Castles · Tour

Royal Palace and Almudena Cathedral: the Gasparini Chamber Included

Two buildings that face each other across the Plaza de la Armería, taken as one guided visit with the entrance queues skipped. The Almudena is the seat of the Catholic archdiocese of Madrid and the newer of the two by a long way, which is a strange fact for a capital city and one the guide will explain. The palace opposite was finished in the 18th century; the cathedral took until the end of the 20th. Inside the palace the route reaches the rooms that are usually named and rarely explained. The Gasparini Chamber is the one to slow down for: a rococo interior made for Carlos III, with the stucco, the silk and the floor all designed as a single pattern that carries from the ceiling to your feet. Then the Throne Room and the Hall of Mirrors. The guide works from stories, legends and anecdotes rather than a list of dates, which in a building with this much surface detail is the only way to keep the visit moving. The tour starts at the Ópera metro stop and goes to the cathedral first. Cancellation is free up to the start of the booked slot.