Royal Madrid: Palaces, Convents and the Medieval Walls

The stops, in walking order

1. 1

   

   Stop 1: Catedral de la Almudena

   ~15 min here

   The Almudena Cathedral is Madrid’s Catholic cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin of Almudena and serving as the seat of the city’s archdiocese.

2. 2

   

   Stop 2: Muralla Musulmana

   ~3 min here

   The Muslim Walls are the surviving fragments of Madrid’s earliest known construction, raised in the ninth century beside the Manzanares as part of a fortress that gathered the city around it.

3. 3

   

   Stop 3: Real Basílica de San Francisco el Grande

   ~15 min here

   The Royal Basilica of Saint Francis the Great is the large Roman Catholic church before you, forming part of a Franciscan convent in Madrid’s Palacio neighbourhood.

4. 4

   

   Stop 4: Palacio Real

   ~3 min here

   Palacio Real is the immense palace before you, built for Spain’s monarchy and now chiefly used for state ceremonies.

5. 5

   

   Stop 5: Plaza de Oriente

   ~3 min here

   Plaza de Oriente opens out as a monumental square beside Madrid’s Royal Palace, with the Teatro Real completing its opposite boundary.

6. 6

   

   Stop 6: Real Monasterio de la Encarnación

   ~3 min here

   The Royal Monastery of the Incarnation is a convent built for Recollet Augustinian nuns, and its sober façade belongs to the Madrid Baroque.

7. 7

   

   Stop 7: Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales

   ~3 min here

   The Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales is a royal monastery and historic site, with a museum occupying part of this former palace.

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