WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.520 Welcome to the Travel Podcast by Excursion Pass. 00:00:02.859 --> 00:00:06.160 I am so excited for this one. In today's deep 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:09.000 dive, we are heading straight to Spain. Oh yeah, 00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:12.019 we are taking a really close look at the Madrid 00:00:12.019 --> 00:00:15.460 Royal Palace guided tour, specifically with those 00:00:15.460 --> 00:00:18.019 skip the line tickets. Right, and you know, this 00:00:18.019 --> 00:00:21.379 ticket usually runs about 35 to 37 euros. But 00:00:21.379 --> 00:00:22.920 before we get into the history, I just want to 00:00:22.920 --> 00:00:25.679 set the scene. Imagine you pay for this premium 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:28.699 skip -the -line ticket to Europe's most opulent 00:00:28.699 --> 00:00:31.339 palace. Oh, here we go. No, seriously. You get 00:00:31.339 --> 00:00:33.240 your instructions, and you realize your tour 00:00:33.240 --> 00:00:35.039 group isn't meeting at the Grand Iron Gates. 00:00:35.899 --> 00:00:38.600 Instead, it tells you to navigate three blocks 00:00:38.600 --> 00:00:41.859 away and meet inside a souvenir shop. Like right 00:00:41.859 --> 00:00:44.100 next to the plastic magnets and postcards. Well, 00:00:44.200 --> 00:00:45.899 I don't really have to imagine it considering 00:00:45.899 --> 00:00:47.759 I was standing right next to you on the pavement. 00:00:47.799 --> 00:00:49.340 I was holding your backpack while you frantically 00:00:49.340 --> 00:00:50.979 checked your phone. I thought we got scammed. 00:00:51.159 --> 00:00:52.920 You were convinced we were scammed. You were 00:00:52.920 --> 00:00:55.219 having a minor meltdown right there on Caledon 00:00:55.219 --> 00:00:57.979 Carlos III. Okay, yes, I was having a meltdown. 00:00:58.100 --> 00:01:00.859 I mean, it goes against every single travel instinct 00:01:00.859 --> 00:01:03.820 you have, right? And that is exactly why we are 00:01:03.820 --> 00:01:06.879 unpacking this whole experience today. Because 00:01:06.879 --> 00:01:09.299 we have actually lived this tour. We really did. 00:01:09.340 --> 00:01:11.719 We walked those massive... of echoing halls together. 00:01:12.060 --> 00:01:15.980 And today, we are downloading every vivid detail 00:01:15.980 --> 00:01:19.819 and every minor argument we had along the way 00:01:19.819 --> 00:01:22.459 directly to you. We want to anticipate all those 00:01:22.459 --> 00:01:24.359 little doubts you might be having before you 00:01:24.359 --> 00:01:26.760 drop your money on this specific ticket. Exactly. 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:29.719 Our main mission today is to figure out if this 00:01:29.719 --> 00:01:32.879 tour actually turns a massive, overwhelming 3 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:37.359 ,418 -room palace into something readable. Readable. 00:01:37.459 --> 00:01:38.959 I love that word for this. Plus, we're going 00:01:38.959 --> 00:01:40.579 to share the insider... tips that will absolutely 00:01:40.579 --> 00:01:42.959 make or break your day in Madrid. It really is 00:01:42.959 --> 00:01:44.700 about making it readable, though, because the 00:01:44.700 --> 00:01:46.719 difference between just wandering aimlessly through 00:01:46.719 --> 00:01:49.879 gilded rooms and actually having a curated, contextualized 00:01:49.879 --> 00:01:52.739 experience is staggering, especially with a building 00:01:52.739 --> 00:01:55.340 of this insane magnitude. Totally. But before 00:01:55.340 --> 00:01:57.060 we even get to the gold and the marble, we have 00:01:57.060 --> 00:01:59.120 to talk about that souvenir shop meeting point. 00:01:59.260 --> 00:02:03.079 Right. Madrid souvenirs. Number one on Cali de 00:02:03.079 --> 00:02:05.959 Carlos III. Put yourself in the shoes of a traveler 00:02:05.959 --> 00:02:08.939 for a second. You are jet -lagged. The morning 00:02:08.939 --> 00:02:11.719 Madrid sun is already aggressively hot. And instead 00:02:11.719 --> 00:02:14.300 of walking toward this giant, unmissable palace, 00:02:14.539 --> 00:02:16.879 you are wandering down a side street. Looking 00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:19.439 for a gift shop. Looking for a gift shop. It 00:02:19.439 --> 00:02:22.280 genuinely feels like trying to find your friends 00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:24.639 at a massive music festival and being told to 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:27.639 meet, like, by the food tents. It's entirely 00:02:27.639 --> 00:02:31.159 counterintuitive. Why pay for a palace tour that 00:02:31.159 --> 00:02:33.960 starts with keychains? Because it is, quite frankly, 00:02:34.060 --> 00:02:36.719 a stroke of logistical genius by the tour provider. 00:02:36.939 --> 00:02:38.979 I know you were super annoyed at the time, but 00:02:38.979 --> 00:02:41.620 think about the alternative. The crowds. Yes. 00:02:41.740 --> 00:02:44.800 The Royal Palace of Madrid is the largest inhabited 00:02:44.800 --> 00:02:47.840 palace in Europe. The sheer volume of humanity 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:50.180 outside those main gates on any given morning 00:02:50.180 --> 00:02:52.819 is terrifying. Oh, it's a sea of umbrellas, selfie 00:02:52.819 --> 00:02:54.500 sticks, and people shouting in eight different 00:02:54.500 --> 00:02:56.979 languages. Exactly. You have hundreds of people, 00:02:57.120 --> 00:03:00.240 dozens of competing tour companies, massive school 00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:03.280 groups. Ugh, the school groups. And independent 00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:06.379 travelers all bottlenecked at the same iron gates. 00:03:07.159 --> 00:03:09.919 Trying to gather 30 tourists who have never met 00:03:09.919 --> 00:03:12.039 each other in the middle of that physical chaos 00:03:12.039 --> 00:03:16.400 is an operational nightmare. By moving the meeting 00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:19.159 point just slightly off -site to Madrid Souvenirs 00:03:19.159 --> 00:03:21.939 and having you look for a guide holding a very 00:03:21.939 --> 00:03:25.360 specific golden sign, they create a controlled 00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:27.659 environment. Right. And the instructions from 00:03:27.659 --> 00:03:29.900 the excursion pass platform were actually really 00:03:29.900 --> 00:03:32.039 explicit. They said, do not go to the palace 00:03:32.039 --> 00:03:35.620 directly and arrive 15 minutes early. Which ensures 00:03:35.620 --> 00:03:38.199 the group is organized and accounted for before 00:03:38.199 --> 00:03:40.759 you even approach the madness of the main entrance. 00:03:41.060 --> 00:03:42.680 OK, I'll admit standing in the air conditioned 00:03:42.680 --> 00:03:46.439 shop was nice. But I still have to push back 00:03:46.439 --> 00:03:48.879 a bit here. We saw people just walking right 00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:51.240 up to the general admission line. Why can't I 00:03:51.240 --> 00:03:53.580 just be spontaneous? Why do I need to drop almost 00:03:53.580 --> 00:03:56.639 40 euros and coordinate with a group when I could 00:03:56.639 --> 00:03:59.300 just buy a standard ticket at the door? I can 00:03:59.300 --> 00:04:01.479 just read Wikipedia on my phone while I walk 00:04:01.479 --> 00:04:04.110 around. Because spontaneity at Europe's biggest 00:04:04.110 --> 00:04:07.150 palace during peak tourist season is just another 00:04:07.150 --> 00:04:09.530 word for standing on hot paving stones for two 00:04:09.530 --> 00:04:12.129 hours. Two hours. Wait, really? Oh, absolutely. 00:04:12.310 --> 00:04:15.729 The general admission queues are brutal. The 00:04:15.729 --> 00:04:17.850 skip the line feature of this ticket isn't just 00:04:17.850 --> 00:04:21.350 a fun perk. It is the entire foundation of having 00:04:21.350 --> 00:04:23.310 a good day. You aren't just buying a ticket. 00:04:23.470 --> 00:04:26.290 You are buying physical and mental energy. That 00:04:26.290 --> 00:04:28.310 makes sense. If you stand in the Madrid heat 00:04:28.310 --> 00:04:30.970 for two hours, by the time you cross the threshold 00:04:30.970 --> 00:04:34.029 into the... palace, your feet hurt, you're dehydrated, 00:04:34.069 --> 00:04:36.629 and you have zero capacity to actually absorb 00:04:36.629 --> 00:04:39.389 any history. That's totally fair. Because once 00:04:39.389 --> 00:04:42.430 you bypass that massive line and actually step 00:04:42.430 --> 00:04:44.910 inside the courtyard. Wow, it's breathtaking. 00:04:45.230 --> 00:04:47.790 The scale is physically intimidating. I remember 00:04:47.790 --> 00:04:49.730 just stopping in my tracks. We're talking 135 00:04:49.730 --> 00:04:52.850 ,000 square meters. It's huge. There are 870 00:04:52.850 --> 00:04:56.949 windows, 240 balconies, 44 scare cases, and over 00:04:56.949 --> 00:05:00.519 3 ,000 rooms. It is a behemoth. And honestly, 00:05:00.620 --> 00:05:02.000 it almost feels a little aggressive. Like, it's 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:04.160 not just a house. It's a threat. That is a perfect 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:06.699 way to describe it. Because it was intimidation 00:05:06.699 --> 00:05:09.620 by design. The original Moorish fortress and 00:05:09.620 --> 00:05:12.519 the old palace on this site completely burned 00:05:12.519 --> 00:05:15.600 to the ground in 1734. Right. The royal Alcazar. 00:05:15.720 --> 00:05:18.399 Yeah. So when the Bourbon dynasty, specifically 00:05:18.399 --> 00:05:21.439 Philip V, decided to rebuild, they wanted to 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:23.699 make a statement. They wanted to outshine Versailles. 00:05:23.860 --> 00:05:26.579 Which is a tall order. Very. And because of the 00:05:26.579 --> 00:05:29.220 fire, they were paranoid. So they ordered the 00:05:29.220 --> 00:05:31.620 architects to build this new behemoth almost 00:05:31.620 --> 00:05:35.160 entirely out of stone and vaulted brick. Very 00:05:35.160 --> 00:05:36.939 little wood. So that's why it feels so heavy. 00:05:37.230 --> 00:05:40.529 Exactly. It creates these massive echoing chambers 00:05:40.529 --> 00:05:43.649 that are explicitly designed to make a visiting 00:05:43.649 --> 00:05:46.350 diplomat feel very small. You are meant to be 00:05:46.350 --> 00:05:48.769 acutely aware of the power of the Spanish Empire. 00:05:49.089 --> 00:05:51.050 Well, it absolutely works on 21st century tourists, 00:05:51.089 --> 00:05:53.569 too, which actually brings up the biggest fear 00:05:53.569 --> 00:05:56.870 I had going into this. The group size. Yes. Our 00:05:56.870 --> 00:05:58.949 group had about 30 people in it. 30 people felt 00:05:58.949 --> 00:06:01.569 like a lot. I kept thinking, I'm going to get 00:06:01.569 --> 00:06:05.389 lost in a 3 ,418 room labyrinth. It's a valid 00:06:05.389 --> 00:06:07.980 fear. I was so sure I'd stop to look at a ceiling 00:06:07.980 --> 00:06:10.620 fresco. The group would turn a corner and I'd 00:06:10.620 --> 00:06:12.699 be wandering the halls of a Spanish monarch until 00:06:12.699 --> 00:06:14.959 I died of starvation. When you hear group of 00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:17.779 30, you definitely picture a massive herd of 00:06:17.779 --> 00:06:20.420 cattle blocking the hallways. And to be clear, 00:06:20.480 --> 00:06:23.519 30 is on the larger side. But that's the tradeoff 00:06:23.519 --> 00:06:26.600 for a very accessible 35 euro price point. Right. 00:06:26.699 --> 00:06:29.319 But the reality of the space is what saves you. 00:06:29.439 --> 00:06:32.079 In those massive staterooms, 30 people spread 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:34.639 out easily. In the tiny transition hallways, 00:06:34.699 --> 00:06:36.939 sure, there's a bottleneck. Minor separations 00:06:36.939 --> 00:06:39.279 definitely happen. They do, but you never truly 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:41.980 get lost. And that is entirely because of the 00:06:41.980 --> 00:06:44.139 audio headsets. I cannot stress this enough. 00:06:44.279 --> 00:06:46.579 If this tour did not include headsets, I would 00:06:46.579 --> 00:06:48.620 have demanded a refund within 10 minutes. Oh, 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:50.540 the headsets are the invisible tether. They change 00:06:50.540 --> 00:06:53.000 the entire dynamic of the tour. Do you remember 00:06:53.000 --> 00:06:56.360 the room with the massive tapestries? Oh, vividly. 00:06:56.680 --> 00:06:59.680 We walked in, and we were immediately ambushed 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:02.110 by two different high school field trips. It 00:07:02.110 --> 00:07:05.670 was absolute bedlam. The acoustic nightmare of 00:07:05.670 --> 00:07:09.009 30 teenagers shouting in a giant vaulted stone 00:07:09.009 --> 00:07:12.069 room. It echoed so badly. It was like playing 00:07:12.069 --> 00:07:14.550 dodgeball while trying to admire priceless art. 00:07:15.100 --> 00:07:17.800 If we had to rely on our guide just shouting 00:07:17.800 --> 00:07:20.480 over the din of echoing marble, the experience 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:23.939 would have been ruined. 100%. But instead, I 00:07:23.939 --> 00:07:25.699 was standing in the back of the room looking 00:07:25.699 --> 00:07:29.300 at a thread of gold woven into a tapestry. And 00:07:29.300 --> 00:07:32.160 the guide's voice was crystal clear in my ear. 00:07:32.830 --> 00:07:36.129 It completely isolated me from the chaos. It 00:07:36.129 --> 00:07:39.069 creates a private bubble of focus. And that focus 00:07:39.069 --> 00:07:41.629 is what actually makes the palace, as we said, 00:07:41.769 --> 00:07:44.430 readable. Yes. Without that context, without 00:07:44.430 --> 00:07:46.509 that voice in your ear explaining the mechanics 00:07:46.509 --> 00:07:48.629 of what you're seeing, the royal palace just 00:07:48.629 --> 00:07:52.069 becomes a blur of gold leaf and velvet. A velvet 00:07:52.069 --> 00:07:54.949 chair is just a chair. Right. But when the guy 00:07:54.949 --> 00:07:57.250 starts talking, suddenly you realize you're looking 00:07:57.250 --> 00:07:59.600 at a stage. Big, distinct dinner room, for example. 00:07:59.699 --> 00:08:01.839 Oh, that room is incredible. We walked in and 00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:05.819 there's this single, impossibly long table. If 00:08:05.819 --> 00:08:07.720 I were by myself, I'd think, cool table, take 00:08:07.720 --> 00:08:09.939 a picture and leave. Right. But our guide stopped 00:08:09.939 --> 00:08:12.439 us and explained the sheer diplomatic theater 00:08:12.439 --> 00:08:16.009 of that room. The logistics of power. The guide 00:08:16.009 --> 00:08:18.350 explained how the seating arrangements were weaponized 00:08:18.350 --> 00:08:21.329 to show favor or disfavor to visiting ambassadors. 00:08:21.529 --> 00:08:23.529 It was so petty, I loved it. And they pointed 00:08:23.529 --> 00:08:26.370 out the acoustics. How the massive tapestries 00:08:26.370 --> 00:08:28.910 on the walls weren't just decorative, they were 00:08:28.910 --> 00:08:31.930 designed to soak up the echoing sound. Wait, 00:08:31.970 --> 00:08:34.529 so, hushed, private conversations could happen 00:08:34.529 --> 00:08:36.850 at the table without bouncing off the vaulted 00:08:36.850 --> 00:08:39.190 ceiling. Exactly. Suddenly the architecture makes 00:08:39.190 --> 00:08:41.049 sense. It's functional. And then there's the 00:08:41.049 --> 00:08:43.460 royal armory. Honestly, I thought we were just 00:08:43.460 --> 00:08:45.720 going to see a bunch of rusty swords. I was fully 00:08:45.720 --> 00:08:47.799 prepared to be bored. You really were complaining 00:08:47.799 --> 00:08:51.139 about it before we went in. I was. But it's not 00:08:51.139 --> 00:08:56.080 an armory. It's a museum of highly lethal 16th 00:08:56.080 --> 00:08:58.480 century public relations. The metallurgical flex 00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:01.220 of the Spanish Empire, the armor of Charles V 00:09:01.220 --> 00:09:04.419 and Philip II is incredible. It really is. The 00:09:04.419 --> 00:09:07.179 guide broke down how the intricate gold demesining, 00:09:07.320 --> 00:09:09.299 the way they inlaid gold and silver directly 00:09:09.299 --> 00:09:11.740 into the steel, wasn't just for show. It was 00:09:11.740 --> 00:09:13.980 tournament armor meant to catch the sun and blind 00:09:13.980 --> 00:09:17.899 opponents. And to visually project divine wealth 00:09:17.899 --> 00:09:21.539 on the battlefield. They even had armor for royal 00:09:21.539 --> 00:09:24.919 babies and dogs, which is just an insane level 00:09:24.919 --> 00:09:27.080 of wealth. It's completely over the top. But 00:09:27.080 --> 00:09:29.899 for me, the absolute peak of the readable experience 00:09:29.899 --> 00:09:33.190 was the Stradivarius Palatinos. I'm a bit of 00:09:33.190 --> 00:09:35.570 a music nerd, so seeing a matched quartet of 00:09:35.570 --> 00:09:37.990 Stradivarius instruments just sitting there casually 00:09:37.990 --> 00:09:40.649 behind glass was mind -blowing. Two violins, 00:09:40.669 --> 00:09:43.830 a viola, and a cello. Yeah. And here is where 00:09:43.830 --> 00:09:46.830 a great guide earns their money. Because the 00:09:46.830 --> 00:09:48.509 guide didn't just point at them and say, oh, 00:09:48.509 --> 00:09:51.269 these are old violins. They explained why this 00:09:51.269 --> 00:09:54.090 specific set is considered the pinnacle of human 00:09:54.090 --> 00:09:56.529 craftsmanship. Antonio Stradivari almost never 00:09:56.529 --> 00:09:59.149 decorated his instruments right. Exactly. He 00:09:59.149 --> 00:10:00.950 let the wood and the varnish speak for themselves. 00:10:01.929 --> 00:10:04.809 But this specific quartet is heavily ornamented 00:10:04.809 --> 00:10:07.529 with this incredibly intricate inlaid purfling. 00:10:07.909 --> 00:10:10.330 Little diamonds and circles of ivory right into 00:10:10.330 --> 00:10:12.830 the wood. It was gorgeous. And the craziest part, 00:10:12.990 --> 00:10:15.090 the guide told us they aren't just museum pieces. 00:10:15.370 --> 00:10:17.990 The palace curators actually bring in the Royal 00:10:17.990 --> 00:10:20.009 String Quartet to play them occasionally. They 00:10:20.009 --> 00:10:22.669 have to vibrate, don't they? Yes. The wood has 00:10:22.669 --> 00:10:25.129 to breathe and resonate. Or the instruments will 00:10:25.129 --> 00:10:27.909 literally die. They will lose their voice. Learning 00:10:27.909 --> 00:10:30.129 that you are standing inches away from functional 00:10:30.129 --> 00:10:33.379 breathing history. You just don't get that from 00:10:33.379 --> 00:10:35.580 a plaque on the wall. You don't, and that's the 00:10:35.580 --> 00:10:38.019 human element. The guides are the bridge between 00:10:38.019 --> 00:10:40.379 this cold, intimidating architecture and our 00:10:40.379 --> 00:10:42.820 modern understanding of it. For sure. We had 00:10:42.820 --> 00:10:44.940 such a good experience, and it seems like everyone 00:10:44.940 --> 00:10:48.840 else does too. Some guides inject a ton of much 00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:51.580 -needed humor into the incredibly dense, heavy 00:10:51.580 --> 00:10:54.000 history of Spanish succession. Because, let's 00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:56.399 face it, keeping track of which Charles or Philip 00:10:56.399 --> 00:10:59.039 is which can put anyone to sleep. Or absolutely. 00:11:00.220 --> 00:11:02.779 Remember Pillar, the guide another traveler was 00:11:02.779 --> 00:11:04.840 telling us about? Oh, yeah. This guy mentioned 00:11:04.840 --> 00:11:07.899 that his guide, Pillar, was incredible at answering 00:11:07.899 --> 00:11:11.059 highly specific, totally bizarre logistical questions. 00:11:11.299 --> 00:11:13.440 Like he actually asked her where the bathrooms 00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:16.580 were during the massive royal events in the 1700s. 00:11:17.000 --> 00:11:20.080 Which is a fantastic question. You stand in a 00:11:20.080 --> 00:11:23.620 sprawling 18th century ballroom that held 2000 00:11:23.620 --> 00:11:27.360 guests and you immediately wonder, OK, the chandeliers 00:11:27.360 --> 00:11:30.200 are great, but where does a duke go when nature 00:11:30.200 --> 00:11:32.929 calls? And the fact that the guy didn't miss 00:11:32.929 --> 00:11:35.529 a beat, she explained that there basically wasn't 00:11:35.529 --> 00:11:37.730 any plumbing. They used these things called retreats, 00:11:37.730 --> 00:11:40.149 which were ornate wooden chairs with chamber 00:11:40.149 --> 00:11:42.610 pots hidden underneath. Just tucked away in tiny 00:11:42.610 --> 00:11:45.210 anterooms. Or literally behind tapestries. You 00:11:45.210 --> 00:11:47.889 had an army of servants whose entire job during 00:11:47.889 --> 00:11:50.830 a royal gala was to sprint down hidden corridors 00:11:50.830 --> 00:11:53.549 carrying these pots so the aristocrats wouldn't 00:11:53.549 --> 00:11:56.049 have to break a sweat. It completely shatters 00:11:56.049 --> 00:11:58.070 that movie set illusion of pristine royalty. 00:11:58.289 --> 00:12:00.590 It makes it suddenly very messy and very real. 00:12:00.710 --> 00:12:02.809 It really humanizes the space. And you know what 00:12:02.809 --> 00:12:05.330 else did that? When our guide brought out a tablet 00:12:05.330 --> 00:12:08.049 and showed us pictures of the modern royal family 00:12:08.049 --> 00:12:10.909 hosting a state dinner in the exact room we were 00:12:10.909 --> 00:12:12.970 standing in. Oh, I loved that part. It takes 00:12:12.970 --> 00:12:15.470 a massive, intimidating institution and connects 00:12:15.470 --> 00:12:18.230 the 18th century architecture to the 21st century 00:12:18.230 --> 00:12:21.009 people who still use it. It totally does. Okay, 00:12:21.070 --> 00:12:22.690 so we've established that the guides are great, 00:12:22.830 --> 00:12:25.610 the headsets are a lifesaver, and the history 00:12:25.610 --> 00:12:29.399 is fascinating. But we need to pivot. Because 00:12:29.399 --> 00:12:32.059 we promised insider tips. We did. This is where 00:12:32.059 --> 00:12:33.919 we have to talk about how to keep from ruining 00:12:33.919 --> 00:12:36.220 your own day. Let's talk about the fine print. 00:12:36.379 --> 00:12:38.840 Let's do it. Because even a brilliant tour can 00:12:38.840 --> 00:12:41.559 be completely derailed by poor planning. So the 00:12:41.559 --> 00:12:43.879 guided portion of this experience lasts a little 00:12:43.879 --> 00:12:46.340 over an hour. After the guide finishes, they 00:12:46.340 --> 00:12:48.519 take their headset back and you are completely 00:12:48.519 --> 00:12:50.940 free to roam the armory and the incredible palace 00:12:50.940 --> 00:12:53.940 gardens at your own pace. Which is really nice. 00:12:54.299 --> 00:12:56.899 It is. Now, I have a confession. My original 00:12:56.899 --> 00:13:00.320 super secret master plan for this trip was to 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:03.039 book the absolute last tour of the day. Oh boy. 00:13:03.220 --> 00:13:06.620 Hear me out. My logic was flawless. The tour 00:13:06.620 --> 00:13:09.120 ends, the general admission crowds have thinned 00:13:09.120 --> 00:13:11.240 out, the doors are getting ready to close, and 00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:13.519 we essentially have the royal palace to ourselves 00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:16.460 for a romantic twilight stroll. Your logic was 00:13:16.460 --> 00:13:19.220 deeply, deeply flawed, and I am so glad I vetoed 00:13:19.220 --> 00:13:21.259 it. Hey, in theory, it sounded like a hack. In 00:13:21.259 --> 00:13:24.019 theory. But in reality, you were walking into 00:13:24.019 --> 00:13:27.539 a classic tourist trap. The problem is a separation 00:13:27.539 --> 00:13:31.159 of authority. The tour company manages your experience 00:13:31.159 --> 00:13:33.759 during the tour. They are lovely accommodating 00:13:33.759 --> 00:13:36.879 people. But the security personnel inside the 00:13:36.879 --> 00:13:39.779 palace, they are managed by the venue itself. 00:13:40.440 --> 00:13:42.620 And they do not care about your romantic twilight 00:13:42.620 --> 00:13:44.679 stroll. They absolutely do not. When the venue 00:13:44.679 --> 00:13:46.559 is closing, the security staff want to go home. 00:13:47.019 --> 00:13:49.799 If you linger in the armory 15 minutes before 00:13:49.799 --> 00:13:52.580 closing, they will aggressively hustle you out 00:13:52.580 --> 00:13:55.259 the door. Oh, man. It stops being a leisurely 00:13:55.259 --> 00:13:58.620 exploration and turns into a brisk, highly supervised 00:13:58.620 --> 00:14:01.860 march to the exit. We've heard people say that 00:14:01.860 --> 00:14:03.519 by the end of the day, the security staff look 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:05.840 at lingering tourists with pure resentment. Which 00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:08.019 completely ruins the vibe. You want to end the 00:14:08.019 --> 00:14:11.379 day feeling... inspired, not feeling like a trespasser 00:14:11.379 --> 00:14:13.840 being chased out of a mall. So the ultimate scheduling 00:14:13.840 --> 00:14:16.100 tip book, a morning or midday tour. Exactly. 00:14:16.259 --> 00:14:18.379 That way, when the guy drops you off, you have 00:14:18.379 --> 00:14:21.019 hours of unhurried time to wander the gardens 00:14:21.019 --> 00:14:23.460 or stare at the armor. And while we are on the 00:14:23.460 --> 00:14:26.759 topic of unforced errors, there is one crucial 00:14:26.759 --> 00:14:29.759 administrative tip regarding the excursion pass 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:33.120 booking process. We actually almost messed this 00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:35.620 up ourselves. Oh, the language selection. Yes. 00:14:36.090 --> 00:14:38.250 When you book, you have to select a language, 00:14:38.409 --> 00:14:41.710 usually English, Italian, or Spanish. A lot of 00:14:41.710 --> 00:14:44.169 travelers, especially in Europe, assume that 00:14:44.169 --> 00:14:46.690 guided tours are bilingual. Because that happens 00:14:46.690 --> 00:14:49.429 all the time in Italy and France. Exactly. They 00:14:49.429 --> 00:14:52.070 assume the guide will say a paragraph in Spanish 00:14:52.070 --> 00:14:54.720 and then repeat it in English. So if you have 00:14:54.720 --> 00:14:56.700 a mixed language family, you figure, great, we'll 00:14:56.700 --> 00:14:58.840 all just go on the English tour and the Spanish 00:14:58.840 --> 00:15:00.840 speakers will catch the translation. Do not make 00:15:00.840 --> 00:15:02.620 that assumption here. If you book the English 00:15:02.620 --> 00:15:05.720 tour, it is 100 % English. The guide does not 00:15:05.720 --> 00:15:07.899 switch back and forth. Thank goodness we figured 00:15:07.899 --> 00:15:10.059 that out. If you have family members who only 00:15:10.059 --> 00:15:12.539 speak Spanish, you need to ensure you are booking 00:15:12.539 --> 00:15:14.840 them on the specifically designated Spanish tour. 00:15:15.639 --> 00:15:18.279 It's a minor detail, but getting it right ensures 00:15:18.279 --> 00:15:20.419 that the readable palace we keep talking about 00:15:20.419 --> 00:15:23.080 actually remains readable for everyone in your 00:15:23.080 --> 00:15:25.519 party. I can just imagine the awkwardness of 00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:28.000 dragging someone through a two -hour historical 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:30.639 deep dive in a language they don't understand. 00:15:30.899 --> 00:15:32.440 Just look at the chairs, honey. They're very 00:15:32.440 --> 00:15:34.399 old. No thanks. Yeah, that sounds miserable. 00:15:34.779 --> 00:15:36.899 Okay, so let's bring all this together. What 00:15:36.899 --> 00:15:39.240 does this actually mean for you, the traveler 00:15:39.240 --> 00:15:42.139 planning their Madrid itinerary? It means evaluating 00:15:42.139 --> 00:15:45.480 the true return on investment for that 35 to 00:15:45.480 --> 00:15:49.139 37 euro ticket. Right. And you do get free cancellation. 00:15:49.799 --> 00:15:51.840 Up to 24 hours before it starts, which I always 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:54.740 love for flexibility. But for that price, you 00:15:54.740 --> 00:15:58.000 are bypassing a grueling, dehydrating general 00:15:58.000 --> 00:16:00.320 admission line. Which is priceless. You get a 00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:02.759 designated stress -free meeting point at the 00:16:02.759 --> 00:16:05.220 souvenir shop that saves you from the chaotic 00:16:05.220 --> 00:16:08.320 mob at the gates. You get the audio headset to 00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:10.480 block out the high school field trips and create 00:16:10.480 --> 00:16:12.980 your own private bubble. And most importantly, 00:16:13.179 --> 00:16:16.240 you get a knowledgeable guide who can transform 00:16:16.240 --> 00:16:20.600 over 3 ,000 rooms of overwhelming gold into a 00:16:20.600 --> 00:16:24.460 fascinating story of diplomacy, musical masterpieces, 00:16:24.500 --> 00:16:28.139 and yes, historical chamber pots. It is a highly 00:16:28.139 --> 00:16:31.139 structured, incredibly efficient investment of 00:16:31.139 --> 00:16:33.559 your time. But, you know, stepping back from 00:16:33.559 --> 00:16:35.480 the logistics and the ticket prices for a moment. 00:16:36.159 --> 00:16:38.139 There's something much larger to chew on here 00:16:38.139 --> 00:16:40.059 about what this building actually represents 00:16:40.059 --> 00:16:42.399 today. Oh, hit me with it. We talked about King 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:44.720 Carlos III moving into this massive structure 00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:48.960 back in 1764 to project absolute undeniable power. 00:16:49.820 --> 00:16:52.419 But if we look at the current Spanish royal family, 00:16:52.580 --> 00:16:54.659 they don't actually live there. Right. They live 00:16:54.659 --> 00:16:56.860 at the Zarzuela Palace on the outskirts of Madrid, 00:16:57.059 --> 00:16:59.740 which is much more. Well, as modest as a royal 00:16:59.740 --> 00:17:02.279 family gets, I suppose. Precisely. They only 00:17:02.279 --> 00:17:06.539 use this grand 135 ,000 square meter royal palace 00:17:06.539 --> 00:17:09.019 for state ceremonies, formal dinners, and solemn 00:17:09.019 --> 00:17:11.720 occasions. Okay. Which leaves us with a fascinating 00:17:11.720 --> 00:17:14.619 lingering question to mull over long after you've 00:17:14.619 --> 00:17:16.519 taken off your headset and walked out those gates. 00:17:16.759 --> 00:17:18.500 I love a good existential architecture question. 00:17:18.759 --> 00:17:21.279 If the largest inhabited palace in Europe is 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:25.039 functionally just a beautiful, highly theatrical 00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:28.380 stage for a monarchy that... chooses to actually 00:17:28.380 --> 00:17:30.680 wake up, eat breakfast, and live their lives 00:17:30.680 --> 00:17:33.779 somewhere else entirely, what does the concept 00:17:33.779 --> 00:17:36.460 of a royal home actually mean in the modern era? 00:17:36.680 --> 00:17:39.259 Oh, wow. Is a palace simply a house where people 00:17:39.259 --> 00:17:41.720 live, or is it just a massive billboard for a 00:17:41.720 --> 00:17:44.480 country's history? Man, that really changes how 00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:46.660 you look at the velvet chairs. It's not a living 00:17:46.660 --> 00:17:50.140 room at all. It's just a museum of power. Exactly. 00:17:50.880 --> 00:17:52.480 Well, thank you so much for joining us on this 00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:55.519 deep dive into the Madrid Royal Palace. We hope 00:17:55.519 --> 00:17:57.779 we've helped clear up your doubts, saved you 00:17:57.779 --> 00:17:59.619 from the twilight security guards, and prepped 00:17:59.619 --> 00:18:01.900 you for an amazing experience. Have a great trip, 00:18:01.900 --> 00:18:03.740 everyone. From both of us here at the Travel 00:18:03.740 --> 00:18:06.640 Podcast by Excursion Pass, keep exploring, keep 00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:08.839 asking questions, and we'll catch you on the 00:18:08.839 --> 00:18:09.480 next newer dive.