Descalzas Reales Monastery

What to expect

The Descalzas Reales is a convent of Poor Clare nuns founded in 1559 by Joanna of Austria, sister of Philip II. It stands on the site of an old palace in which Joanna had been born, and the first nuns moved in there in 1558. Noblewomen and royal relatives later joined the community, and the church was finished in 1564.

Part of the monastery is now a museum, and you visit it with a guide. The route goes through the main double-flight staircase, whose wall and ceiling paintings date largely from the 1650s, and past the chapels and the cloister. The highlight for many visitors is a high-ceilinged gallery with tapestries woven from designs by Rubens on the Triumph of the Eucharist.

Don't miss

• Main double-flight staircase with painted walls and ceiling
• Rubens tapestries on the Triumph of the Eucharist
• Nuns' chapels
• Virgin and Child by Bernardino Luini in the cloister

Tips for your visit

• The visit is guided, so look at the official site for tour times and languages and book ahead in busy periods.
• Arrive a little early for the start of your tour.
• Check the official site for photography rules before you go.
• Pair it with a walk to Plaza del Callao and the Gran Vía, or to Puerta del Sol.