El Pardo
Franco had his principal residence at EL PARDO , a former
royal hunting ground, 9km northwest of central Madrid. A garrison
still remains at the town - where most of the Generalísmo's staff
were based - but the stigma of the place has lessened over the
years, and it is now a popular excursion for madrileños ,
who come here for long lunches in the terraza restaurants, or to
play tennis or swim at one of the nearby sports centres.
The tourist focus is the Palacio del Pardo (April-Sept
Mon-Sat 10.30am-6pm, Sun 9.30am-1.30pm; Oct-March Mon-Sat
10.30am-5pm, Sun 10am-1.30pm; closed occasionally for official
visits; guided tours €4.80, free Wed for EU citizens), rebuilt by
the Bourbons on the site of a hunting lodge of Carlos V. The
interior is pleasant enough, with its chapel and theatre, a
portrait of Isabel la Católica by her court painter Juan de
Flandes, and an excellent collection of tapestries, many after the
Goya cartoons in the Prado. Guides detail the uses Franco made of
the palacio , but pass over some of his stranger habits. He
kept by his bed, for instance, the mummified hand of Santa Teresa
of Ávila. Tickets to the palace are also valid for the Casita
del Príncipe (closed for refurbishment), though this cannot be
entered from the gardens and you will need to return to the main
road. Like the casitas (pavilions) at El Escorial, this was
built by Juan de Villanueva, and is highly ornate.
You can reach El Pardo by local bus (every fifteen
minutes until midnight from the bus terminal at Metro Moncloa), or
by any city taxi .
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