Palacio de las Dueñas, Antonio Machado's birthplace

Antonio Machado · 1875-1939 · Seville

Visit the palace in Seville where Antonio Machado was born and which he remembered in his verses, now a residence of the House of Alba.

Schedule

Every day · 10:00 to 19:00 from April to September and 10:00 to 18:00 from October to March

Admission

€15 · €11 concession · free on Monday afternoons, with booking

Address

Calle Dueñas, 5, 41003 Sevilla

Visits

Self-guided with audio guide app · guided tour with an official guide

The house

The house where Machado was born

“My childhood is memories of a patio in Seville, / and a bright orchard where the lemon tree ripens.” With these lines from Fields of Castile, Antonio Machado recalled the first eight years of his life, the ones he spent in the Palacio de las Dueñas.

The poet was born here in 1875 because his father, Antonio Machado Álvarez, was a tenant and the administrator of the palace, which in the 19th century had been turned into a tenement, with its halls divided up by partition walls. Years later, in Nuevas canciones, he would remember it once more: “It is the palace where I was born, with its murmuring fountain.”

Built between the 15th and 16th centuries, the palace has belonged to the House of Alba since 1612 and is still one of its residences. Today you can explore its courtyards, gardens and halls.

One of the palace rooms, full of paintings, posters and mementoes of the House of Alba.

What you'll see on the visit

The courtyards and gardens

The gardens blend Renaissance and Islamic styles, with plant species and floral arrangements from all over the world. They are the patio in Seville and the bright orchard that Machado evoked in his verses.

The halls and the chapel

The palace combines Gothic-Mudéjar and Renaissance architecture. You'll walk through its halls and chapel, with tapestries, paintings, ornamental fountains and even Holy Week posters.

The art collection

The palace holds more than 1,400 works of art, including some by painters such as Anguissola and Sorolla.

The Duchess of Alba's home

It was the favourite place of Cayetana, Duchess of Alba, and figures such as Empress Eugénie de Montijo, Alfonso XIII, Jacqueline Kennedy and Grace Kelly have walked through its gardens.

Additional information

In the footsteps of Machado

Machado later lived in other cities that still bear his mark. In Segovia you can visit the Antonio Machado House Museum, the guesthouse where he lived for more than a decade, and in Baeza you can explore his haunts on the Antonio Machado literary free tour.

Plan your visit

Free entry on Mondays that aren't public holidays, from 16:00, must be booked on the palace website: once it's sold out, you can't get in without a booking.

Book a visit

Additional information

You can show your voucher on your phone
Admission includes the audio guide app in Spanish
Concession tickets for over-65s, children aged 6 to 16, unemployed people, students under 25 and disabled people, with proof shown at the ticket office
Under-6s get in free
Most areas are accessible, with accessible toilets and free wheelchair loan (you need to be accompanied)
No pets allowed
Tickets are non-refundable

Opening hours and closures