Nobles, bishops, monarchs… They all had something in common: the desire to build luxurious residences to display their wealth, opulence and power. Thanks to its vanity, Spain can boast today of one of the richest palace heritage in Europe.
Civitatis, the leading company in the sale of guided tours, excursions and free tours in Spanish throughout the world, has chosen in this list the 10 most beautiful palaces in Spain, in which you can admire palatial complexes from different periods and architectural styles most colorful.
1. Royal Palace of Aranjuez, Madrid
The Royal Palace of Aranjuez, known at a tourist level as “the Spanish Versailles”, is one of the residences of the Spanish royalty, as its name indicates. However, today this place is mainly used as a museum and the main attraction of this town south of Madrid.
It was Philip II who entrusted the task of building the palace (as he had already done with the El Escorial Monastery) to his trusted architect, Juan Bautista de Toledo. He devised a beautiful French-style complex, where even today its magnificent gardens and fountains stand out.
2. Royal Palace of La Magdalena, Santander
Located on the homonymous peninsula and built at the beginning of the 20th century, this magnificent eclectic-style royal palace solemnly crowns the Bay of Santander. It was one of the favorites of the monarch Alfonso XIII, who spent the summers here with his family. The construction of the palace and the king’s preference for this home made the capital of Cantabria become a summer resort for the Spanish upper class during the first decades of the 20th century.
3. Palace of San Telmo, Seville
The Presidency of the Junta de Andalucía could not choose a better place to establish its headquarters: the Palacio de San Telmo, in Seville, one of the most beautiful palaces in Spain. Previously, this 17th century building had many other uses: Colegio de la Marina (attended by the famous poet Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer), headquarters of the Railway Society or Literary University.
4. Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, Segovia
About 13 kilometers from Segovia is the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, a majestic residence built by order of King Philip V. The first Bourbon monarch brought his taste for elegant palaces from France and decided to apply it to this architectural gem , entrusting the project to the architect Teodoro Ardemans.
5. Episcopal Palace of Astorga
In 1889, Antoni Gaudí was commissioned by Bishop Joan Baptista Grau to rebuild the old Episcopal Palace of Astorga, which was in ruins. The famous modernist architect designed this neo-Gothic palace that mixes palatial and cathedral elements, but abandoned the project after the bishop’s death. It was other architects who completed the palace, although the work (and the accolades) have always been attributed to the Catalan architect.
6. Larrinaga Palace, Zaragoza
Larrinaga is one of the most beautiful palaces in Spain, and also the protagonist of a bittersweet love story. Its owner, Miguel Larrinaga, met the one who would be the love of his life, Asunción Clavero, at mass. After the wedding, the businessman bought land in Zaragoza and had this palace built, which he would call Villa Asunción, in honor of his new wife. Unfortunately, before arriving to inhabit it, Asunción died, so Larrinaga, broken with grief, decided to sell the palace. Today it is used as a school.
7. Royal Palace, Madrid
Located where the Alcázar used to be, the Royal Palace of Madrid was ordered to be built by Philip V. Gossips then said that it was the monarch himself who caused the fire that destroyed the old Alcázar, in order to build this elegant French Baroque-style palace . However, the king never lived in it, since he died before its construction was completed. On the other hand, the Royal Palace is not only one of the most beautiful palaces in Spain: it is also the largest royal palace in all of Western Europe (double the size of Buckingham Palace and Versailles).
8. Palace of the Infantry, Guadalajara
The Palace of the Dukes of the Infantado is a 15th-century building commissioned by Íñigo López de Mendoza y Luna, second Duke of the Infantado, in Guadalajara. It is an Elizabethan Gothic-style palace with Renaissance elements, such as the diamond points that decorate its façade. The external beauty of the palace is sublime, but the interior has nothing to envy. Its rooms are arranged around a splendid patio with a beautiful Gothic balcony.
9. Comares Palace and The Lions
In the list of the most beautiful palaces in Spain, the Nasrid Palaces (Comares and Los Leones) located inside the Alhambra in Granada, one of the wonders not only of Spain but of the whole world, could not be missing. These two Andalusian complexes with patios and gardens impressed the Catholic Monarchs so much that they established their residence here after the conquest of the Nasrid kingdom of Granada.
10. Ducal Palace of Gandia
The Borgias have gone down in history as one of the most famous families in Europe. They came from Valencia, and one of its most important members, San Francisco de Borja, was born precisely in the Ducal Palace of Gandía. As soon as the family acquired the palace, they expanded and remodeled it until it became a place worthy of the Dukes of Gandía, a title bought by Rodrigo de Borja (the future Pope Alexander VI). Inside the palace, its ostentatious decoration, the Golden Gallery, the Hall of Crowns and the neo-Gothic chapel stand out.
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