Almudaina Palace in Palma: tickets, free afternoons and how to visit

The Almudaina Palace is Palma's royal palace: the great fortified façade you see beside the cathedral as you walk through the Parc de la Mar. It is run by Patrimonio Nacional, the state body that manages the Crown's palaces, and is still used for official functions. The entrance is directly opposite the cathedral door, so the two visits fit into the same morning or afternoon.

What a visitor most needs to know fits into three lines: a standard ticket costs €8, the palace is closed every Monday, and the free Wednesday and Sunday afternoons are not for everyone. Below is the detail on each, which ticket to buy and how to combine it with what's around it.

Almudaina Palace tickets and prices

Official prices are set by a resolution published in the BOE (Spain's official gazette) and are what the ticket desk charges:

For reduced or free entry you need to show proof at the ticket desk. If you look up prices on the official website you'll still see an old block with €7 and €4: it's out of date, the current prices are €8 and €5.

For a family it's one of the cheapest visits in the old town: under-5s go free and 5 to 16-year-olds pay €5.

Free entry: Wednesday and Sunday afternoons (and who qualifies)

This is where most people get it wrong. The free Wednesday and Sunday hours are for citizens of the European Union, EU residents or holders of an EU work permit, and Ibero-American citizens. A British, American or Australian tourist without European residence pays the standard price even if they turn up at that time.

How it works in practice:

• When: Wednesday and Sunday afternoons. From October to March it runs from 15:00 to 18:00, last entry 17:00. From April to September the free afternoon runs until 19:00 (last entry 18:00); the summer start time isn't the same in every official source, so confirm it on the Patrimonio Nacional website before you go.
• Where to get it: at the ticket desk, with valid official ID (national ID card, passport, residence card). Bring the physical document: a photo on your phone may not be accepted.
• What's included: the self-guided visit. If you want the guided tour during those hours, you still pay the guide supplement.

On two days a year everyone gets in free, whatever their passport: 18 May (International Museum Day) and 12 October (Spain's National Day). Patrimonio Nacional also sometimes opens on a public-holiday Monday as a one-off, and 12 October is one of them even when it falls on a Monday. Check the official calendar if your trip coincides with a long weekend.

Almudaina Palace opening hours and closing days

The palace is open Tuesday to Sunday:

• October to March: 10:00–18:00, last entry 17:00.
• April to September: 10:00–19:00, last entry 18:00.
• Closed: every Monday, plus 1 May and 24, 25 and 31 December.

The official website shows both an old timetable (20:00 closing in summer) and the current one (19:00). Work on 19:00 and don't arrive after 18:00. Because the palace is used for official state and royal functions, it sometimes closes at short notice: if you're going on a particular day with little time to spare, check the closures notice on the Patrimonio Nacional website.

Official ticket or platform: which to buy

Palace tickets are sold at the ticket desk, in Patrimonio Nacional's online shop and on the booking platforms. Today's comparison:

My advice depends on what you want:

• Just getting in: the ticket desk or the official website (€8) are cheapest. There's no queue system or fast-track lane worth paying extra for: it's a palace that rarely has long queues.
• Getting in with commentary: the Tiqets ticket with digital guide starts at €9.50, while at the desk, ticket plus audio guide comes to €8 + €5. If you want audio, the platform works out cheaper.
• Booking with a calendar and flexible cancellation: the GetYourGuide ticket is from €11 and has far more reviews (4.5 out of 5 from over a thousand). You pay €3 more than at the desk in exchange for having everything booked in the same app as the rest of your trip.
• Free afternoon: if you qualify, don't buy anything online. Ask at the ticket desk with your ID.

The cathedral and Almudaina combo tickets sold by the platforms cost more than buying both separately at the official ticket desks (€10 + €8). They're only worth it if you value the audio or having everything in one booking. I compare each platform's terms (cancellation, advance charging) in the guide to tickets in Palma and in the platform comparison.

GetYourGuide

Sights· Palma city

Palma: Royal Palace of La Almudaina Entry Ticket

4.5 (1,100)

from €11Check availability

See everything on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 6 October 2026

How to get to the Almudaina Palace

The palace is right in the old town, between the cathedral and Passeig des Born, and most people simply walk: from Plaça de la Reina or the Born it's a couple of minutes, and from the Parc de la Mar, the promenade along the walls below the cathedral, it's right there too. The visitor entrance is on the esplanade facing the cathedral (address: Palau Reial s/n).

By bus, several EMT lines end or stop beside the old town:

• EMT 25 from Platja de Palma, which runs as far as the cathedral.
• EMT 35 from Ciutat Jardí, Es Molinar and Portixol to Plaça de la Reina.
• EMT 30 from the Portopí ferry and cruise terminals, stopping at Parc de la Mar – Catedral (only once an hour).

A single ticket costs €2 in cash, and paying by contactless bank card is cheaper, especially for a group. The palace's official website still mentions line 15, which no longer exists. If you arrive by cruise ship, the cruise port guide explains how to get in from each terminal.

The visit: rules, guided tours and accessibility

The visit is self-guided, with an optional audio guide (€5) or a Patrimonio Nacional guide (€8 supplement). Guided tour times and languages aren't published: ask at the ticket desk when you arrive.

Rules worth knowing before you go in:

• Photos: allowed without flash and for personal use, except where a sign says otherwise.
• Not allowed: tripods and selfie sticks.
• Accessibility: Patrimonio Nacional states that there is access for visitors with reduced mobility and that manual wheelchairs are available on loan. If you need to confirm the exact route, call ahead; the accessible Palma guide gathers what's known about the other monuments.

A tip on order: the cathedral is closed to sightseeing on Sundays and Saturday afternoons, whereas the Almudaina is open on both. Do the cathedral on a weekday morning and keep the palace for the afternoon; if you qualify for the free hours, even better.

Changing of the guard at the Almudaina

On the last Saturday of each month, at 12:00, there's a ceremonial changing of the guard in front of the palace, except in August and December and weather permitting. It's performed by the Palma 47 Light Infantry Regiment in uniforms from the era of Charles III. It's free and you watch from the street, so if you're in Palma that Saturday it's worth planning your morning around it.

Exact dates are announced in the Visit Palma events listing. Get there early if you want a front-row spot: the esplanade between the cathedral and the palace fills up.

What to see near the palace

The Almudaina sits in the middle of the classic old-town route, and almost everything below is less than ten minutes' walk away:

• The cathedral (La Seu): opposite. Tickets from €10, closed to sightseeing on Sundays. Full details in the Palma Cathedral guide.
• Palau March: on the same street, Palau Reial, with its sculpture terrace. Open Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 17:30.
• Banys Àrabs: the Arab Baths, small and cash only, in the Sa Calatrava quarter, a few minutes away. They fit into the old-town route.
• Passeig des Born and Es Baluard: heading west you reach the Born and, at the end, the contemporary art museum on the old bastion.

If you'd rather have someone tell you the story, the old town's free tours and guided walks pass in front of the palace, and the list of Palma's top sights will help you fill the rest of the day. It looks good from the sea too: the bay boat trip from the Escala Real passes in front of the Almudaina and the cathedral.