# Sunday in Aranjuez: Palace, Gardens and a Boat on the Tagus

The palace with a guide at 10:30, the Isla and Príncipe gardens, a market-garden lunch and a boat trip on the Tagus. You can arrive by Cercanías from Atocha.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/aranjuez/itineraries/aranjuez-palace-gardens-and-tagus-boat-trip · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 09:15 · Salida: 45 min by car (via the A-4 and the M-305, about 45 min)
- 10:30 · Royal Palace of Aranjuez (1 h guided tour · €17) · Patrimonio Nacional, From €17 per person
  - 7 min on foot
- 12:00 · The Island Garden and the Parterre (1 h walk through the Parterre and the Isla)
  - 15 min on foot
- 14:00 · Casa José (market-garden cooking · €€€ · booking required) · Casa José, €€€
  - 15 min on foot
- 16:30 · Boat Trip on the Tagus on El Curiosity (45 min · from €9.99) · El Curiosity, From €9.99 per person
  - 4 min by car, 1,7 km
- 17:30 · The Prince's Garden (walk to the royal landing stage)
- 18:30 · Vuelta (You reach Madrid around 19:15)

Aranjuez is a long, flat Sunday: a palace in the morning, gardens that never end and the Tagus. This plan puts the guided visit at the start, when you are freshest, and the boat at the end, when the children no longer want to walk.

## The Day, Hour by Hour

9:15 · Departure. From Madrid, about 45 minutes along the A-4 and M-305. Park on arrival and do not move the car.

10:30 · Royal Palace. On Saturdays and Sundays there is a guided visit at 10:30 and 12:30, lasting an hour, for €17 (€12 reduced). Arrive at the ticket office ten minutes before. If you prefer to go on your own, admission costs €9.

12:00 · Parterre and Isla gardens. From the palace you cross to the Parterre, in the French style, and from there to the Isla, Philip II's Renaissance garden surrounded by the Tagus, with marble fountains and the Castañuelas waterfall. Free.

14:00 · Lunch at Casa José. On Calle Abastos, with cooking from the Aranjuez market gardens and a tasting menu. On Sundays it serves lunch from 13:30 to 16:30. Book.

16:30 · Boat on the Tagus. The Curiosity leaves at 16:30 from the landing stage of the Canoeing Club, next to the Matilde restaurant: 45 minutes, covered, with a guide, from €9.99. Buy tickets on its website.

17:30 · Príncipe garden. A stroll to the royal landing stage of Ferdinand VI and the Chinescos. If you have energy left, the Museo de Falúas is next door.

18:30 · Return.

## Free in the Afternoon

On Wednesdays and Sundays from 15:00 the palace is free for EU and Latin American citizens and residents, with a ticket from the ticket office. If you want to take advantage of it, change the order: gardens and boat in the morning, palace after lunch.

## With Children

It is the easiest plan near Madrid with children: all flat, with pushchairs, shade and a boat. Under-5s do not pay at the palace. For the Príncipe garden, which is very long, the Chiquitrén saves legs.

## Cómo llegar

### By car
A-4 and M-305, about 45 minutes.

### Without a car
Cercanías C-3 from Atocha to Aranjuez station, 15 minutes' walk from the palace. The landing stage is about 10 minutes further.

## Consejos

### Palace before gardens
With the guided visit early you avoid the midday queues.

### Buy the boat ticket in advance
On Sundays with good weather the first departures fill up.

### In spring, strawberries
It is their season and the reason for the Strawberry Train.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take from Madrid?
About 45 minutes by car or on the C-3 Cercanías.

### Do you pay for the gardens?
No, they are free. You pay for the palace, the Casa del Labrador and the Museo de Falúas.

### Is the palace open on Sundays?
Yes, from 10:00 to 18:00 in winter and until 19:00 from April to September. It closes on Mondays.

### Where do you catch the boat?
At the landing stage of the Club Escuela de Piragüismo, next to the Matilde restaurant, at the entrance by the Madrid road.