Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real)

The biggest palace in Western Europe by room count: 3,418 rooms, though only about 50 are open to visitors. The Bourbons built it after the old Alcazar burned down on Christmas Eve 1734, and they went spectacularly over budget. The result is a palace that took 26 years to complete, with interiors that range from Rococo excess to neoclassical restraint depending on which monarch was decorating at the time.

The Throne Room is the showpiece: a Tiepolo ceiling fresco depicting the glory of the Spanish monarchy, walls lined with crimson velvet, and the thrones themselves (still used for formal occasions, though the royal family lives at the Zarzuela Palace outside the city). The Gasparini Room is a Rococo fantasy of stucco, silk, and gilded everything. The Royal Chapel has a dome painted by Corrado Giaquinto.

The Royal Armoury is housed in a separate building in the courtyard and is the highlight for most visitors, especially families. Full suits of jousting armour that belonged to Charles V, swords from the Reconquista, a tiny armour set made for a child prince, and weapons from centuries of Spanish military history. The armoury alone justifies the visit price.

The Royal Pharmacy, overlooked by most visitors, has original 18th-century ceramic medicine jars in wooden cabinets and distillation equipment used to make remedies for the royal household. Entry EUR13, free for EU citizens in the last two hours before closing. The changing of the guard on the first Wednesday of each month (noon, October through June) is a full ceremony worth timing your visit around.