Royal Palace of Madrid

With 3,418 rooms and more than 135,000 square metres of floor space, the Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real de Madrid) is the largest palace in Western Europe. It remains the official residence of the Spanish royal family and is used mainly for state ceremonies. Its late Baroque façade of grey granite and white limestone faces the Plaza de la Armería, with the Sabatini Gardens to the north and the Campo del Moro gardens to the west.

Inside, the Main Staircase, Throne Room, State Dining Room, Rococo Gasparini Room, Royal Chapel and Royal Pharmacy are finished in fine materials. They are decorated with frescoes by Tiepolo, Giaquinto and Mengs and paintings by Caravaggio, Velázquez and Goya. The Royal Armoury holds one of the largest collections of arms and armour. The palace also keeps porcelain, watches, silverware and the world's only complete Stradivarius string quintet.

The palace was built between 1738 and 1755 for the Bourbon dynasty, to a design by Filippo Juvarra and Giovanni Battista Marchetti. It stands on the site of the Royal Alcázar, which burned down in 1734.