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Stand for a few moments on Plaza de Oriente to enjoy the splendour of Sacchetti’s façade, gleaming in the sun. Sacchetti achieved a rhythm by alternating Ionic columns with Tuscan pilasters.

When Napoleon first saw the staircase after installing his brother on the Spanish throne, he said “Joseph, your lodgings will be better than mine”, owing to Corrado Giaquinto’s fine frescoes.

This exquisite room was once the setting for balls and banquets, and is still used for ceremonial occasions. Attractions include Giaquinto’s fresco of Charles III shown as the sun god Apollo and superb 17th-century silk tapestries.

This room was designed for Charles III by Giovanni Battista Natale as a glorification of the Spanish monarchy. The bronze lions guarding the throne were made in Rome in 1651.

Named after its Italian creator, this dazzling room was Charles III’s robing room. The lovely ceiling, encrusted with stuccoed fruit and flowers, is a superb example of 18th-century chinoiserie .

The banqueting hall was created for the wedding of Alfonso XII in 1879. The tapestries and ceiling frescoes are by Anton Mengs and Antonio Velázquez. Look out for the Chinese vases “of a thousand flowers”, in the window recesses.

Ventura Rodríguez is usually credited with the decoration of this chapel , although he worked hand-in-hand with other collaborators. The dome, supported by massive columns of black marble, is illuminated with some more of Giaquinto’s frescoes.

The royal pharmacy was created at the end of the 16th century to supply herbal medicines to the court. Glass retorts, pestles, mortars and jars fill the gilded shelves, while the reconstructed distillery shows how they might have been used.

The royal armoury has been open to the public for more than 400 years. It boasts more than 2,000 pieces, mostly made for jousts and tournaments rather than the battlefield.

These beautiful gardens were landscaped in the 19th century and planted with acacias, chestnuts, magnolias, cedars and palms. Stand on the avenue and you’ll be rewarded with views of the palace’s façade.