Aranjuez, the easy day trip from Madrid

Whether you live in Madrid or you’re visiting, Aranjuez is probably the easiest, most rewarding day trip around. Here’s why, without the fluff.

Why Aranjuez

• It’s close. About 45 minutes on the C-3 commuter train from Atocha, with trains every half hour at weekends. No car, no booking, no high-speed train.
• Much of it is free. The three historic gardens (the Parterre, the Island and the Prince’s Garden) cost nothing and open every day. The palace is €9 and includes the Royal Barge Museum.
• It’s World Heritage. UNESCO has protected the whole landscape since 2001: river, gardens, orchards, palace and town.
• It’s flat and walkable. Perfect with children, pushchairs or older travellers.
• There’s room. The gardens are vast. Even on busy days you’ll find nearly empty avenues.

What kind of trip it is

Aranjuez isn’t a city of crowded monuments like Toledo or Segovia. It’s a landscape: water, centuries-old trees, fountains and a palace in the middle. You enjoy it by strolling, unhurried, and it changes with the seasons: flowers and strawberries in spring, shade and river in summer, colour in autumn.

If you’re after…

• A first visit without a car: Aranjuez in a day.
• A day with children: Aranjuez with children.
• A trip with a night away: A royal weekend, with Chinchón on day two.
• Autumn photos: Aranjuez in autumn.
• Something different: the Strawberry Train, a vintage train from Madrid in spring and autumn.

When not to go

The palace closes on Mondays (the gardens don’t). In July and August the midday heat is fierce: go early. And if you want peace and quiet, avoid the first week of September, when the Mutiny Festival fills the town (though it’s worth seeing in its own right).

Last reviewed: 17 October 2026