Royal Palace sights in Madrid
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Palacio Real
Spain’s lavish Palacio Real is a jewel box of a palace, although it’s used only occasionally for royal ceremonies; the royal family moved to the modest Palacio de la Zarzuela years ago.
When the Alcázar burned down on Christmas Day 1734, Felipe V, the first of the Bourbon kings, decided to build a palace that would dwarf all its European counterparts. Felipe died before the palace was finished, which is perhaps why the Italianate baroque colossus has a mere 2800 rooms, just one-quarter of the original plan.
The official tour leads through 50 of the palace rooms, which hold a good selection of Goyas, 215 absurdly ornate clocks and five Stradivarius violins still used …
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