Madrid · Spain
Plaza de Oriente
A practical guide to Plaza de Oriente and the Sabatini Gardens in Madrid: the best time to photograph the Royal Palace, the statue of Philip IV, the stone kings and the local scams.
Worth it first thing, before you go into the palace. It's small, takes 25 minutes, and around 9:30 it has the best light in Madrid on the facade.
Plaza de Oriente is the ceremonial square that links the east facade of the Royal Palace with the Teatro Real. It has formal gardens, an equestrian statue of Philip IV in the center and twenty stone kings around it. Together with the Sabatini Gardens, north of the palace, it’s the only place in central Madrid where you can walk freely 200 meters from a working royal palace.
Our experience
We went three times. On Friday, May 22, just after arriving, we walked it after breakfast at Café de Oriente to see the outside of the palace. Saturday, May 23, was the real visit: at 9:25, before the 10:30 guided tour of the Royal Palace, with time for the statue, the kings and the photo of the north facade from Sabatini. We scheduled it then because our notes flagged the 9:30 light as the best for the east facade. On Monday, May 25, we came back to say goodbye, with breakfast at the café before the train to Valencia. It’s in our day 14.
A bit of history
This was once a cramped medieval neighborhood, with some sixty buildings, a church, a monastery and a royal library. Joseph Bonaparte, the king Napoleon imposed on Spain, had it torn down starting in 1809 to give the palace a square worthy of it. Madrileños nicknamed him Pepe Botella and Pepe Plazuelas. Isabella II finished the square, to a design by Narciso Pascual y Colomer, and the statue of Philip IV arrived in the center on November 17, 1843, from the gardens of the Buen Retiro.
The square also has a dark chapter. From the palace balcony that faces it, Franco addressed mass rallies between 1939 and 1975. The last was on October 1, 1975, seven weeks before his death. Around the corner, across the Plaza de la Armería, is Almudena Cathedral.
What to see, in order
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The statue of Philip IV
In the center. Velázquez made the drawings, Pietro Tacca cast it in Florence between 1634 and 1640, and Galileo worked out how to keep it standing: it was the first large-scale equestrian statue with the horse resting only on its hind legs. The back is solid, the front hollow, and the tail acts as a third support.
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The stone kings
Twenty statues of Visigothic kings and rulers of the first Christian kingdoms. They were carved between 1750 and 1753 for the palace cornice and taken down because of their weight. Read the names: Ataulf, Wamba, Pelayo, Ramiro I.
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The Royal Palace's east facade
From the central gardens you see all of it, 140 meters of stone, with the Almudena peeking out to the south.
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The Teatro Real
Madrid's opera house closes off the square to the east. Isabella II inaugurated it on November 19, 1850, her birthday.
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The Sabatini Gardens
North of the palace, along Calle Bailén. From the south end of the pool, looking north, you get the palace reflected in the water, with fewer people in the shot.
Tips we wish we’d known
Tips
- Don't hand your phone to a stranger to take your picture. If you want a photo together, ask another tourist couple.
- If a man with a camera or portable printer approaches you in front of the statue, say no before he shoots: afterward he charges €10–15.
- Clipboard petitions and the sprig of rosemary are known scams in this square. Don't stop.
- From the bench under the magnolia in the southwest corner you see the statue with the palace behind it and no railing in the way.
Do
- Photograph the east facade around 9:30, then head down to Sabatini for the north facade.
- Read at least two of the kings' names: almost nobody does.
- For a meal, walk a few blocks toward La Latina or the Barrio de las Letras.
Don’t
- Don't accept "skip-the-line" tours from guides with fake credentials in the Plaza de la Armería.
- Don't eat at the restaurants with picture menus in four languages between the square and the Teatro Real.
- Don't take taxi "tours" offered on Calle Bailén; use the official rank or an app.
Frequently asked questions
How much time do you need for Plaza de Oriente?
Between 20 and 30 minutes for the square. With the Sabatini Gardens, about 45.
What is the best time to photograph the Royal Palace from Plaza de Oriente?
Around 9:30, when the morning sun hits the east facade head-on.
Who made the statue of Philip IV?
Pietro Tacca cast it in Florence from drawings by Velázquez, and Galileo did the calculations so it could stand on its hind legs.
Are Plaza de Oriente and the Sabatini Gardens free?
Yes. Both are free public spaces.