Aranjuez

Aranjuez is a former royal summer residence on the banks of the Tagus, built by the Spanish Bourbons as a green, garden-filled counterpoint to Madrid's dry plateau. The Royal Palace and its surrounding gardens are the reason to come, along with the town's long tradition of market-garden produce, especially strawberries and asparagus. It's a gentler, more relaxed day trip than the hill towns, with flat walking through tree-lined avenues rather than steep old-town streets.