Madrid Places Spain trip reports

Central Madrid Photo Walk – Royal Palace and Almudena Cathedral

a large white building with a dome on top

There was no way I would sit in a hotel room for my only day in central Madrid, even if it was 35C/95F on the streets in July. Google Maps showed the Royal Palace about 25 minutes walk from IHG’s Hotel Indigo Princesa and I aimed to see at least one tourist landmark while in Madrid.

a traffic light on a street
Madrid crosswalk ‘green girl’.

 

Plaza de España, Madrid features a large Cervantes monument with Don Quixote and Sancho Panza statues.

a statue of a man and a horse
Don Quixote and Sancho Panza bronze statues РCervantes Monument, Plaza de Espa̱a, Madrid.

 

a statue of a man on a horse and a man sitting on a horse
Don Quixote and Sancho Panza bronze statues -Cervantes Monument, Plaza de España, Madrid.

 

a statue of people sitting on a pedestal in front of a building
Top of Cervantes Monument and Riu Hotel Plaza de España, Madrid.

 

The 27-floor Riu Hotel has a rooftop bar in one of Madrid’s highest skyscrapers. This is a place for panoramic views of the city as seen in 360-images on the Riu Hotel website.

a man and child playing at a playground
High-rise slide at Plaza Espana playground.

 

Having spent three decades around schools and playgrounds I am always interested to see the variations in children’s play equipment in different cities. I don’t recall seeing a slide structure this high before in a public playground.

a fountain with a stone sculpture in the middle of a park
Gate to Royal Palace Gardens, Madrid.

 

a white building with a garden and trees
Royal Palace seen from palace gardens – Madrid, Spain.

 

a large building with columns and statues
Royal Palace-Palacio Real, Madrid.

 

a large building with many cars parked in front of it
Royal Palace at sunset, Madrid, Spain.

 

a large building with a stone courtyard
Royal Palace Courtyard, Madrid.

 

More than a dozen people were gathered at a wall looking west to the sunset over a forest park beneath the palace.

a city with trees and buildings
View of Madrid forest from Royal Palace ledge lookout.

 

a large building with a tower
Plaza de la Armeria between Catedral de la Almudena and Royal Palace Madrid.

 

a group of people sitting on steps in front of a building
Finding shade at Plaza de la Armeria Madrid

 

Almudena Cathedral is a relatively new construction. The foundation stone was laid in 1883 and the cathedral was finally completed in 1993. More than 400 years passed from the time Spain’s capital city moved from Toledo to Madrid in 1561 before the capital had Almudena Cathedral.

a building with a statue in front of it
Almudena Cathedral, Madrid
BoardingArea