The fountains of the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso provide a unique show, a real trip to the Spanish court in the 18th century. A show for kids and adults alike and that has no rival in Europe.
The fountains at La Granja de San Ildefonso still work with the original hydraulic system from the 18th c. that brings water from the neighbouring mountains, taking advantage of the altitude difference.
The pressure and height at which the water sprouts in some fountains, is really stunning, not even in Versailles one could see something like this!
A little history about the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso
After falling in love with the landscape of this area of the Guadarrama mountain range North of Madrid, King Philip V established in 1720 the Royal Site (Real Sitio) of La Granja de San Ildefonso.
This area had been one of the favourites of the Kings of Castile, and then of Spain, since the Middle Ages. The nature is beautiful and great for hunting.
Philip V purchased a farm that belonged to the hieronymite monks here and started building this new Palace. Farm in Spanish is granja – hence the site’s name.
La Granja de San Ildefonso started as a leisure and hunting palace, that Philip V modelled after his childhood memories in France.
La Granja, and especially its fountains and gardens have something from Versailles, but are mostly inspired in Marly Palace outside Paris (destroyed in the Revolution), where Louis XIV, Philip’s grandfather, liked to rest and enjoy life.
The gardens of La Granja de San Ildefonso are the finest example of formal garden à la française in Spain. This kind of garden, born in Versailles, became very popular in 18th c. Europe. La Granja’s gardens and fountains where designed and built by French gardeners and sculptors.
The Palace, quite small in the beginning, was enlarged in the next decades, as well as its gardens – new fountains where installed, more and more spectacular.
But it was not all a Frenchmen project – the most representative part of the Palace façade was the work of Italian Filippo Juvarra, who also started building the Royal Palace of Madrid, and his disciple Sacchetti.
Charles III finished the Palace and garden layout and turned La Granja into the summer residence of the Spanish royal family. Royal weddings and baptisms where held in La Granja, international metetings were held and treaties were signed in the Palace too.
Unfortunately, a huge fire in 1918 destroyed a large part of the interior decor of the Royal Palace, but it is still worth a visit, as some original frescoes remain and it hosts a stunning Marble Hall (Sala de Mármoles) completely made of marble and huge Rococo mirrors.
Getting there
The Palace is in Real Sitio de La Granja de San Ildefonso, in the province of Segovia, 13 km from Segovia town, through road CL-601. Seeing the fountains of La Granja at work can be a beautiful ending to your visit to the amazing historical town of Segovia, one of the highlights of Spain!
If you stay in Madrid, La Granja is 97 km through motorways A-6 and AP-61. The last section has a toll. It takes around 1h15 without traffic.
You can also take the shortest (but slowest) route through Guadarrama mountain pass (Puerto de Guadarrama), to enjoy the landscape. It’s 77 km from Madrid that way.
By bus: Avanzabus runs buses from Madrid (Moncloa) to Segovia. Then take a bus Segovia-La Granja (run by Linecar, every 45 minutes).
You can also arrive in Segovia by high-speed train AVE from Madrid. It’s around 25 minutes but the station is in the town’s outskirts. Take bus 25 from the high-speed train station of the bus station of Segovia, where buses to La Granja depart from.
2021 La Granja fountains schedule
The fountains use a lot of water, so they don’t run continuously. They open on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays (plus some bank holidays) in June, July and August from 5:30 pm. Enter the gardens at 5 pm or earlier, so you have enough time to arrive at the first fountain.
The fountains have reopened in 2021 after a closure due to the pandemic. Entrance is limited to 400 people so we highly recommend you to purchase your tickets in advance in the website of Patrimonio Nacional. Tickets are available 2 weeks before the date.
Tickets cost 4€ per person. It used to be free, but it doesn’t seem much for a unique show like this one.
There is a guide who will tell you where the next fountain is. 4 fountains are opened on regular days. On 30th May, 25th July and 25th August, 7 fountains are opened.
El Canastillo, Las Ranas and La Fama fountains are always part of the show. On regular days, Ocho Calles or Baños de Diana are opened alternatively each week.
The water show of Baños de Diana is more stunning than Ocho Calles. In 2021 it will open on the following weeks: 5th and 19th June & 3rd 17th and 31st July.
The fountains of the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso
- Royal Palace
- Collegiate Church
- Entrance to the gardens
- El Canastillo
- Ocho Calles
- Las Ranas
- Baños de Diana
- La Fama
- Upper Dragon Fountain
- Cascada Nueva
El Canastillo
El Canastillo (meaning “small basket”) is the first fountain of the ordinary show (on extraordinary 7-fountain shows, La Selva and Carreras de Caballos are opened before). This fountain is at a higher altitude and further from the Palace than those coming next.
All fountains start slowly, and El Canastillo even more, but don’t get too confident… when the water jets reach its highest pressure, you’ll certainly get wet if you’re close!
Ocho Calles
Ocho Calles (“Eight Streets”) is the central square of La Granja’s gardens – 8 streets run from it at 45º intervals.
On each of the 8 corners stands a fountain representing a character of classical mythology, these are: the Victory, Hercules, Minerva, Mars, Neptune, Ceres, Saturn and Cybele. In the centre, a statue of Mercury.
These fountains are the least spectacular in the water show. The sculptures are beautiful, but the water jets are quite modest, like those you would find in any regular ornamental fountain.
Ocho Calles and Baños de Diana open alternately each week. Only both open on the same day during extraordinary shows. During our last visit, Ocho Calles was on.
Las Ranas (Frogs)
Fuente de las Ranas (Frogs Fountain) is arguably the most original and spectacular fountain in La Granja, even if La Fama‘s jet shoots higher.
Animal frogs and human-frogs make up 60 water spouts, carefully positioned. These frogs end up getting really crazy shooting water in all directions, but especially towards the statue of Leto in the centre of the fountain.
According to Greek mythology, Leto was the mother of Apollo and Artemis. This fountain is inspired in an episode in which Leto asked some peasants for water. Instead of helping her, they stirred the mud at the bottom of the pond where she could drink from.
As a punishment, she turned those peasants into frogs and now in this fountain they give her all the water she needs.
Baños de Diana
Baños de Diana (Diana’s baths) was the last fountain to be built in La Granja. It’s the largest fountain and that which consumes more water, but other fountains have higher jets. Its sculptures are also among the most beautiful in La Granja.
La Fama (The Fame)
La Granja’s Baroque fountain show always ends in Fuente de la Fama (Fame fountain).
La Fama provides a fantastic finale with its stunning 42 metre high jet!
This fountain represents the Fame riding a winged horse. From her flute, she spouts the famous jet up in the sky. Her horse steps on four warriors representing envy, evilness, baseness and ignorance.
Cascada Nueva (New Cascade)
Don’t leave after the show, explore the rest of the gardens! One of its highlights is the Cascada Nueva (“New Cascade”).
This is a monumental marble stairway that faces the Palace rear façade. Water flows through it, coming from the Three Graces Fountain (Fuente de las Tres Gracias) that crowns the Cascade. At its lowest point stands the Fountain of Amphitrite (Fuente de Anfítrite).
What more can you do in La Granja de San Ildefonso
Apart from visiting the building of the Royal Palace and its Collegiate Church, the Royal Factory of Glass and Crystal of La Granja (Real Fábrica de Cristales de La Granja).
This royal factory was established in 1770, following the Enlightenment ideals, and held the monopoly for glass and crystal manufacturing and sale to the royal sites in Spain.
The factory is still active as a public charity and manufactures fine glass with old techniques. It also hosts a museum that displays traditional glass objects made in La Granja in the 18th and 19th c. as well as a very interesting collection of modern glass and crystal artwork.
Where to eat in La Granja de San Ildefonso
La Granja de San Ildefonso is a very popular destination for people from Madrid because of the beauty of its nature, its palace and fountains… and the food.
The village has its own variety of giant white runner beans, judiones de La Granja. And in Segovia, cochinillo asado (roasted piglet) is the regional specialty. Restaurants in La Granja are pretty expensive, but you can eat well here.
If you want to taste a good roasted piglet (you should in the province of Segovia), we recommend you to eat in a restaurant where you have to order it in advance. Otherwise, it will most probably be reheated. Consider that it takes around 5 hours to roast a piglet in a wood-fired oven.
Reina XIV, next to the Queen’s Gate (Puerta de la Reina) and the Glass Factory, is one of those restaurants where you have to order cochinillo or roast lamb (cordero) at least the day before, so be sure it’s the proper thing.
But there is a lot more you can eat in La Granja. We had a great experience in La Yeguada, just outside of the village. Their menu is seasonal and includes venison recipes, traditional migas con torreznos, pasta filled with oxtail and even some exotic treats like Colombian empanadillas.
You can also eat at the Parador of La Granja. Paradores are always a guarantee of local cuisine and great quality, but also of high prices!
