In Spanish it is called Santa Maria la Real de La Almudena. THE catholic cathedral of Madrid. Neogothic interior, beautiful ceilings. Open very day, except during services. Entrance at the street side (so not at the square opposite the royal palace). Admission is free, but there is a collection box where they ask € 1 contribution. Info here: http://www.inspain.org/en/sites/almudenacathedral.asp.

we came upon this by accident at the end of our tour of the Palacio Real. It adjoins the Palace though separate. Entrance is some way down the street but inside the Church is very beautiful in many ways: the light, statues , altars certainly one of the best cathedrals I have been in. Its open hours are 10 to... More

This cathedral is the newest I've ever visited and seemed to lack the weight of history of other cathedrals. It's light and airy and very pleasant inside and is pleasantly ornate on the outside.

A beautiful cathedral next to the Royal palace, lovely stained glass windows. Allow an hour or so to visit and well worth a visit

Visited the cathedral in March midweek.Quite a few school parties but no congregation to speak of. The cathedral looked quite impressive from the outside but less so inside. The painted vaulted ceilings were interesting and leaned toward modernism which didn't seem to work with the gothic theme. Getting up close to the high altar, lots of gold and decoration was... More

Not as dubious as it may appear at first is the combination of modernist decorations to gothic architecture. The church is large, airy, vertical lines dominate like in traditional gothic, yet the "gaudy" - forgive the word play - painted ceilings and vaults give it an almost contemporary flare. Gold and bright colours lend the austerity a festive appearance. The... More

Right beside the Palacio Real. Cheap to visit- they suggest a 1 Euro donation. Large cathedral that can be visited for a quick look and walk through, or for spending more time to enjoy the vastness and beauty of the church. Make sure to visit the tombs on the lower level of the cathedral. This is a little hidden and... More

It was en extremely nice cathedral we visited. There was the usual things that you will see in almost every catholic church but there were so many other nice things too.I It's over in 20 minuttes or so, but it is definitely worth the trip there. There's an obtional donation of 1€

The Almudena Cathedral is a modernist masterpiece with plenty of art inside the church. What is surprising is the crypt below the church, which has many family crypts of the most important families of Spain.