Lush Aranjuez is a rare oasis of green in the sun-baked Castillian plain. There’s another extravagant Bourbon palace, a favourite Royal retreat in summer, but Aranjuez is most famous for the exquisite gardens which stretch for miles and miles, as well as a fascinating Royal barge museum. The local specialities are strawberries and asparagus; if you arrive on the Tren de la Fresa ‘Strawberry Train’ (see below), they’ll serve you plump local strawberries on the way. Buses take an hour and leave every 30 mins with Autominibus Urbanos from Estación Sur de Autobuses (Metro Méndez Alvaro). Trains take 45 mins and leave every 10 mins from Atocha station. Local buses leave from the station into town; to walk, turn right out of the station and left on the main road. Tren de la Fresa goes to Aranjuez from Atocha station on summer weekends late Apr until mid-Oct. Palacio de Aranjuez T 91 891 13 44. Oct-Mar 1000-1715, Apr-Sep 1000-1815. €4.81/3.91. Free to EU passport holders on Wed. Indolent royals looking for a retreat from the burning heat of Madrid built themselves an impressive palace in the late 16th century and surrounded it with spectacular gardens which are still justly famed throughout Spain (see below). The palace will hold no surprises for anyone who has seen the Palacio Real in Madrid, or the other royal palaces in San Lorenzo or Riofrío, but it’s still worth a visit. The guided tour runs through one gilded salon after another, all dripping with gold flounces and crystal chandeliers. The most over-the-top room bulging with ornamentation is Isabel II’s dazzling golden bedroom. Jardines de la Isla and the Parterre and Jardines del Príncipe Jardines de la Isla and Parterre are behind the Palacio de Aranjuez; the entrance to the Jardines del Príncipe is on C de la Reina. Oct-Mar 0800-1830, Apr-Sep 0800-2030. Free. The main attraction of Aranjuez is undoubtedly its remarkable gardens. Behind the palace is the formal, manicured expanse of the Jardines de la Isla and the Parterre, which combine elements of Italian, French, Dutch and Islamic garden design. The most extensive gardens are the cool and shady Jardines del Princípe, which stretch along the riverbank (cross the Parterre and go over the roundabout to find them). These beautiful gardens are filled with trees, walkways, ponds and perfumed rose gardens where you can escape the heat in summer for several blissful hours. At the furthest end of the gardens is the delightful little Casa del Labrador, T 91 891 03 05, a pretty pink mini-palace. Close to the river is the Museo de Faluas Reales (Royal barge museum), T 91 891 24 53, where you can gawp at the gilded ship used to transport languid Royals downriver. You can only visit the palace and museum on a guided tour. Book well in advance.
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