Royal Palace ticket prices

Patrimonio Nacional, which runs the palace, lists these prices on its Royal Palace ticket page (checked 30 October 2026):

Ticket Full Reduced What you get
Self-guided visit €18 €9 About 45 minutes through the palace
Guided visit €26 €17 Tour in Spanish or English at set times
Palace + Galería de las Colecciones Reales (Pase Distrito Real Esencial) €24 €12 The gallery can be used within 7 days before or after the palace visit
Palace + Royal Kitchen €24 €12 Adds the palace kitchens
Royal Kitchen only €8 – Kitchens without the palace

Online purchases add a handling fee of €0.77 per ticket. The reduced rate is for children aged 5–16 (from 14 with an ID card or passport), people over 65, and students up to 25 with a current student card.

English-language guided tours run Monday to Saturday at 10:45, 11:45, 13:45 and 15:15, and on Sundays at 10:45, 11:45, 13:45 and 14:15. Patrimonio Nacional asks guided-tour visitors to use the priority door 15 minutes before the ticket time and to be at the meeting point in the Zaguán (entrance hall) 5 minutes before.

Free entry for EU and Ibero-American citizens

The free window is the main reason to plan your day around the palace. Patrimonio Nacional's free-entry page and its ticket page set these conditions:

  • Who: citizens of EU countries and of Ibero-American countries, EU residents and holders of a work permit, with proof such as an ID card, passport, driving licence or residence permit.
  • When: Monday to Thursday, 16:00–18:00 from October to March and 17:00–19:00 from April to September.
  • How: at the ticket office only, self-guided only, with no guided groups. The ticket FAQ adds that free-hour tickets cannot be booked in advance.

There is a catch. Ticket offices close and entry stops one hour before closing, and in winter the palace closes at 18:00 on weekdays. In practice, a free winter visit means getting your ticket and going in between 16:00 and 17:00, then having until 18:00 inside. From April to September the equivalent is 17:00–18:00 for entry.

The free-entry page also lists free admission for everyone on 18 May (International Museum Day) and 12 October (Spain's national day), plus free entry for under-5s, large families, people with a disability and registered job seekers, all with documents.

Plaza Mayor De Madrid

Opening hours and closed days

The palace keeps two seasonal timetables, according to the ticket page:

Season Monday–Saturday Sunday Last entry
October–March 10:00–18:00 10:00–16:00 One hour before closing
April–September 10:00–19:00 10:00–16:00 One hour before closing

For 2026 the palace is closed all day on 1 January, 6 January, 1 May and 25 December; the ticket page had not yet listed 2027 closures on 30 October 2026, so check it before planning a visit on 1 or 6 January 2027. On 24 and 31 December it closes at 15:00 and the ticket offices close at 14:00. Patrimonio Nacional also warns that additional closures may happen because of official events.

Because paid tickets cannot be changed, an unexpected official closure is the main risk to a fixed-date booking. The ticket FAQ says that after payment you cannot change the date or time or get a refund, though exceptions can be considered through the contact form if the visit date has not passed. Keep a flexible morning on another day if the palace is the priority of your trip. Our Madrid at Christmas guide lists what else closes over the holidays.

Entrance, bags and getting there

Patrimonio Nacional's notice on the ticket page says that, since 20 August, individual visitors and groups enter from the esplanade of Almudena Cathedral / Plaza de la Armería. Because of building works it also recommends not bringing backpacks, suitcases, handbags or large packages.

The esMADRID Royal Palace tourist information point page gives the nearest Metro stations as Ópera (lines 2, 5 and R) and Plaza de España (lines 2, 3 and 10). The information point itself is at Calle de Bailén, on the corner of Calle Requena, and opens daily from 10:00 to 18:00. Fares and the Multi card are explained in our Madrid metro tickets guide.

Madrid, Spain

Changing of the Guard

The guard changes are free and take place outside, so you do not need a palace ticket to watch them. Madrid's official tourism site gives two events on its Changing of the Guard page (updated 16 October 2026):

Event When Where
Changing of the Guard Wednesdays and Saturdays, 11:00–14:00; 10:00–12:00 in July and August Puerta del Príncipe, Calle de Bailén
Solemn Changing of the Guard First Wednesday of the month at about 12:00, about 50 minutes; not in January, August or September Plaza de la Armería, entered free through the Puerta de Santiago on Calle de Bailén

The Spanish version of the page gives the July and August hours and says the sentries on foot are relieved every 30 minutes during the ordinary change. Neither event takes place on 25 December or 1 January, and both are cancelled on days of official events or bad weather.

A Wednesday or Saturday morning works best for combining both: watch the guard from 11:00 at the Puerta del Príncipe, then use a timed palace ticket booked for later in the morning.

From the palace, the Prado Museum tickets guide covers Madrid's other big timed booking. If you want more of Patrimonio Nacional's royal sites, our El Escorial day trip guide covers the monastery outside the city.