The Royal Armoury of Madrid
The Royal Armoury of Madrid
4.5
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Plan your visit
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Austrias
How to get there
- Ópera • 7 min walk
- Principe Pío • 10 min walk
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
8,842 within 3 miles
Attractions
1,495 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
105 reviews
Excellent
67
Very good
27
Average
7
Poor
1
Terrible
3
These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.
Julia G
Sheffield, UK464 contributions
Sept 2023 • Solo
It’s ok… it’s exactly what you’d expect from an armoury museum. Doesn’t take too long to walk around. Has quite a few floors though so it’s worth a visit- especially if you go in the evening where between certain times it’s free entry (about 1/2 hrs before they close).
Would have been better if they offered some exhibitions which were a bit more interactive. It’s not ideal for children/ families.
Would have been better if they offered some exhibitions which were a bit more interactive. It’s not ideal for children/ families.
Written 28 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
T3341TSfrancesm
Coral Springs, FL42 contributions
Oct 2022
This was the main reason we wanted to visit the Royal Palace was to see The Royal Armoury. It was facinating, different, and something we had not seen at other locations in our travels. I would recommend stopping and visiting if you are in madrid. It took us about 40 mins or so to view everything at our own pace.
Written 27 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
COLCHONEROMadrid
Madrid, Spain4,927 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
It is inside the Royal Palace, in one of its wings. An impressive collection of armor and weapons basically belonging to Charles I and Philip II is on display, including those that protected horses. If you go to the Royal Palace you should obviously visit it, it is undoubtedly impressive
Written 9 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
macedonboy
Glasgow, UK186,708 contributions
Jul 2019
The Royal Armoury of Madrid is a museum that contains the collection of the personal arms of the Kings of Spain, military weapons, armours and a small but eclectic mix of tapestries, paintings and other works of art and trophie that form part of the royal collection.
Among the most notable parts of the collection are the decorative full armour used by the Emperor Charles V and King Felipe II. Just as impressive are the collection of armour for the young royal princes.
Among the most notable parts of the collection are the decorative full armour used by the Emperor Charles V and King Felipe II. Just as impressive are the collection of armour for the young royal princes.
Written 7 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gato188
Canberra, Australia439 contributions
Jan 2012 • Couples
We visited the Royal Armoury as a couple, during our visit to the Royal Palace. Entry is covered within the €20 per person entry to the palace, where the armoury is housed in part of the wing on the Río Manzanares side. The collection, housed mainly across two storeys, is amazing for its range of full suits of parade armour, tournament armour including horse armour, and early firearms and ancient edged weapons - all in the most extraordinary pristine condition, and very well displayed. My only criticism of the collection is that photography, even without flash, was not permitted during our visit in January 2012.
Arms and armour tend to be predominantly masculine interests. I would have liked to have spent more time in the Royal Armoury, but understandably that did not interest my spouse. Consequently we rushed through the collection more quickly than ideally I would have liked. With more time on a future visit I will go back to the Royal Armoury by myself - perhaps while my better half shops for shoes, or engages in some other rare and vitally feminine activity of comparable low interest to me as arms and armour are to her. I recommend this strategy to similar couples.
Arms and armour tend to be predominantly masculine interests. I would have liked to have spent more time in the Royal Armoury, but understandably that did not interest my spouse. Consequently we rushed through the collection more quickly than ideally I would have liked. With more time on a future visit I will go back to the Royal Armoury by myself - perhaps while my better half shops for shoes, or engages in some other rare and vitally feminine activity of comparable low interest to me as arms and armour are to her. I recommend this strategy to similar couples.
Written 17 March 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jonathan L
London, UK59 contributions
Aug 2016
The Royal Armoury is situated in the basement of the Palacio Real and can only be viewed as part of the entry to the Palacio Royal. However, it is certainly worth a visit.
Here you will find an impressive collection of beautifully polished armour dating from the 15th century onwards. The collection includes armour made for King Carlos 5th and King Felipe 2nd. Even more fascinating is the armour made for the horses going into battle or as protection in jousting tournaments.
Faced with such an array of restrictive yet protective armour you cannot help but wonder how the wearer could move, let alone fight, particularly whilst riding a horse. Another element of interest is the armour made for the royal children. Indeed this exhibition is certainly worth a visit.
Here you will find an impressive collection of beautifully polished armour dating from the 15th century onwards. The collection includes armour made for King Carlos 5th and King Felipe 2nd. Even more fascinating is the armour made for the horses going into battle or as protection in jousting tournaments.
Faced with such an array of restrictive yet protective armour you cannot help but wonder how the wearer could move, let alone fight, particularly whilst riding a horse. Another element of interest is the armour made for the royal children. Indeed this exhibition is certainly worth a visit.
Written 16 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BennyMalaga
Malaga, Spain89,732 contributions
Dec 2011 • Couples
The Royal Armory is situated in a building beside the Royal Palace. This armory and the Imperial Armory in Vienna are considered to be the best in Europe because of the quality of its pieces. The building was constructed in 1897 by the architects J.S. de Lema and E. Repulles. The armory contains the personal armory of Carlos V and his son Felipe II. There are several models displayed of mounted men on horses with the armor of each. There are pieces of armor that date as early as the 13th century. There are armor and arms of other Spanish kings, as well as gifts of armor and arms made especially for them.
Much of the armor and arms were meant for gala displays, and not for war. The kings used to wear the armor for ceremonies and for official paintings. The armor was used to show the power of the Spanish Empire. In the Prado Museum there is a painting by Titian of Carlos V using armor, supposedly used in the Battle of Muhlberg. This armor is made of steel and embellished with gold and silver and was made by leading armorers from Milan and Ausburg. There is a beautiful shield, called the Apotheosis of Carlos V, with gold and silver, measuring 54 cm in diameter, and made in Italy around 1535. Another beautiful shield is the Medusa Shield of Carlos V made by Filippo and Francesco Negroli in Milan in 1541. It is made of damascened steel and has the image of Medusa on it. The collection has some of the most beautiful arms made in the Renaissance and the Baroque periods.
Much of the armor and arms were meant for gala displays, and not for war. The kings used to wear the armor for ceremonies and for official paintings. The armor was used to show the power of the Spanish Empire. In the Prado Museum there is a painting by Titian of Carlos V using armor, supposedly used in the Battle of Muhlberg. This armor is made of steel and embellished with gold and silver and was made by leading armorers from Milan and Ausburg. There is a beautiful shield, called the Apotheosis of Carlos V, with gold and silver, measuring 54 cm in diameter, and made in Italy around 1535. Another beautiful shield is the Medusa Shield of Carlos V made by Filippo and Francesco Negroli in Milan in 1541. It is made of damascened steel and has the image of Medusa on it. The collection has some of the most beautiful arms made in the Renaissance and the Baroque periods.
Written 6 January 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
albranda
Houten, The Netherlands17 contributions
Sept 2019 • Solo
This is one of the most extensive medieval armories I’ve come across. It’s part of the Royal palace and I enjoyed it more than the rest of the palace. But of course that depends on your personal interests.
Written 18 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nik R
Varna, Bulgaria6,654 contributions
Jun 2016 • Family
The Royal Armoury can be visited as a part of your visit to the Royal Palace and is included in its price. There are lots of protective armour and weapons that belonged to the Spanish Royal family throughout the centuries. There are even items that Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and Philip II used. Other works of art can be also seen in the Armoury like tapestries, paintings and trophies. Very interesting are the armours of kids and horses. After that I was thinking how somebody could fight wearing so many kilos of metal! We didn't like much the Palace but the Armoury is definitely worth a visit!
Written 20 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brad
Hong Kong, China176,204 contributions
May 2016 • Couples
One of the impressive things to see at the Royal Palace is the Real Armeria (Royal Armoury) situated in the pavilion building at the front of Plaza de Armas on the opposite side of the ticket office and palace entrance. Entry into the armoury is included as part of your Palacio Real ticket purchase.
Here you will see a fine collection of armoury belonging to the Spanish Royal family, dating back many centuries. In particular, there are exceptional pieces that belonged to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (1519–1556) as well as King Philip II (1556–1598).
Throughout the collection, there are beautifully designed body suits, tools and weapons on display. The armour represents changing and prevailing styles over the centuries while many pieces are fashioned with intricate and artistic designs of remarkable quality.
Some of the Royal suits are very detailed, more ornamental than for the purpose of combat. Several pieces on display have been featured in masterpiece paintings that can be viewed at Prado.
Note: there are beautiful tapestries that have also been hung along the walls of the Armoury. These are easy to overlook while admiring the armour displays but are well worth viewing as well.
In the end, this is an exceptional armoury collection, perhaps as nice as you will find in Europe. Browsing the armoury can be comfortably done in 15-30 minutes depending on how interest. As such, it is well worth allowing the extra time for the Real Armeria as part of your visit to the Palacio Real.
Here you will see a fine collection of armoury belonging to the Spanish Royal family, dating back many centuries. In particular, there are exceptional pieces that belonged to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (1519–1556) as well as King Philip II (1556–1598).
Throughout the collection, there are beautifully designed body suits, tools and weapons on display. The armour represents changing and prevailing styles over the centuries while many pieces are fashioned with intricate and artistic designs of remarkable quality.
Some of the Royal suits are very detailed, more ornamental than for the purpose of combat. Several pieces on display have been featured in masterpiece paintings that can be viewed at Prado.
Note: there are beautiful tapestries that have also been hung along the walls of the Armoury. These are easy to overlook while admiring the armour displays but are well worth viewing as well.
In the end, this is an exceptional armoury collection, perhaps as nice as you will find in Europe. Browsing the armoury can be comfortably done in 15-30 minutes depending on how interest. As such, it is well worth allowing the extra time for the Real Armeria as part of your visit to the Palacio Real.
Written 1 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is the Royal Armoury closed for all of 2024? Has anyone been there recently?
Written 30 September 2024
¿ Se pueden hacer fotos ?
Written 30 March 2021
Can I access the Royal Armoury of Madrid without being at the palace, as separate museum?
Written 15 June 2017
Showing results 1-4 of 4
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing