Royal Palace of Madrid tickets: €18 self-guided, €26 guided, and a free slot most visitors cannot use

💡 The Short Version: The Royal Palace is €18 self-guided and €26 guided, from the Palace’s own shop. The free slot is not for most readers: it is for citizens of the European Union, residents and Latin American citizens only, Monday to Thursday late afternoon, at the box office; UK, US, Canadian and Australian visitors pay. In winter it opens 10:00 to 18:00 Monday to Saturday and closes at 16:00 on Sundays, and the venue and box office close an hour early. Entry is through the Almudena Cathedral esplanade. The Changing of the Guard is free: Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11:00, and the Solemn one on the first Wednesday of the month at 12:00. Or book a tour: the Royal Palace guided tour with skip-the-line entryad is from €36 (GetYourGuide).

Tickets and prices

Patrimonio Nacional, the state body that runs the Palace, sells tickets at tickets.patrimonionacional.es, and describes the visit at patrimonionacional.es. Search results for “Royal Palace Madrid tickets” include sites with the Palace’s name in their web addresses that are resellers, not the Palace. Prices are per person.

The Royal Palace from the Plaza de la Armería. Photo: Javier Perez Montes, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

• Free for everyone: under 5s, and 18 May, International Museum Day.
• Guided tours: arrive 15 minutes early at the door on your ticket, and be at the meeting point in the entrance hall 5 minutes before the time. A guided supplement of €8 can be added to a free ticket.
• Rules: photos without flash for personal use; tripods and selfie sticks are not allowed. While works continue, large backpacks, suitcases and bags are discouraged.

The free slot, and who can use it

From Monday to Thursday, 16:00 to 18:00 in winter and 17:00 to 19:00 in summer, entry to the self-guided visit is free for citizens of the European Union, residents and work-permit holders there, and Latin American citizens. They show a national identity card, passport or driving licence, or a residence or work permit, at the box office. UK, US, Canadian and Australian visitors do not qualify. The slot is not sold online and guided groups are not admitted in it. The Royal Collections Gallery has the same rule from 18:00 to 20:00.

Where to buy

GetYourGuide’s prices are its lowest “from” prices.

Tours worth paying for

The Palace’s own guided visit is €26. These two tours on GetYourGuide cost €10 to €11 more, include the entrance and start away from the Palace door, so book one for the language and starting time you want rather than for the price. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.

Golden Tour Guide skip-the-line tour

From €36 · 2 hours · 5,527 reviews

Madrid: Royal Palace Skip-the-line Guided Tourad is run by Golden Tour Guide in English, Spanish or Italian, with a certified guide, a headset and fast-track entry. The guide waits inside the souvenir shop with a “Golden Tour Guide” sign, and you should not go to the Palace first. It covers the Throne Room, the Banquet Hall and the Private Royal Apartments, and can be extended to the Royal Collections Gallery. Luggage and large bags are not allowed, and security checks still take time. Cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund.

IBE Tours expert guided tour

From €37 · 2 hours · 9,452 reviews

Madrid: Royal Palace Expert Guided Tour with Skip-the-Linead is run by IBE Tours in English, French, Italian or Spanish, and private groups are available. Entrance to the Palace is included, and you meet the guide outside the Ópera Metro station in Plaza de Isabel II, then walk through the Plaza de Oriente. After the tour you can walk the gardens on your own, though they can close for renovation. Cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund.

What to see

Allow about 90 minutes: 45 minutes for the halls and 30 for the Royal Armoury. The Palace was built from 1738 for Philip V after a fire destroyed the earlier fortress, and its first royal occupant was Charles III. It has over 3,000 rooms; the visit covers a selection.

1. The Main Staircase and the Throne Hall. Sabatini’s staircase has over 70 steps, and the Throne Hall has a ceiling painted by Tiepolo.
2. The Gasparini Room and the Fine Woods Room. The Gasparini Room has its 18th-century decoration on a floral theme. The Fine Woods or Indias Room was Charles III’s office, and joined the visitor route in mid-September 2025.
3. The Royal Chemist’s and the Royal Chapel. The chemist’s has medicine cabinets, ceramic pots from La Granja and prescriptions given to royal family members. The Chapel holds string instruments by Antonio Stradivari. The Sacristy has been on the route since the end of March 2025, and the Reliquary and Ante-Reliquary since 17 March 2026.
4. The Royal Armoury and the Painting Gallery. Weapons and armour worn by the kings of Spain and their families since the 13th century, and paintings including Caravaggio’s Salome with the Head of John the Baptist. About 30 minutes.

The Throne Room under its painted ceiling. Photo: José Luis Filpo Cabana, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.

What to skip: the Royal Kitchen, unless you want it. It is outside the usual route, costs €8 alone or €24 with the Palace, and opens daily 10:15 to 17:00 from October to March and 10:15 to 19:00 from April to September. The kitchens reopened in October 2017 and keep the look given them by Isabella II and Alfonso XII between 1861 and 1880.

Free next to the Palace: the Mirador de la Cornisa viewing terrace, between the Palace and the Almudena Cathedral, is open daily from 12:00 to 22:00 with views over the Campo del Moro and the Casa de Campo, and the Campo del Moro gardens are free.

The Changing of the Guard

Free · Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11:00 · the Solemn one on the first Wednesday at 12:00

The Changing of the Guard is free. Both ceremonies can be cancelled for official events or bad weather, and there is none on 25 December or 1 January.

On the days of the Solemn ceremony the Cathedral does not allow extended stays on its balcony.

The Royal Guard band at the Solemn Changing of the Guard. Photo: Javier Perez Montes, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Almudena Cathedral

Plaza de la Almudena · nave free · museum and dome €8, closed Sundays

The Almudena Cathedral stands opposite the Palace, on the same esplanade.

• The nave: open daily 10:00 to 20:30, and 10:00 to 21:00 in July and August, with a suggested donation of €1. There are no tourist visits during services. Photography is allowed if it does not disturb people praying.
• The museum and dome: €8, or €5 reduced, Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 14:30, closed on Sundays, holy days of obligation and days of special services. Go between 10:00 and 11:00 or between 13:00 and 14:00. The dome has views over the city. Photos are allowed only on the balconies and in the dome, and the audio guide is free on your own phone over the Cathedral’s Wi-Fi. Large suitcases and sharp objects are not allowed.
• The ticket office is on the steps of the main façade.

The dome and bell towers of the Almudena Cathedral. Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Practical information

• Where: Calle de Bailén s/n, 28013. Individual visitors and groups enter through the esplanade of the Almudena Cathedral, on Plaza de la Armería.
• Getting there: Metro Ópera (lines 2 and 5, and the Ópera to Príncipe Pío branch). Buses 3, 25, 39 and 148. Cercanías trains to Príncipe Pío.
• Hours: October to March, Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 18:00 and Sunday 10:00 to 16:00. April to September, Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 19:00 and Sunday 10:00 to 16:00. The Palace’s page says the venue and box office close one hour early.
• Closed: 1 and 6 January, 1 May and 25 December, and from 15:00 on 24 and 31 December. The Palace can also close for official events.
• The one thing that ruins a visit: arriving for the free slot without an EU, resident or Latin American document. The box office asks for proof, and everyone else pays €18.

The Prado is the other ticket to book first; Madrid walking tours compares the guided walks. The Palace is a short walk from the Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol, and free things to do in Madrid lists the Cornisa terrace and the Campo del Moro with the free museum windows. What to book before you go to Madrid has the closed days for every sight. Patrimonio Nacional also runs the Royal Palace of Aranjuez: see the Aranjuez day trip.