Aranjuez, formerly a royal summer residence, lies on the Tagus 47km/ 29mi south of Madrid. Its regularly planned streets, its avenues radiating from the central square and its gardens and palaces follow the course of the river, which has made the surrounding area a lush garden like landscape and the
main source of fruit and vegetables for Madrid.
Aranjuez was laid out on a strictly geometrical plan during the reign of Ferdinand VI and has a number of interesting Baroque and Rococo palaces. The Tagus is spanned here by the elegant Puente Largo, built in 1761.