For many visitors the trip starts here, and it pays to look up. The current station is a neo-Mudéjar brick building with a clock tower, arches and tiles, built by the MZA railway company between 1922 and 1927. It is a cousin of Toledo station, in the same style and from the same years.
The railway reached Aranjuez much earlier: the line from Madrid opened on 9 February 1851, the second in mainland Spain. That is the journey the Strawberry Train recreates today.
From here to the Royal Palace is a pleasant 15 to 20-minute walk. With small children or in the heat, there are taxis outside.
What few people tell you
- Don't rush out: step into the hall and look up at the wooden ceiling and chandeliers. Most travellers walk straight past.
- The Madrid–Aranjuez line opened on 9 February 1851 and was the second in mainland Spain, after Barcelona–Mataró.
- At the Raso de la Estrella, just outside town, are the oldest railway remains in Spain, from that first line.
Sources and official links
- Renfe, Aranjuez station (Spanish)
- Aranjuez Town Council, Raso de la Estrella route (Spanish)
- Hispanopedia, Estación de Aranjuez
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