Palacio de El Pardo
Palacio de El Pardo is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Madrid audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~90 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type palace
- Suggested visit ~90 min
- Madrid Madrid guide
About Palacio de El Pardo
A former royal hunting palace 14km northwest of Madrid, used as Franco's personal residence for 35 years and now housing Spain's finest collection of 17th-century tapestries.
The Palacio de El Pardo is a former royal hunting palace located 14 kilometres northwest of Madrid in the extensive El Pardo forest, a vast, holm-oak-covered hunting reserve that has been protected crown land since the 16th century. The palace was originally built for Charles I in the early 16th century and substantially rebuilt and expanded by later monarchs, culminating in the elegant neoclassical complex visible today. Its interior contains one of the most remarkable collections of 18th-century tapestries in the world, including a series based on cartoons by Goya, made for the royal apartments of the palace. The palace is most famous in recent Spanish history as the personal residence of Francisco Franco from 1940 until his death in 1975, he lived and worked here for 35 years, conducting his dictatorship from these rooms. The palace can now be visited on guided tours. The surrounding El Pardo forest is a protected nature reserve with excellent walking and cycling trails through holm oak woodland, and a population of fallow deer and other wildlife that has been protected here for five centuries.
Did you know? Francisco Franco lived in the Palacio de El Pardo for 35 years, from 1940 until his death in November 1975, conducting his dictatorship from these rooms and receiving foreign heads of state here.
How long should you spend at Palacio de El Pardo?
Plan about ~90 min at Palacio de El Pardo. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Palacio de El Pardo worth visiting?
Palacio de El Pardo is one of the 45 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Madrid, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Madrid
Hear the story of Palacio de El Pardo
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