Visiting the Kitchen of the Royal Palace of Madrid is taking a journey back in time to the heart of palatial gastronomy. By booking these tickets, you can explore the best-preserved Royal Kitchen in Europe.
The Kitchen of the Royal Palace of Madrid
With your tickets to the Royal Palace Kitchen in Madrid, you'll enter one of the best-preserved and most fascinating rooms in the largest palace in Western Europe.
This space served the Spanish monarchy for centuries and is internationally renowned for its impressive size, its age, and the priceless value of the artifacts it houses. Did you know that very few European palaces have managed to preserve a similar collection of objects?
During your tour, you'll journey through time, exploring the evolution of royal cuisine from 1760 to 1931. You'll see how the great technological advances of the era were introduced into the royal kitchens, the workings of their complex plumbing systems, and the meticulously organized tasks carried out under the strict supervision of the Head Chef to supply the tables of the monarchs and their courtiers.
What to See in the Royal Palace's Historic Kitchen?
During your visit, you can explore the different rooms that make up this gastronomic complex:
- The kitchen entrance and dumbwaiter: you can access this through the current entrance, renovated during the reign of Isabella II, where the ingenious dumbwaiter stands out. It transported cooked food directly to the palace's main floor. You'll discover how it went from operating with pressurized water to being electrified in 1911.
- Sala del Ramillete (The Bouquet Room): this is where sweets, cakes, ice cream, compotes, and the court's sought-after chocolate were made. Here, you'll be amazed by the 1844 bouquet oven, the large copper boiler for the bain-marie, and a fascinating collection of molds and chocolate pots.
- The pastry workshop: a small, windowless room located beneath the Prince's Gate, dedicated exclusively to delicate creations such as Easter eggs.
- La Antecocina (The Ante-Kitchen): the key space for the pre-cooking and butchering of food. You will see its long work tables, the tiled Légumier (washing basin), and the old iceboxes that were filled with ice to preserve perishable goods.
- Sala de fogones (Kitchen Room): the true heart of the Royal Kitchen. You can admire the French wood-burning stoves installed in the 19th and early 20th centuries, including the grand kitchen from 1906 (the year of the wedding of Alfonso XIII and Victoria Eugenia), the large rotisserie and grill, as well as the curious plate-warming cabinet that harnessed the underground heat from the smoke.
- El Cuartón o Cava (The Cuartón or Cellar): a former storeroom for oven accessories, converted at the end of the 19th century into the palace's wine cellar, where you will learn about the evolution of royal banquets and wine pairings.
The estimated duration of the tour of the interior of the Royal Kitchen is approximately 45 minutes.
Opening Times
The opening times for the Royal Kitchen vary depending on the season:
- October to March: daily from 10:15 am to 5 pm
- April to September: daily from 10:15 am to 7 pm
Ticket Prices
Please note that the final price of the experience includes access to the museum space and 2EUR for booking management.