Palacio de las Cortes, Madrid
The Palacio de las Cortes, on Plaza de las Cortes in central Madrid, is the seat of the Congreso de los Diputados, the lower house of the Spanish parliament. This post covers the history of the building, what there is to see, and how to book one of the free guided visits.
History of the building
In the first years of constitutional government Spain had no building made for a parliament, and the Cortes met in adapted theatres and churches. When a two-chamber parliament was created in 1834, one chamber met in the Convento de doña María de Aragón, which is now the seat of the Senate, and the other in the convent and church of the Espíritu Santo on Carrera de San Jerónimo. The Constitution of 1837 was the first to use the names Congreso de los Diputados and Senado for the two chambers.
By 1841 the church of the Espíritu Santo was close to ruin, and a new building for the Congreso was proposed for the same plot. A public competition held in 1842 was won by the architect Narciso Pascual y Colomer. Work began in 1843 and ended in 1850, and the royal opening session was held in the new building on 31 October. The Congreso describes it as one of the oldest parliament buildings in Europe, older than those of Berlin, London, Vienna and Budapest.
The general elections called in 1977 were for a Congreso de los Diputados of 350 members and a Senate, and those Cortes drew up the Constitution of 1978. Several neighbouring buildings have since been added to the complex for the committees and the parliamentary groups. The upper house sits elsewhere, in the Palacio del Senado.
What to see
On the main façade a flight of stairs climbs to a neoclassical portico. Six fluted Corinthian columns support a triangular pediment decorated with reliefs by the sculptor Ponciano Ponzano. The two lions that flank the entrance are by the same sculptor. According to Madrid’s tourist board they were cast from the iron of cannons captured during the Spanish-Moroccan War. Under the pediment is the engraved bronze main door, which is opened only on special occasions.
The building has a symmetrical ground plan. Its best-known rooms are the assembly hall (salón de sesiones), the library and the conference hall, known as the salón de los pasos perdidos (hall of lost steps). Portraits, tapestries and furniture decorate the rooms.
The guided visit enters through the Puerta de los Leones and the main vestibule, the Vestíbulo de Isabel II. It passes through the Salón de los Pasos Perdidos and two writing rooms, the Escritorio del Reloj and the Escritorio de la Constitución, and reaches the Hemiciclo, where the plenary sessions are held. A recent renovation there has covered most of the bullet holes left by the shots fired during the attempted coup of 1981. The visit continues on the first floor through the Portrait Gallery, the Sala Mariana Pineda and the Sala Constitucional.
Visiting in 2026
All visits are free and all need a booking in advance. These are the rules on the Congreso’s visits page in October 2026:
- Individual visits: Fridays at 12:00, booked online. Booking opens at 13:00 on the Saturday before the visit. The Saturday visits (10:30, 11:15 and 12:00) are suspended until further notice.
- Groups: Monday to Thursday from 9:00 to 13:30 and from 16:00 to 18:00, and Fridays from 9:00 to 13:00. A school, cultural body or association applies by letter or by email to [email protected]. A group has at most 50 people, and school pupils must be in at least the first year of ESO (compulsory secondary education).
- Exhibition: the permanent exhibition Democracia Parlamento Constitución, in the basement under the assembly hall, normally has visits on Mondays at 12:00. These are temporarily suspended for maintenance work.
There are no visits in August or on public holidays. Every visit depends on the work of the chamber and can be cancelled for institutional or parliamentary events. Visitors show a DNI (Spanish identity card) or a passport at the entrance. Sharp objects and containers with liquids or gels are not allowed inside. Photographs of the rooms are permitted during the tour, but not of the staff or the security personnel.
The tourist board also notes open days in the week of 6 December, the Day of the Spanish Constitution.
Watching a plenary session
People aged 18 or over can attend a plenary session from the public gallery. Places are booked online. Registration opens exactly one month before each session, and each request covers at most 2 people and one session. Groups can attend by arrangement if the members are at least 18 or are in the first year of Bachillerato. Photographs and recordings are not allowed during a session.
Getting there
The address is Plaza de las Cortes, 1. The nearest metro stations are Banco de España and Sevilla, both on line 2, and Sol on lines 1, 2 and 3. Cercanías local trains stop at Madrid-Sol. The Prado Museum is in the same part of the city.
For students of law, politics or Spanish, a visit or a seat in the public gallery is a direct way to see how the parliament works. The Madrid city page lists universities and schools in the city.
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