We ditched the overcrowded touristy atmosphere of Toledo after a quick walk though and went to Aranjuez. The palace is really lovely, very well preserved and with beautiful extensive gardens with nice fountains. Spent most of the day there. There are some places to eat very convenient to the palace, would recommend El Parterre.

Aranjuez is another great day trip from Madrid, once you checked out the obvious Toledo or Segovia. The Royal Palace is quite easy to reach by public transport (Cercanias) from Madrid and it offers a lot in terms of architecture, luxurious interiors, art and historical significance. It is surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens, adding another layer of charm to the overall experience.

The palace is great and so are the surrounding gardens. Aranjuez is a peaceful and convenient day trip from Madrid. The porcelain room (Orientalist) and smoking room (Neo Moorish) are two of the highlights and are very unique in Europe. I’ve seen some reviews here saying they weren’t allowed to take pictures inside, which isn’t true. There’s a sign in Spanish in most rooms saying no pictures *with flash*. I understand not everyone can read Spanish but if you have any doubts, ask one of the many guards or observe how the Spaniards are taking pictures without any problems!

The palace was amazing! The rooms inside were amazing. You only get to see the upstairs and a few things downstairs, but I think that it was enough for one day. The gardens were very pretty and mostly well kept, some of the buildings were a bit run down but did not ruin the effect. There was an aviary full of small birds and a lot of peacocks around. The gift shop was pretty expensive but the guide book was worth it in my opinion if you like history or just like the palace and want to know more about it. It was a very enjoyable experience and easy to get to from Madrid.

A Madrid must see! Out of the three different palaces we did on our trip (Madrid, El Escorial, and Aranjuez) we thought that Aranjuez was the best experience. The rooms were beautiful and very unique to the other Spanish palaces we saw. The signs and audio tour were extremely informative. The gardens are massive! We spent about an hour in the gardens and didn't even see half of them. It's about a 40 minute ride on the Cercania train from central Madrid.