Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Aranjuez (Spain). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Royal Palace of Aranjuez, San Antonio de Padua, and Convento de San Pascual. Also, be sure to include Casa de Santiago de los Caballeros in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Aranjuez (Madrid).
Table of Contents
Royal Palace of Aranjuez
Also known as: Palacio Real de Aranjuez
Royal residence in Aranjuez, Spain. The Royal Palace of Aranjuez is a former Spanish royal residence. It is located 50 km south of Madrid in the town of Aranjuez, Spain.
It was established around the time Philip II of Spain moved the capital from Toledo to Madrid. Aranjuez became one of four seasonal seats of government, occupied during the springtime (from about holy week). Thereafter, the court moved successively to Rascafría, El Escorial and wintered in Madrid.
Several international treaties were signed there and several members of the royal family died there, including:
- 1568 Elizabeth of Valois queen consort of Philip II
- 1758 Barbara of Portugal queen consort of Ferdinand VI
- 1766 Elisabeth Farnese the widow of Philip V
- 1806 Maria Antonia of Naples first wife of Ferdinand VII the Felon
- 1818 Maria Isabel of Portugal second wife of Ferdinand VII
- 1828 Maria Josepha Amalia of Saxony third wife of Ferdinand VII
In 1931, during the Second Spanish Republic, the area was declared an Artistic Historical Monument and opened to the public. The palace, gardens and associated buildings are part of the Aranjuez Cultural Landscape, which was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Cultural Organization in 2001.
It is open to the public as one of several Spanish royal sites in the Community of Madrid, Spain. Management is entrusted to the Spanish Patrimonio Nacional, which does not allow private photography of its interior for security reasons. However, licenses may be available for specific purposes upon application.
The area around Aranjuez enjoys a mild climate, a verdant and varied landscape with excellent game hunting and has long been inhabited.[1]
Address: Plaza de Parejas, s/n, 28300 Aranjuez
San Antonio de Padua
Also known as: Iglesia de San Antonio
Church in Aranjuez, Spain. The Church of San Antonio is a church located in Aranjuez, in the Community of Madrid, Spain. It was declared Bien de Interés Cultural and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO within Aranjuez Cultural Landscape in 2003.[2]
Address: Carr. de Andalucía, 4, 28300 Aranjuez
Convento de San Pascual
Monastery. The Convento de San Pascual is a royal monastery in Aranjuez, in the Community of Madrid, Spain, founded by King Charles III of Spain as a Franciscan monastery and built from 1765 to 1770. Under the reign of Isabel II of Spain, it was assigned to the Conceptionist nuns, and now is under the administration of the Patrimonio Nacional.
The architect was the Italian Francesco Sabatini. The main altar has a painting by Anton Raphael Mengs.
It was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 1999.[3]
Address: Calle del Rey, 75, 28300 Aranjuez
Casa de Santiago de los Caballeros
The Casa de Caballeros y Oficios is a building in the Spanish town of Aranjuez, in the Community of Madrid. The building, whose construction was completed under the reign of Charles III, is located next to the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.
Casa de Infantes
The Casa de Infantes is a civil building in the Spanish city of Aranjuez, in the Community of Madrid. It has the status of Bien de Interés Cultural.
Iglesia de Alpajés
The church of Alpajés is a temple located in the city of Aranjuez on the banks of the Tagus River.
Ontígola Sea.
The Natural Reserve of El Regajal-Mar de Ontigola is a natural space of the Community of Madrid, which has been protected since 1994, according to Decree 68 of June 30. It is located in the southern part of the region, within the municipality of Aranjuez, and has an area of 629.21 hectares, along which two main environmental units converge: the wetland of the Ontigola Sea, a reborn reservoir today completely naturalized, and adjacent lands, among the which highlights the farm of El Regajal, a Mediterranean-subdessert mountain that houses great entomological diversity.
The first unit cited brings together important communities of palustre vegetation, which give refuge, temporarily or permanently, to numerous aquatic birds. The second, on the other hand, constitutes one of the most important butterfly reserves of the planet, with species such as Plebeyus Pylaon, Iolana Iolas and Zerynthia Rumina. In 1979 entomologists belonging to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature cataloged El Regajal as the fifth world priority in the conservation of lepidoptera.
In addition to its natural wealth, the reserve shows important historical, cultural and architectural values, the result of its close relationship with the Royal Site of Aranjuez, to which the Ontigola Sea was supplying water from the 16th century to the mid -twentieth century. His prey, in which architects such as Juan Bautista de Toledo (1515-1567) and Juan de Herrera (1530-1597) participated, marked a milestone in the history of modern hydraulic engineering.
Palacete de Silvela
The Silvela Palace is a civilian building located in the former Medicinal Plant Garden of the Spanish Royal Family, today "Silvela Garden", in front of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.
Casa del Labrador
Historical landmark in Spain. The Casa del Labrador is a neoclassical palace in Aranjuez, Spain. The name means "house of the farm labourer", and was borrowed from an earlier building on the site, although the new building was intended for royal use. It was designed to complement the Royal Palace, providing a place for the royal family to spend the day without some of the customary restrictions of court life.[4]
Address: Jardines del Principe, Aranjuez
Royal Barges Museum
Museum
Address: Calle de la Reina, 22, 28300 Aranjuez, Aranjuez
Estatua de la reina Isabel II
Memorial
Address: Calle Stuart, 28, Aranjuez