کاخ آزادی

I do not understand the hype of others. This is a nice place but far from being exquisite - it may also be due to the fact that the palace was reconstructed after the civil war.
I had to take a guided tour to visit this museum. It was okay, a lot of facts were given. It was interesting to learn how much Spanish aristocracy was entangled with the French invaders at the time and Eugenia even married Napoleon III. The palace itself was reconstructed because during the Civil War it was burnt down. The exhibitions and the rooms are nice, somehow it lacks surprise. Personally, I dislike guided tours, as they disturb one's rhythm. So, this might have clouded my reception of the palace - the guide was friendly and all.
In contemporary exhibition about fashion (La Moda) there are a few more rooms displaying paintings and then the original clothes.
An expensive experience. This palace is not on top of my must-sees of Madrid (rather go to the Sorolla museum).

What an absolute gem this palace is.

You have a multilingual guide, and an audio guide for the 65 minute tour of this magnificent property.

The rooms are exquisite and full of treasures and history. The ceilings and chandeliers are fantastic.

You cannot take photos inside the buildings.

There are about 12 people to a group.

Although this palace is not well known, it should be on everyone's bucket list if visiting Madrid.

There is a tube station right across the road from it, or it is a short walk from Callao.

Visited today. Snobbish and cold tour of the Duke of Alba palace fire bombed by Franco during the war and curiously rescued by communists who helped save the art collection. Our guide was stiff and unwelcoming….pausing to point at artwork and then “follow me”… 65 minutes later we escaped. Some interesting works but it came off as aristocratic hoarding. Pretentious…Guess the revenue pays for maintenance and insurance. Family lives there. No pictures!

So boring. 65 minutes of torture. The tour is with headphones giving you an audio description of paintings of dead aristocracy and tapestries as you are led slowly through various stuffy overheated rooms by a guy whose job it is to point at things. Such unnecessary excess which tries to pass as opulence . Eat the rich, I say

AMAZING TOUR!
The palace is amazing and it's kind of like a half guided tour, half audio guided tour ... with music coming from the headphones and information from the tour guide, it's quite an experience.

Please note: photography and videography is strictly forbidden, you're urged to lock away your phones before the tour starts and if you do try, there are security around the palace to reprimand you and tell you to stop (or they kick you out).

But definitely worth it, book in advance and get there early because the tour starts promptly.