Palacio de La Granja

The Palacio de La Granja is one of the most beautiful and well-known palaces in Spain. It was built in the 18th century by King Philip V, who wanted to create his summer residence and a place of rest here. The palace is inspired by the French style and has over 1400 rooms, where you can admire the rich furnishings, furniture, paintings, sculptures, clocks, porcelain, and other works of art. Around the palace, there are beautiful gardens, adorned with over 20 fountains, which depict scenes from Greek and Roman mythology. In the gardens, there is also a labyrinth, a lake, waterfalls, and pavilions. The palace and gardens are often the venue for concerts, performances, and other cultural events.




The Palacio de La Granja is located in the town of Real Sitio de San Ildefonso, about 13 kilometers from Segovia. Its name comes from the old granja, or farm, which belonged to the order of Jerónimos from Segovia. In 1719, King Philip V bought this farm and decided to build a palace there, modeled on Versailles, where he spent his childhood.




The king was so fascinated by this place that he abdicated the throne in favor of his son Louis I, to devote himself to the construction and decoration of the palace. However, after the death of Louis I, Philip V had to take power again and continued his work on the palace. In 1724, the palace was completed and became the favorite residence of Philip V and his second wife, Elizabeth Farnese.




The Palacio de La Granja is divided into three parts: the proper palace, the queen’s palace, and the infants’ palace. In the proper palace, there are the most important rooms, such as the throne room, the ambassadors’ room, the audience room, the ballroom, the royal chapel, and the royal apartments.




In the queen’s palace, there are rooms dedicated to Elizabeth Farnese, such as the portrait room, the tapestry room, the mirror room, and the music room. In the infants’ palace, there are rooms dedicated to the children of Philip V, such as the playroom, the games room, the map room, and the porcelain room. In the palace, you can also visit the tapestry museum, which contains over 600 valuable fabrics from different eras and countries.

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