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The Palacio Real

The Spanish Royal Palace in Madrid serves a function similar to that of the Palace on Dam Square in Amsterdam: the Royal Family does not live there but the building is used for official public affairs. Part of it is open to the public. This Baroque giant on the west side of the city has 2,800 rooms, making it the largest palace in Europe.

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The Palace seen from Plaza de Oriente

Royal treasures

After the fire, King Philip V commissioned Italian architect Filippo Juvara to supervise the construction of a new Royal Palace. Juvara had already earned a name for himself in Turin, where he designed the impressive Basilica di Superga and Palazzo di Stupinigi. Unfortunately, both Philip V and Juvara died before the building was completed. It was finished in 1755 by his pupils, including Giovanni Battista Sacchetti, also an Italian. Although various royal families have resided in the palace until 1930, today it is a royal museum. Inside you will find a beautiful collection of tapestries, porcelain, antique clocks and weaponry. There are priceless paintings to admire, including by Caravaggio, Goya and Velazquez. The largest throne room, hall of mirrors and royal dining rooms clearly show the luxury in which the monarchs once lived. The current King, Felipe VI, has opted for more compact housing in the Palacio de la Zarzuela, located just outside the city.

The gardens of the Palacio Real

The French style Jardines de Sabatini are located north of the Palacio Real. This is a fantastic spot to escape the crowds and relax in the shade of pines and cypress trees. The royal stables once stood here, but were destroyed in the 1930s during the Franco regime. The gardens are situated at the bottom of a hill and around 10 metres lower than the nearby Plaza de Orient, so that, seen from the gardens, the palace is even more imposing than when viewed from the front.

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‘Don Quixote’ by Miguel de Cervantes is one of the most famous books in the world. The best way to learn more about this legendary Spanish writer is to visit his birthplace: Alcalá de Henares. The most important square is named after him and the house where Cervantes was born is now a museum. A bronze statue portrays the errant knight and his brave servant seated on a bench.

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The Palacio Real is one of the most popular attractions in Madrid. The largest royal palace in Europe has 870 windows, 240 balconies, 44 staircases and 2,800 rooms – big enough to spend an entire day exploring. But there are even more grandiose witnesses of the unbridled indulgence of the Spanish royal family around the capital.

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'If you can still remember it, you weren’t actually there.' This Madrid expression can only refer to one event: the cultural revolution that erupted after the death of General Francisco Franco. After almost 4 decades of a ruthless dictatorship, Spain was finally free. The capital of Spain celebrated this freedom with spontaneous street parties that grew into a cultural movement. Madrid was changed forever by the ‘Movida Madrileña’ (literally ‘the Madrid movement’).

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Public executions, bullfights and aristocratic duels: the rectangular Plaza Mayor has been the setting of almost every imaginable type of bloody ritual. Today it is a peaceful place, a square filled with shops and outdoor cafés. This is the beating heart of the oldest part of the city, the Madrid de los Austrias district, built in the 16th century by the Habsburgs.

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It is one of the world’s most prestigious art museums, yet a lot less well-known than the Tate or Louvre. Perhaps it’s because of the long name or its proximity to the more famous Prado, but it’s definitely not due to the collection. The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid is home to major names in the art world such as Picasso, Miró and Dalí.

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Everybody knows that flamenco music and dance come from Spain, but the exact origin is unclear and even the name 'flamenco' is still a mystery. What we do know for a fact is that the ‘gitanos’ or gypsies played a role. In the Middle Ages, they imported flamenco from India. Later, the Moors, Jews, Africans, South Americans and Spaniards all left their mark on the dance.

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Barcelona, Paris and Vienna are renowned for their elegant grand cafés, where in days of yore the intelligentsia gathered to discuss literary masterpieces and current affairs over a good glass of wine. Madrid also had its fair share of grand cafés and some of these literary cafés have withstood the test of time in great style.

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Madrid has a history that dates back several centuries. This is not only clear from the buildings in the city, but also from the pub culture. In addition to all the modern and trendy places that shoot up like mushrooms (and disappear again equally as fast), there are many historic pubs that are immune to trends. These are the places where, for centuries, the people of Madrid have been drinking a cold ‘cerveza’, often accompanied by delicious tapas.