Castles · Tour

Royal Alcázar Guided Tour: Courtyards, Tilework and Fountains

A guided visit to the Royal Alcázar, which is two things at once: a palace built in Islamic forms and a working royal residence of the Spanish crown. The tilework is the first thing that registers. It runs waist-high through room after room, laid in patterns that resolve differently depending on where you stand, and it is the surface where the cultural influences on this building are most legible. Above it the plaster is carved, and around it the courtyards are arranged so that the light falls where the architects wanted it. The state rooms carry the history of the monarchy that took the palace over and then kept adding to it rather than replacing it. Outside, the gardens. The planting is deliberate, the fountains are placed to be heard before they are seen, and the paths are laid out to be wandered rather than crossed. A guided tour is worth having inside the palace; the gardens reward being left alone in. Tickets are non-refundable once confirmed, so fix the date before booking.