A house in the gardens of Aranjuez is the only building in Patrimonio Nacional’s entire network that is shut out of every free-entry rule, including the free 12 October.
The palace it belongs to is the cheapest Royal Site in the Madrid region. A general ticket costs 9 €, and the ticket desk shuts an hour before the palace does. Set against 18 € at the Royal Palace of Madrid and 14 € at the Monastery of El Escorial, that is half the first and five euros under the second. The reduced rate is 4 €, for ages 5 to 16, over-65s and accredited students up to 25.
How much does the Royal Palace of Aranjuez cost? A general ticket to the Royal Palace of Aranjuez costs 9 € and the reduced one 4 €, for ages 5 to 16, over-65s and accredited students up to 25. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 19:00 from April to September and 10:00 to 18:00 from October to March. The ticket desk closes one hour early.
One building on the estate is outside every exemption
Aranjuez has a building that plays by its own rules. The Casa del Labrador, in the Jardín del Príncipe, is a space apart from the palace, and the walk out to it can take up to 20 minutes depending on which gate is used, as Patrimonio notes on its own visitor page.
What sets it apart is not the distance but the regime. Patrimonio excludes the Casa del Labrador from its general free-entry categories on capacity grounds, alongside the Casas del Príncipe at El Pardo and El Escorial, the Casa de Infantes at San Lorenzo and the Royal Kitchen of the Royal Palace of Madrid.
One further exclusion applies to it alone. It is the only site also left out of the free 12 October, the date on which every other Royal Site opens free to all nationalities.
Nine euros, and what that buys in the city instead
The fare that Patrimonio publishes is 4 € reduced and 9 € general, the reduced rate covering the same groups as everywhere else in the network: ages 5 to 16, over-65s and accredited students up to 25.
Measured against what a day in the city costs, the palace is cheap rather than merely cheaper. Nine euros is six less than a Prado ticket at 15 €, and three times what one of the eight state museums charges at 3 €.
The other two Royal Sites of the region sit above it, at 14 € and 18 € general, so a single ticket to the Royal Palace of Madrid covers two visits here.
Same calendar, different cut-off
On the timetable Patrimonio publishes, the Palace opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 19:00 from April to September and 10:00 to 18:00 from October to March, and closes on Mondays. That calendar is shared by all three Royal Sites in the region, and it does not line up with the city museums: the Reina Sofía closes on Tuesdays, precisely when these three are open.
The difference lies in the entry cut-off. At Aranjuez the ticket desk and palace access close one hour before the site, which is the general rule that Patrimonio sets for its monuments. The Monastery of El Escorial stretches that margin to an hour and a quarter, as covered in why El Escorial stops admitting 75 minutes early, and all four destinations are set side by side in day trips from Madrid.
In practice the last entry to Aranjuez is 18:00 in summer and 17:00 in winter, against 17:45 and 16:45 at El Escorial. Fifteen minutes apart in each season, from an identical closing time.
No exemption at Aranjuez checks a passport
The free-entry categories Patrimonio applies at Aranjuez are the same across its network, and none of them turns on nationality:
| Category | What is required |
|---|---|
| Visitors with a disability | 33 % or more, with documentation |
| Unemployed people | Job Seeker Card |
| Serving teaching staff | Credentials |
| Official tourist guides | Valid card |
| ICOM and ICOMOS members | Valid card |
| Large families | Ley 40/2003 |
| Children under 5 | Nothing |
Two full dates come on top, and the Council of Patrimonio sets both: 18 May and 12 October, the latter with the Casa del Labrador exception. They are the same two dates on which the eight state museums of Madrid open free, at 3 € the rest of the year.
The only condition of origin anywhere in the network sits at the Royal Palace of Madrid, which reserves a Monday-to-Thursday window for citizens of the European Union and Ibero-American countries, set out in who gets in free at the Royal Palace. How all those windows fit into a week is worked through in how many days you need.
Frequently asked questions about visiting Aranjuez
How much is the Royal Palace of Aranjuez?
The general ticket is 9 € and the reduced one 4 €, covering ages 5 to 16, over-65s and accredited students up to 25. It is the lowest fare of the three Royal Sites in the Madrid region.
What are the opening hours at Aranjuez?
Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 19:00 from April to September and 10:00 to 18:00 from October to March. It closes on Mondays, and the ticket desk and palace access shut one hour before the site itself.
Is the Casa del Labrador included in the palace ticket?
No. The Casa del Labrador stands in the Jardín del Príncipe and works as a separate space. It is also the only Patrimonio Nacional site excluded from the free 12 October, when everything else opens free to all nationalities.
Do I need an EU passport to get in free at Aranjuez?
No. None of Patrimonio Nacional’s free-entry categories depends on nationality. That condition exists only at the Royal Palace of Madrid, which reserves a Monday-to-Thursday window for EU and Ibero-American citizens.
Nine euros, two seasons and a house in the garden that falls outside every exemption the organisation grants.