Palacio and Ópera, Madrid
Photo: Jorge Franganillo / Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Neighbourhood guide

Palacio and Ópera

Royal Palace, cathedral and the Habsburg streets

Palacio and Ópera is the western end of the old centre, around the Royal Palace, the Almudena Cathedral and the Teatro Real. Plaza de la Villa and the streets of the Habsburg-era city sit just east of them.

The Royal Palace was the royal residence from Charles III to Alfonso XIII. The Almudena Cathedral next door is free to enter, with a 1 euro donation requested, and is open every day from 10:00. The Sabatini Gardens are free and open every day. The Campo del Moro gardens are free and open every day except 25 December, 1 January and 1 May.

The Teatro Real opened in 1850 and offers tours, with a guided one at 13 euros. On Plaza de la Villa, the Torre de los Lujanes dates from the second half of the 15th century, and the tourism board calls it the oldest civil building in Madrid. The Madrid Muslim Wall, from between 850 and 866, is the city's first wall.

La Bola has served cocido since 1870 and Casa Ciriaco on Calle Mayor has run its kitchen all day since 1923. Café de Oriente sits in the vaulted basements of a 17th-century convent.

Getting there

Ópera (L2, L5, R) is the Metro stop the tourism board lists for the Royal Palace, the Almudena Cathedral and the Teatro Real.

28 places
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What to see

Start at the Royal Palace and the Almudena Cathedral, then drop through the Sabatini Gardens. The Royal Monastery of the Incarnation is open Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 18:30 and costs 9 euros, with free entry on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.

Where to eat and drink

Café del Real has a terrace on Plaza de la Ópera. Pastelería El Riojano on Calle Mayor opened in 1855 and keeps its original look.

Nearby neighbourhoods

La Latina, Madrid La Latina Sunday market and tapas 21 places · under 1 km away Sol and Centro, Madrid Sol and Centro Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol and Gran Vía 41 places · under 1 km away Huertas and Barrio de las Letras, Madrid Huertas and Barrio de las Letras Cervantes, Lope and flamenco 19 places · 1.2 km away Malasaña, Madrid Malasaña Movida bars and old churrerías 15 places · 1.2 km away

The best of Palacio and Ópera

Campo del Moro Gardens
Best garden Campo del Moro Gardens Free, with three entrances.
Best view Cornisa Viewpoint at the Royal Palace Free, open 10:00 to 20:00 from October to March.
Best old tavern La Bola Founded in 1870 and known for cocido.

Things to do in Palacio and Ópera

The Casa de la Villa old town hall with its twin towers
Landmark · Free Casa de la Villa A sober building on Plaza de la Villa, a site halfway between the Guadalajara and Vega gates of medieval Madrid.
A section of the old Muslim wall of Madrid above a grass slope
Landmark · Free Madrid Muslim Wall Remains of the first wall of Madrid, built under the emir Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman between 850 and 866 and reinforced in the 10th century by caliph Abd al-Rahman III.
Plaza de la Villa with a statue and flower beds in front of the Casa de Cisneros
Landmark · Free Plaza de la Villa One of the best-preserved monumental groups in Madrid, in the old centre near Puerta del Sol and long the seat of the city council. It was a main core of medieval Madrid.
The upper facade of the Royal Palace of Madrid against a deep blue sky
Landmark · €€ Royal Palace of Madrid The royal residence from Charles III to Alfonso XIII, on Calle de Bailén.
The stone arches of the Segovia Bridge with the Almudena Cathedral behind
Landmark · Free Segovia Bridge The oldest bridge in Madrid, a listed cultural asset since 1996. It carried the road to Segovia over the Manzanares, with construction starting in 1574 under a decree of Philip II.
Landmark · Free Senate Palace The seat of Spain's Senate on Calle de Bailén next to Plaza de España. The building was an Augustinian convent before it became the Senate palace in 1835.
The Teatro Real facade across Plaza de Oriente with red flower beds
Landmark · €€ Teatro Real Madrid's opera house on Plaza de Isabel II, designed by Antonio López Aguado and opened in 1850. It offers guided and audioguide tours as well as performances.
The Torre de los Lujanes beside the Casa de los Lujanes
Landmark · Free Torre de los Lujanes A tower and mansion in Mudéjar style on Plaza de la Villa, built in the second half of the 15th century. The tourism board calls it the oldest civil building in Madrid.
Almudena Cathedral at sunset seen from the square beside the Royal Palace
Church · Free Almudena Cathedral Madrid's cathedral on Calle de Bailén, with a short but intense history. The first plans were drawn in 1879 by Francisco de Cubas as a pantheon for Queen Mercedes.
Church · € Royal Monastery of the Incarnation A convent founded in 1611 by Queen Margaret, wife of Philip III, for Augustinian Recollect nuns. It holds the relic of Saint Pantaleon.
The curved baroque facade of the San Miguel Basilica
Church · Free San Miguel Basilica A small basilica in the Madrid of the Habsburgs, one of the key buildings of Spanish Baroque for its convex facade.
The brick towers of San Nicolás de los Servitas against blue sky
Church · Free San Nicolás de los Servitas Church A church in the Madrid of the Habsburgs, a national monument since 1947 for its 12th-century Mudéjar tower. The tourism board calls it the oldest construction in the city after the old Santa María de la Almudena was demolished.
Viewpoint · Free Cornisa Viewpoint at the Royal Palace A viewpoint on Plaza de la Armería between the Royal Palace and the Almudena Cathedral, looking over the Campo del Moro gardens and the Casa de Campo.
A long lawn and flowering trees in the Campo del Moro Gardens with the Royal Palace beyond
Park · Free Campo del Moro Gardens The historic gardens below the Royal Palace, created under Philip II. They have three entrances, from Paseo de la Virgen del Puerto, Cuesta de la Vega and Cuesta de San Vicente.
Clipped hedges in the Plaza de Oriente Gardens with the Royal Palace behind
Park · Free Plaza de Oriente Gardens Gardens of 1.6 hectares in front of the Royal Palace. Joseph Bonaparte started them to set off the palace and the Teatro Real.
The pond and clipped hedges of the Sabatini Gardens with the Royal Palace behind
Park · Free Sabatini Gardens Classical-style gardens created in the 1930s on the site of the stables Sabatini built for the Royal Palace, facing its north facade.
Market · € Mercado de los Mostenses One of the older markets of the city, on Plaza de los Mostenses, opened in 1946. Its mix of cultures shows in the food it sells.
Shopping · € Antigua Casa Talavera A ceramics shop opened in 1904 on Calle de Isabel la Católica. It stocks Spanish ceramics from Talavera, Toledo, Alcora, Seville and Puente del Arzobispo, among others.
Shopping · €€€ Felipe Conde Guitars A guitar workshop on Calle de Arrieta whose line goes back to the luthier Domingo Esteso, who opened his own workshop in 1915 and taught his nephews Faustino, Mariano and Julio Conde.
Food · €€€ Casa Ciriaco A tavern on Calle Mayor that has been part of the city since the late 19th century, when it was called Casa Baliñas. The brothers Pablo and Ciriaco Muñoz Sanz took it over in 1923 and gave it its present name.
Food · €€€ La Bola A tavern near the Royal Palace and the Teatro Real, founded in 1870 by Cándida Santos from Asturias. It serves cocido madrileño cooked in the traditional way.
Cafe · €€ Café de los Austrias A cafe on Plaza de Ramales in the Madrid of the Habsburgs, a short walk from the Royal Palace, the Teatro Real and the Almudena Cathedral.
Cafe · €€€ Café de Oriente A cafe and restaurant on Plaza de Oriente opened in 1983 in the vaulted basements of the 17th-century former San Gil convent.
Cafe · €€ Café del Real A cafe next to the Teatro Real with a terrace on Plaza de la Ópera and a small indoor room. It serves breakfast, coffee, drinks and pizza.
Cafe · €€ Pastelería El Riojano A pastry shop on Calle Mayor founded in 1855 by Dámaso Maza, known as El Riojano, the personal pastry cook of Queen Maria Cristina of Habsburg. Its original decoration is almost intact.
Nightlife · €€€ Corral de la Morería One of the oldest flamenco venues in the city, open since 1956 on Calle de la Morería. Dinner and show or the show alone is offered.
Nightlife · €€ La Riviera A large concert hall and club on the Manzanares in Madrid Río with more than fifty years behind it. It also works as a multi-purpose venue.
Nightlife · €€€ Tablao de la Villa A flamenco venue on Calle de Torija in the premises of the former Café de Chinitas, which closed in 2021. The show follows a traditional line.

What's on in Palacio and Ópera

Local events in the next 30 days, read from the ward, park and organiser pages each one links to.

    Show 5 events nearby, outside Palacio and Ópera

    • Italian reading circle: Il viaggio Activities

      Tue 10 Nov · Italian Cultural Institute of Madrid, Palacio

      Public talk, workshop or visit at Italian Cultural Institute of Madrid.

      Map · Source: Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Madrid (Ministero degli Affari Esteri) · Il Circolo dei Lettori | Tertulias italiane - “Il viaggio”

    • Cuochi a Palazzo cooking lesson Activities

      Sat 14 Nov · Italian Cultural Institute of Madrid, Palacio

      Public talk, workshop or visit at Italian Cultural Institute of Madrid.

      €35 per lesson · Map · Source: Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Madrid (Ministero degli Affari Esteri) · CUOCHI A PALAZZO 2026

    • Exhibition: Grand Tour, archetypes of Italian ceramics Exhibition

      On now, until 14 Nov · Italian Cultural Institute of Madrid, Palacio

      Exhibition at Italian Cultural Institute of Madrid.

      Map · Source: Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Madrid (Ministero degli Affari Esteri) · Esposizione “Gran Tour. Archetipi della ceramica italiana”

    • Exhibition: The Great Ceramic Work Exhibition

      On now, until 14 Nov · Italian Cultural Institute of Madrid, Palacio

      Exhibition at Italian Cultural Institute of Madrid.

      Map · Source: Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Madrid (Ministero degli Affari Esteri) · Mostra “La Grande Opera Ceramica”, a cura di Enzo Biffi

    • The Culture of Listening: meeting on charity work in Madrid prisons Activities

      18 to 26 Nov · Italian Cultural Institute of Madrid, Palacio

      Public talk, workshop or visit at Italian Cultural Institute of Madrid.

      Map · Source: Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Madrid (Ministero degli Affari Esteri) · “LA CULTURA DELL’ASCOLTO” | Incontro: L’esperienza

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