala Dining Room, with an optional Iberian tasting of ham, chorizo and Manchego to take afterwards.
Royal Palace of Madrid, Twice the Floor Area of Versailles, Group of 15
Madrid's palace covers 135,000 square metres against Versailles's 67,000, and this semi-private group is capped at fifteen for the walk up Calle Bailén.
Alcázar Still Reserved for Royalty: Guided Palaces, Gardens on Your Own
The palace is still reserved for the Spanish royal family outside visiting hours. The guided part covers the palaces; the gardens are left to you afterwards.
Alhambra Shore Excursion from the Port of Motril, Skip the Line
A cruise day from the Port of Motril to Granada, with priority access and a local guide through the Alcazaba, the Nasrid Palaces and the Generalife.
Alhambra Two Ways: Full Visit with Ticket, or Two Hours Outside the Walls
Two options on one booking: three hours inside with a guaranteed ticket, or two hours around the forest, the Gate of Justice and the Palace of Charles V.
El Escorial Admission with a PDF Guide to Madrid's Royal Sites
The ticket comes with a digital PDF covering the royal sites in and around Madrid, so the visit is self-guided and the reading goes further than the monastery.
El Escorial Library and Basilica, Then the 152-Metre Cross
The monastery comes first, with the Habsburg palace, the Chapter House and the library, then nine kilometres to the basilica under the 152-metre cross.
El Escorial Royal Pantheon and Library, Then Valle de Cuelgamuros
Skip-the-line entry to the Royal Pantheon and the Renaissance library, then the basilica cut into the mountain at Valle de Cuelgamuros. Metro Ventura Rodríguez.
Private Alhambra from Motril with the Arabic Inscriptions Translated
Five hours port to port, privately, with a guide who translates the Arabic inscriptions of the Nasrid Palaces into your own language as you walk.
Private El Escorial and the Valley with a Separate Chauffeur and Guide
Driver and guide are two different people, so the guide is free to talk the whole way, and the drive out crosses central Madrid before the monastery.
Royal Palace Early Entry, with the Armoury Left to You Afterwards
Early entry through the Royal Chapel, the Grand Staircase and the Crown Room, then the Royal Armoury on your own once the guided part is over.
Alhambra and Generalife Ending at the Partal Pond and Torre de las Damas
The route closes at the Partal, with its pond and the Torre de las Damas, the only part of that palace left standing. Meet at the El Llano car park.
Alhambra Small Group Confirmed in 48 Hours or Fully Refunded
Confirmation arrives within 48 hours, or the booking is refunded in full if no slot exists. Three hours, small group, guides in English and Spanish.
Alhambra with an Official Guide: the Partal and the Architect's Garden
An official guide covers the Alcazaba, the Nasrid Palaces, Charles V and the Generalife, then the Partal, where the palaces of the Nasrid nobility once stood.
Royal Palace via the Plaza Built Over the Caños del Peral Theatre
The ticket is sent before the day, so you can either meet the guide by the Isabel II statue or go straight to the palace ticket office and use it.
Alcazaba, Partal and Generalife Water Stairway, from Plaza Nueva
The walk starts in Plaza Nueva and covers the Alcazaba, the Partal, the Torre de la Cautiva and the Generalife stairway with water in its handrails.
Alhambra in Two Hours with Last-Minute Tickets and Radio Headsets
Two hours, tickets found at short notice, entry through the group gate rather than the individual queue, and an audio system so the guide carries over noise.
Alhambra Defensive Towers, Generalife and Partal, No Nasrid Palaces
The route walks the defensive towers of the Alcazaba, the Generalife gardens and the Partal, and can be cancelled free 24 hours ahead. No Nasrid Palaces.
Ratings collected by Viator, Tripadvisor and Tiqets