I see there are many options for purchasing tickets to the Royal Palace. Has anyone done the guided tour? Can you stay and explore on your own after the tour? Is the self-guided audio tour a better option? I would appreciate any suggestions folks may have for our visit.
Posted by
Jacksonville, Florida
164 posts
We did the self guided audio tour. It was fine. But we kept overhearing tour guides explaining things, and for once, I wish we had taken a fully guided tour.
You know what was really great? Visiting the Almudena Cathedral next door. It's free, and it's right next door to the Royal Palace. I enjoyed it even more than I enjoyed the Royal Palace.
Posted by
London
461 posts
We did the guided tour back in February and it was great. You cannot stay on your own after the tour, but I felt like we got a good amount of time in each room.
Posted by
138 posts
We did the guided tour April of 2024. It was a huge disappointment.First of all , we had trouble finding the place to meet the guide. His English was difficult to understand and he was giggling most of the time. We did not have sufficient time in the rooms.It felt like we were rushed through. There were up to 5 tour groups in some of the rooms as the guides did not wait for one group to be finished prior to bringing in their own group. This made taking pictures without a lot of strangers in them frustrating and I had to lag behind to get somewhat decent photos.. A self guided tour was not an option when we bought tickets.
Posted by
East Coast USA
111 posts
We booked a Take Walks tour that included both the Royal Palace and the Prado.
No more than fifteen people are allowed on each tour, but we had half that number.
Our tour guide, David, was excellent.
If you have a true interest in learning about history, then of course it is better to see everything with someone who can answer all your questions.
The palace is pretty big, so you move around from area to area, and visit the most significant rooms.
David took our photo in the lovely throne room.
I really enjoy visiting palaces and castles everywhere I go!
Posted by
back in the Americas
771 posts
Rebekah,
If you go to the Royal Palace, make sure to visit the new Royal Collections Gallery right across the courtyard. It is next to the Almudena Cathedral. I was there in April and enjoyed it very much.
Posted by
Bel Air, MD
62 posts
We did the audio tour and it was fine. We also did the royal kitchens tour. It doesn't cost much, however the tour is over an hour and entirely in Spanish. I second the recommendation to go to the Royal Collections. Probably our favorite museum.