Descalzas Reales Monastery

On an itinerary of the places of kings and nobles in Madrid you cannot miss the Monastero de las Descalzas Reales (Descalzas Reales Monastery), a treasure hidden behind an austere Plateresque façade in the tourist heart of Madrid. Passing in front of the palace, it is difficult to guess the wealth of what is hidden inside, a heritage of paintings, tapestries and sacred images of inestimable value.

This palace was originally the home of Kings Charles I and Isabella of Aviz and the birthplace of their daughter Joanna, who would later convert the palace into a convent and never leave it: her body is in fact buried inside the monastery, in a chapel decorated with a funerary sculpture by the artist Pompeo Leoni.

But who are the Descalzas Reales (Royal Steps)? They are a group of 17th-century noblewomen who chose to retire to this convent following the example of Doña Juana, bringing with them a rich trousseau, thanks to which we can admire so many works of art today. Among the noble guests of this monastery were Joan of Habsburg and her sister Maria, who died here in 1603.

Visit the Descalzas Reales Monastery

It is only possible to visit the Descalzas Reales Monastery by means of a guided tour, currently only available in Spanish, but it is worth paying the ticket because there are so many wonders awaiting visitors to the Monastery of the Descalzas Reales.

Already at the entrance you will be stunned by the magnificent Renaissance staircase leading to the upper cloister. Look up to admire the vaulted ceiling frescoed by Claudio Coello, an important 17th century Spanish artist who also worked on the decorations of the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial.

During your visit you can enter many of the 33 chapels inside the monastery, whose total number is perhaps a reference to the age when Christ died. The interior of the building was renovated in the 18th century, but the cloistered part still retains the structure and many decorative elements of the original Plateresque building.

The highlight of the monastery’s artistic heritage is an extraordinary collection of tapestries woven in Brussels in the 17th century to designs by Rubens, of such quality that it took four craftsmen a year to produce a single square metre of tapestry. The tapestries were commissioned for the monastery by the Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia, Governor of the Netherlands and daughter of Philip II.

Entrance tickets for the Descalzas Reales Monastery

It is only possible to visit the Monastery with a guided tour, Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6.30 p.m., Sundays and public holidays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The last admission is one hour before closing time. Free admission on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 6.30 p.m. (last admission at 5.30 p.m.).

How to get to the Descalzas Reales Monastery

It is easy to think that a place like this is located outside the city, perhaps in the hills. Instead, it is the exact opposite: the Monastero de las Descalzas Reales is located in the city centre, right behind the El Corte Inglès Callao and El Corte Ingles Preciados shopping centres, sacred and profane side by side. It overlooks Plaza Descalzas, a small square in the centre of Madrid halfway between Gran Via and Puerta del Sol.

If you arrive there from outside the centre, the most convenient metro stops to reach it are Callao to the north and Sol to the south. In both cases, once you get off you only have to walk less than 5 minutes and you will be at the front door.