We are travelling to Spain in September. We will be in Madrid mid September. I am trying to figure out the hours for the Royal Palace in Madrid during that time of year. Some sources cite 10 - 6 pm and some say 10 - 8 pm. Also does anyone know what days/hours the palace is free to EU citizens as I would like to avoid it then. Rick Steves says Tues and Wednesdays but the Palace website states 6-8 pm Monday - Thursday.
Thanks!
Posted by
Tucson, Arizona
502 posts
Nothing against Rick, but I would go with what the official website says.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7160 posts
According to the official website, open hours are 10am-8pm daily, March - September. It says September EU citizen free hours are 6-8pm, Monday- Thursday.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Remember that Rick's books are not updated nearly as often as the official website is. That's true for everything, not just the Royal Palace.
That said, the RS website does have a section of updates for each guidebook, which is always worth looking at. Here's the one for the Spain guidebook: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/spain/guidebook-updates
Posted by
OP
Canada
6 posts
Thanks for your help. I will rely on the palace's website as mentioned for the correct information.
Posted by
Washington DC
28085 posts
I spent my time in the palace thinking, "What a waste of time". But it was precisely there that I realized I simply dislike most palace furnishings. I now save a lot of time and some money by skipping palaces unless I have a special reason to see one. I just wish I had figured that out before going to the Royal Palace; I could have used that time to see one of Madrid's interesting neighborhoods.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7160 posts
After seeing so many, palaces all start looking the same, no matter which country you’re visiting. Like acraven, we’ve stopped visiting them. We also limit the number of castles and churches we visit on any one trip. We now do more small towns and out of the way places, and spend more time enjoying the natural beauty of the places we visit.