The Royal Palace of Madrid sells timed tickets on Patrimonio Nacional's official website, and at Easter, on Spanish bank holidays and at weekends some slots show "low availability" or sell out. Unlike some monuments, there is almost always another way in on the day. Try these options in this order.
What you can book now
| If you want… | Option | From |
|---|---|---|
| The most popular | Skip-the-line guided tour with the Royal Armoury, 4.8★ (4,060) Book | €38 |
| A specialist guide | Premium tour with skip-the-line entry, 5★ (59) Book | €40.95 |
| Palace and old town | Royal Palace and Almudena Cathedral, 4.5★ (9) Book | €58 |
| Just your group | Private tour with an official guide Book | €141 |
1. Check the official website again
The official ticket site is tickets.patrimonionacional.es. General admission costs €18 (€9 for ages 5 to 16, over-65s and students up to 25), plus a €0.77 booking fee per ticket online. It includes the Royal Armoury. Children under 5 go free.
- Look at other times on the same day. The self-guided visit takes about 45 minutes, so a later slot rarely wrecks your plans.
- Book ahead. In October 2026 the website was already selling dates into January 2027.
- Check the hours: from October to March it opens Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 18:00, and from April to September until 19:00; on Sundays, 10:00 to 16:00. Last entry is an hour before closing.
- Make sure it's open that day. It closes on 1 and 6 January, 1 May and 25 December, and it can close at short notice for official events.
2. The official guided visit and combined tickets
If the self-guided visit is sold out, look at the other options on the same website, which have their own time slots:
- Official guided visit (€26): led by Patrimonio Nacional staff, in Spanish, English or Italian. English tours run Monday to Saturday at 10:45, 11:45, 13:45 and 15:15.
- Palace + Gallery of the Royal Collections (€24): the Gallery ticket is valid for seven days before or after your palace visit.
- Palace + Royal Kitchen (€24): adds the palace's historic kitchens.
3. The ticket office and free entry
The palace also sells tickets at the ticket office, which closes an hour before the palace. Since 20 August 2026 the entrance is from the Almudena Cathedral esplanade and the Plaza de la Armería. In high season the queue builds by mid-morning: go at opening time or late in the day.
If you are an EU or Latin American citizen or resident, entry is free Monday to Thursday in the last two hours: 16:00 to 18:00 from October to March and 17:00 to 19:00 from April to September. It is only available at the ticket office, with ID that proves it, and there is usually a queue: arrive early, as the ticket office closes an hour before the palace.
4. A tour with entry included
This is the easy option if you'd rather not gamble on the ticket office: operators book tickets in advance and sell the tour with your time already set. It costs more than the ticket alone (from €38), but you get a guide and skip the queue.
Before paying, check the listing says "Royal Palace entry included". Some old-town walks only stop outside the facade.
5. What you can see without a ticket
Even without going in, the area around the palace fills a morning:
- The Changing of the Guard, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11:00 to 14:00 (10:00 to 12:00 in July and August) at the Puerta del Príncipe on Calle Bailén. It's free.
- The solemn Changing of the Guard, with cavalry and a band, on the first Wednesday of the month at 12:00, except in January, August and September.
- The Sabatini Gardens and the Campo del Moro, both free. The Campo del Moro, entered from Paseo de la Virgen del Puerto, looks up at the west facade and is usually almost empty.
- The Plaza de Oriente and, at sunset, the Templo de Debod, with the palace in the background.
Mistakes to avoid
- Buying from sites that look like the official one. There are many with similar names, and they add surcharges. The official site is
tickets.patrimonionacional.es. - Turning up for free entry just as the ticket office closes. It shuts an hour before the palace, and the queue is long.
- Forgetting your ID. You need it for free and reduced tickets.
- Bringing a large backpack or suitcase. Because of building works, the official website asks visitors not to bring bulky bags.
In one sentence
If your slot is sold out, try another time, the official guided visit or the ticket office, and if you'd rather not take the risk, book a tour with entry included; how the palace fits into a city visit is in Madrid in 3 days.
