The Royal palace in Madrid is not the only palace that belongs to the Royal family which can be visited. Most visitors to Spain think that there is only one Royal Palace in the country. That is not the case though. How many royal palaces are Spain? The answer is eight.
Two of the Royal Palaces are located in Madrid (The Madrid Royal Palace and the less known Palacio del Pardo), four other palaces are located at less than one hour drive from Madrid. They are the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, located at less than 40 minutes drive south of Madrid, the Palacio de la Granja, which is mainly known for its amazing gardens and which are sometimes compared to those of Versailles. El Escorial Monastery is another famous palace though in reality, it is much more than a palace since it is also a monastery, a huge church, library, and school. It is at the Escorial where the Spanish Kings are buried. Last but not least, the less known Palacio de Riofrio, a game reserve, located also very close to the Unesco heritage site of Segovia. For many locals, the best royal palaces are those located in the surroundings of Madrid. Aranjuez and El Escorial, both Unesco sites, and La Granja de San Ildefonso, along with the amazing Unesco town of Segovia, make for one of the best day tours to enjoy from Madrid.
We have so far mentioned 6 out of the eight Royal Palaces in Spain. The two remaining palaces are the Palace of Almudaina in Palma de Mallorca (located right next to the famous Cathedral of Palma).
The last palace in the list is the Cuarto Alto de los Reales Alcazares de Sevilla: a series of buildings inside the Alcazar de Sevilla complex.