Aranjuez Tourist Attractions
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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.
Royal Palace
The Royal Palace was originally built for Philip II in 1560 but was rebuilt in the 1660s. Although the front is largely Renaissance, the Baroque influences are still present.
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Gardens
The gardens of Aranjuez are justly famed. They surround the palace and border the Tagus with their ancient trees.
Jardín de Isabel
On the south side of the Plaza de San Rusiñol is the Jardín de Isabel II, a favorite resort of the Bourbon queen of that name.
Parterre
On the east side of the Royal Palace is the Parterre, a garden in the French style laid out by Philip V in 1726. In the Parterre is the Jardín de las Estatuas, which dates from the reign of Philip II, with busts of Roman Emperors and statues of gods and heroes.
Jardín de la Isla
The Jardín de la Isla, on an artificial island in the Tagus, is the oldest of the islands of Aranjuez. Isabella the Catholic caused a huerta to be converted into a garden, which was extended in the reign of Philip II. A beautiful avenue of plane-trees runs along the banks of the Tagus.
Jardín del Príncipe
The largest and most beautiful of the gardens is the Jardín del Príncipe, laid out for Charles III in 1763 by the French landscape gardener Etienne Boutelou, who had previously designed the Parterre.
Peasant's House
In addition to a number of fountains and the many exotic plants the most notable feature is the Casa del Labrador, at the end of Calle de la Reina, at the eastern tip of the garden. This charming little palace, consisting of a main block and two side wings, was built for Charles IV in 1803 by Isidro González Velázquez. The facade is decorated with statues of ancient heroes. The principal features of the sumptuous interior, decorated in Louis XVI and Empire style, are the grand staircase, the billiard room, the Sculpture Gallery, the Great Saloon, the Sala de María Luisa and the Gabinete de Platina.
Seamen's House
The Casa de Marinos, in a bend on the Tagus within the Jardín del Príncipe, is a boathouse containing six royal barges, the most magnificent of which are Charles IV's barge, with painted decoration by Maella, Alfonso XII's mahogany boat and Philip V's felucca, presented to him by a Venetian noble.
Surroundings
Chinchon
20km (12mi) to the northeast of Aranjuez on the M 305 is the little Castilian town of Chinchón (pop. 4,000). The focal point of the town is the Plaza Mayor, which is enclosed by three and four storied houses with open galleries. Small cafes, restaurants and shops are located here.Since the 16th C. bullfights, plays and other events have regularly been held here in summer. From the elevated position of the Iglesia de la Asunción there is a splendid view of the whole town. Goya, whose brother was priest here, bequeathed his painting "The Assumption of the Virgin Mary" to the church.
Map of Aranjuez Attractions
Map - Aranjuez
