Palacio Real de Aranjuez

The Palacio Real de Aranjuez is a residence of the King of Spain, one of the Spanish royal sites. It is located in Aranjuez (province of Madrid).

It was commissioned by Philip II and designed by Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera, who also designed El Escorial. It was completed during the reign of Ferdinand VI; Charles III had two wings added to it. A smaller palace, the Casa del Labrador, also stands on the grounds.

Its huge gardens, built to relieve its royal residents from the dust and drought of the Spanish meseta using the waters of the adjacent Tagus and Jarama rivers, are Spain's most important of the Habsburg period. The Jardin de la Isla is on a man-made island bounded by the River Tagus and the Ria Canal.

The museum's important art and historical collections include the Museo de la Vida en Palacio, describing the daily lives of Spain's monarchs, and the Museo de las Falúas Reales, housing the most important extant collection of Spain's royal pleasure barges.