The Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales is a beautiful and well-preserved working monastery. The frescoes, art, furnishings, and overall structure are all impressive and in excellent condition considering their age. However, visitors have had mixed experiences at this attraction.
Some visitors have encountered issues with the staff and entrance procedures. There have been complaints about rude and unfriendly staff members, who make visitors feel unwelcome. Some visitors have also mentioned booking problems at the entrance and a lack of accommodation for non-Spanish speakers during the guided tours. Additionally, there have been complaints about restrictions on photography and the inconvenience of having to tour the monastery as a group.
On the positive side, many visitors have found the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales to be a fascinating and culturally enriching experience. The artwork and historical artifacts within the monastery are highly valued and offer a unique insight into religious history. Some visitors have even compared their visit to the Vatican in terms of its impressiveness.
Overall, it is recommended to plan ahead and check for any booking or language restrictions before visiting the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales. While some visitors have had negative experiences with the staff and tour organization, others have appreciated the beauty and historical significance of this attraction.
Address:
Plaza de las Descalzas, 3, Madrid
23.05.23
Adrian
Try to visit at 13:30 but they close earlier, the lady from entrance told me that will be open after 16:00. I came back at 18:10 ( on official site is open until 18:30) and also the person from entrance refuse to give access. Better close definitive.. Read more »ly if they are lazy and do not want visitors.
17.05.23
Corentin
Beautiful place. Worse cultural experience of my life. Booking problem at the entrance, rude staff, visite in Spanish only, forced. Tourists are not dogs you order.
06.04.23
Steve
Possibly the worst tourist experience you will ever have. There is no concession to any other language than Spanish in the compulsory one hour(it felt like more) tour of every conceivable painting of Jesus. The most unfriendly tour staff strive to ma.. Read more »ke you feel unwelcome and we did. The highlight was the sour faced old hag (grey/blonde hair and glasses-so you can be identified) following us around and watching our every move, whose sole motivation in life appeared to be as unpleasant as possible to us the paying
visitors. A completely unpleasant experience and a waste of an hour of my life. Best avoided! Not really worth even one star.
19.03.23
Maynard
It’s free on Thursday afternoons, but they surprised me at the door by telling me it’s only for people from the European Union. Wouldn’t it have been nice to put that on your website so I didn’t waste time standing in line? W.. Read more »hat a slap in the face to visitors from other countries that have already paid a fortune in taxes to your city, only to be told at the door that you are not good enough; you have to pay whilst others get in for free. This unfair practice makes visitors in your country feel unwelcome.
04.03.23
Makmur
Very cool tour but I wish I could’ve went alone without having to rush with a group of people. I understand its due to the age and fragility of the monument and the information we got was very good but I enjoy walking at my own pace
09.02.23
Gökay
The most impressive religious place that I have ever seen including Vatican
08.11.22
G
This is a very beautiful and well kept working monastery (there are 19 nuns there currently). The frescoes, art, furnishings, and the structure itself are beautiful and in excellent condition for their age. All tours here are done by in-house guides .. Read more »(monastery employees) only and in Spanish. The staff is crude and extremely unpleasant at times. Photography and video recording are prohibited here, and in our tour they had an employee with the grace and good humor of a wild bore who tailed the group reprimanding people for just looking at their phones. One visitor in our group got yelled at for trying to silence here phone. If you had your phone in your hand, you were watched like a criminal, so we put ours in our pockets. A lady with limited mobility sat on a bench and was rudely told to stand up and get off the bench. There is security check at the door and we had to put not only our backpack through the X-ray machine, but our phones and the coins I had in my pocket as well. Beyond ridiculous! I get the backpack, but phones and coins??? Our tour guide, who had a nice voice and was very eloquent, was a bit scattered at times making it hard to follow the tour. Our tour lasted one hour and the tickets only cost €6.00 a piece, so very affordable. Visiting this place takes a bit of planing as tickets are usually sold out a week in advance. This place is not suitable for people with limited mobility as there are some stairs to climb. For us this visit was a bit uncomfortable and unpleasant due to the staff’s crude behavior, so we cannot recommend this place to any one.
17.10.22
Claudia
Only few people at a time. Guided spanish tour. Very interesting place with lots of valuable paintings and statues. You are not allowed to take photos.
17.07.22
A
Only in Spanish, beautiful but would have liked background story
06.05.22
VELASQUEZ
Wonderful place filled with art and history! On the negative side, entrance are really scarce and you are not allowed to take pictures.. none. :(
19.10.21
Martijn
Unfortunately closed when i came here, would have loved to buy some of the cookies they're making and selling.. I guess another time then.
15.01.20
David
Difficult to get an english language tour otherwise very cool
19.11.19
Helena
Very old building with long history.It is worth visiting but you have to book in advance or you won't be able to see the inside.
14.09.19
Nadine
Spanish Inquisition tour was very informative. Madrid is a beautiful city.
05.07.19
Steven
The art and tapestries here were extraordinary. The sheer amount of Renaissance art here is unbelievable. Even though the hours and tour are limited, I would recommend this place if you are in Madrid.
09.05.19
Thomas
A rich and interesting history. The tour was small and intimate, but only in Spanish. The museum is filled with artifacts, paintings, tapestries, religious shrines and great woodwork. There are inner gardens/courtyards that can be viewed from the sec.. Read more »ond story.
18.03.19
Cristina
Surely a place to visit if you stay several days in Madrid, the tapestry are magnificent if you think how old are them and the work needed to be done. However not recommended if you're in a hurry because, at least in the weekend, you need to be .. Read more »long ahead the suggested time to be on the top of the queue and be sure you're among the first 20. They only received groups of 20 people at the time, with break of 30 minutes or so. Also, better to check the English tour in advance because most of them are in Spanish. I went there on a Friday afternoon, arrived at 3 pm for the 4 pm tour (in Spanish) and the queue behind me was very long!
20.09.18
Olga
I would recommend this visit only to people deeply interested in religion. Rooms are dark, air is thick and warm, no toilets, no benches for older people. Only guided visits, Sundays all 7 guided groups were only in Spanish. Totally agree to people s.. Read more »aying that 1 hour for a tour is too long.
Come early and buy a ticket for a tour later that day. On a Sunday around 11am we did not have to wait in line, purchased the tickets for the tour at 12:45.
3.9 / 71
