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Free cancellation · Full refund up to 24 h before
Habsburg Madrid. Your guide meets you at Kilometre Zero in Puerta del Sol and leads you into the old town that grew up after Philip II settled the court in Madrid in 1561. You pass under an arch into Plaza Mayor, completed in 1619, then wind on to Plaza de la Villa, where the old town hall faces the 15th-century Casa de los Lujanes. Calle Mayor brings you to Almudena Cathedral, consecrated in 1993, which faces the palace across Plaza de la Armería.
The Royal Palace. After the old Alcázar burned down on Christmas Eve 1734, Philip V ordered a new palace on the same site. Built from 1738 and first lived in by Charles III in 1764, it has 3,418 rooms and is still the official residence of the Spanish royal family, used for state ceremonies. Your guide leads you up the grand staircase and through the state rooms: the Hall of Columns, the Rococo Gasparini Room, the Gala Dining Room, the Royal Chapel and the Throne Room under Tiepolo's ceiling.
Your guide. A live guide leads the whole tour in English and keeps the group to 15 at most. Inside the palace you listen through a wireless headset, so you can hear clearly even when the rooms are busy. After the guided visit, the Sabatini Gardens and Plaza de Oriente are a few minutes' walk away.
Before you go. The palace belongs to the state and can close at short notice for official events; if that happens, we will contact you about another date or a full refund. Everyone passes a security check, so leave large backpacks and suitcases at your hotel. Photos without flash are allowed except where signs say otherwise, but tripods and selfie sticks are not. Minimum 2 travellers per booking.
Kilometre Zero plaque, in front of the Real Casa de Correos, Puerta del Sol, 7, 28013 Madrid
The Kilometre Zero plaque is set in the pavement in front of the Real Casa de Correos, the building with the clock tower on the south side of the square. Metro Sol (lines 1, 2 and 3). Look for the Hop on Roues sign.