Start with a mental map: palace → Plaza de la Armería → Plaza de Oriente → Almudena → Sabatini.
Contents
- Orientation Basics
- Nearby Pairings
- Day Trip Ideas
Orientation Basics
- The palace anchors the western ridge above the Manzanares.
- Plazas and gardens radiate like rooms without roofs.
Nearby Pairings
- Almudena Cathedral next door for architecture contrast.
- Austrian Madrid walk for Habsburg-era streets.
- Templo de Debod at sunset for skyline silhouettes.
Day Trip Ideas
- Aranjuez for gardens and a river setting.
- El Escorial for monastic scale and mountain air.
A palace visit is a hub, not a dot — plan spokes.