Royal Palace of Aranjuez: gardens and a day trip from Madrid

Updated on October 1, 2026

Some fifty kilometres south of Madrid, on the banks of the Tagus, the Royal Palace of Aranjuez was the spring residence of the Spanish kings. Begun under Philip II by Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera, it was enlarged in the 18th century under Ferdinand VI and Charles III. Run by Patrimonio Nacional, it can be visited with its royal apartments, while its free gardens stretch along the river. The whole site is part of the Aranjuez Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is an easy day trip by commuter train from Atocha.

Highlights

The façade and main courtyard

The brick and white stone façade, framed by two wings and domes, opens onto the vast Plaza de Parejas. The tour of the royal apartments takes about an hour.

The Porcelain Room

This small room, entirely lined with porcelain from the Buen Retiro royal factory, with scenes, garlands and Chinese figures in relief, is one of the highlights of the palace tour.

The Parterre Garden, the Island Garden and the waterfall

At the foot of the palace, the Castañuelas waterfall sends the Tagus down in a curved cascade. The Island Garden, the oldest, occupies an island in the river with its fountains; the Parterre Garden runs along the east façade.

The Prince's Garden and the Casa del Labrador

The Prince's Garden, a landscape garden commissioned by Charles IV, stretches for about 3 kilometres along the Tagus. At its far end, the Casa del Labrador, a small Neoclassical palace with a very rich interior, has reopened after restoration; it can only be seen on a guided tour of about 50 minutes, Friday to Sunday.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Palace: full-price ticket €9, reduced €4 (ages 5-16, over-65s, students up to 25), free for under-5s and jobseekers; audio guide €5 (or €3 on the app). Free entry on Wednesdays and Sundays from 15:00 to 18:00 from October to March (until 19:00 from April to September) for EU citizens and residents and Latin American nationals, on presentation of ID. Casa del Labrador: €10 for the guided tour, to be booked well in advance (prices observed in October 2026). The Tren de la Fresa (Strawberry Train), a historic train with wooden carriages, runs from Madrid to Aranjuez on some spring and autumn weekends; in 2026 its autumn season runs from 3 October to 8 November, departing from the Railway Museum (former Delicias station).

How to get there

Address: Plaza de Parejas, s/n, 28300 Aranjuez. From Madrid, take the Cercanías commuter train line C-3 from Atocha (or Sol) to the Aranjuez terminus, a journey of about 45 minutes, with trains every 20 to 30 minutes at weekends. From the station, allow about 15 minutes on foot to the palace. The gardens open at 08:00 and close in the early evening, earlier in winter.