Best Time to Visit the Descalzas Reales

Morning visits: 10:00–11:30 Tuesday–Saturday

Open the doors at 10:00 on weekdays and you walk in at the start of the day. The rooms are quiet, the light is fresh, the guide is not yet tired. The queue at the ticket desk is short or nonexistent. The other visitors are people like you who planned ahead. This is the best time to visit. If you can only go once, pick a Tuesday or Wednesday morning, book your ticket in advance at tickets.patrimonionacional.es, and show up at 10:00. You will have thirty to sixty minutes mostly to yourself (or a small group) to look at the Rubens tapestries and the staircase fresco without fighting through a crowd.

Midday: 12:00–16:00 (avoid)

The Descalzas closes 14:00–16:00. This is the single most disruptive fact about visiting. Almost every visitor who shows up at 2:30 or 3:00 pm on a Saturday does not know about this closure and is annoyed. Do not do this. If you want an afternoon visit, you can only enter during the evening session, 16:00–18:30. And the evening session is not popular until summer, so early spring or autumn mornings are better.

Evening visits: 16:00–18:30 Tuesday–Saturday

The Descalzas reopens at 16:00 on weekdays. The evening slot is less crowded than morning on most days, and the light is different. But it is still light enough to see the frescoes and the paintings. The ticket desk closes at 17:30, so you need to enter by then. If you are already in Madrid in the afternoon and you have not done the monastery yet, the 16:00–17:30 slot is a good choice.

Sunday: 10:00–15:00 only (no afternoon reopening)

On Sunday, the Descalzas is open 10:00–15:00 with no midday closure. Last entry is 14:00. If you visit on a Sunday, come in the morning or early afternoon. There is no evening session.

The free Wednesday and Thursday afternoon (16:00–18:30): beautiful but crowded

Wednesdays and Thursdays, EU citizens and residents and Ibero-American citizens (proof required) get in free from 16:00 to 18:30. This is a popular window and it fills. If you qualify and you do not mind elbowing through a group of 50 people in the relicario, it is a way to save the €9. I have talked to visitors who tried it and found the crowd annoying. I have also talked to visitors who did it and loved the cash saving. Depends on your mood.

Best time of year

The Descalzas is open year-round. Spring (March–May) and autumn (October–November) are mild and pleasant. Summer (June–August) is hot but the monastery is indoors and cool. Winter (December–February) is cold outside but fine once you are inside. The busiest times are Easter week, summer school holidays, and the weeks after Christmas. The quietest times are January, early September, and late November. If you have flexibility, visit in January or early September and you will have a better day.

Pair it with the rest of your Madrid day

The Descalzas takes 60–90 minutes. Pair the morning visit with the Royal Palace or the Royal Collections Gallery, both about ten minutes' walk west. Or do the Descalzas in the morning and the Prado or Royal Collections after lunch. Read about the Habsburg circuit for more pairings.

Frequently asked questions