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Madrid allows free entry to 24 palaces normally closed to the public
The Community of Madrid is once again opening the doors this autumn to 24 historic palaces, many of them usually closed to the public because they operate as embassies, institutions, academies or official headquarters. The visits are part of the 13th edition of ¡Bienvenidos a Palacio! and will take place between 11 September and 1 December.
The programme makes it possible to visit, free of charge, grand rooms, gardens, libraries, monumental courtyards, art collections and old music and dance halls accompanied by heritage specialists. The venues include names such as the Palacio de Liria, Buenavista, Fernán Núñez, Santoña, Zurbano and the Castillo-Palacio de Aldovea.
This year, two buildings are joining for the first time. One is the Palacio de Goyeneche, now home to the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. The other is the Palacio de Uceda, also known as the Palacio de los Consejos, which enters the programme alongside the commemoration of five centuries of the Consejo de Estado.
The major difference from the initial announcement is that, as things stand today, it can no longer simply be described as “booking a visit”. The nearly 8,000 places available sold out on 2 September in just one hour and 45 minutes, after the booking centre opened at 10:00.
Demand was particularly swift for some of the best-known buildings. By 10:44, there were no places left for eleven palaces, including Liria, Uceda, Goyeneche, Buenavista, Santoña and Parque Florido. By 11:45, the whole programme was already listed as unavailable.
Those who missed out can still join the waiting list set up by the organisers. That is now the useful way to try to gain access if cancellations occur, rather than presenting the programme as though it still had thousands of places free.
The dates vary by building. Fernán Núñez, for example, will have visits from mid-September, while other palaces concentrate their sessions in October or November. The Palacio del Duque de Abrantes will have sessions on 24 and 29 September and on several days in October; Buenavista will spread its visits across September, October, November and 1 December.
The programme began thirteen editions ago and has already enabled more than 103,000 people to enter this heritage. In 2026, it expands its offering to 24 buildings and nearly 8,000 places, but the speed at which they have sold out once again shows that getting into some of these interiors for free remains one of Madrid’s most sought-after heritage activities.