Asvacor Apartamento Palacio De Viana

We wandered around the lovely winter patios on our own after the tour, and they were beautiful. First, though, we joined the Spanish tour of the palace living quarters with Antonio. The collections were amazing, and since photography isn’t allowed indoors, seeing the palace for yourself is a real surprise. Antonio explained the history with lots of detail and fun facts. His Spanish was clear and at a pace that non-native speakers like us could follow. I wish his voice were used for our Spanish listening exams! A really enjoyable afternoon, with a great guide and beautiful palace and gardens.

The palace is gorgeous and full of inspiration, and the gardens are amazing. There’s so much art inside, along with books, furnishings, tapestries and even antique guns. When you book the tour, a guide takes you upstairs to the private rooms, including the kitchen, and explains where most of the items came from, often different countries. Our tour was in Spanish, but we had an English pamphlet.

The gardens were all pretty, with fountains and colorful flowers, and everything looked very well cared for. I bought a gardens ticket and was pleasantly surprised that it also included a few lovely rooms.

We just walked through the mansion's patios, which were lovely to see and really peaceful. They were much cooler than the streets in the summer heat. You can visit the house itself too, but that’s by guided tour.