The Casa del Labrador is a small neoclassical palace at the eastern end of the Jardín del Príncipe, built in the 1790s by Carlos IV as a private retreat away from the main palace. Its exterior is restrained and elegant, but the interior is a baroque and neoclassical fantasia: gilded decoration, painted ceilings in the Pompeian style, a collection of classical sculpture, and rooms furnished with extraordinary attention to period detail.
The Platinum Room and the Billiard Room are particularly memorable, and the Gabinete de Platino — with its walls encrusted in inlaid platinum and semi-precious stones — is a genuinely astonishing piece of decorative excess. Visits are by guided tour only, which departs from the main ticket office in the Jardín del Príncipe. Allow an extra hour if you plan to visit after the main palace.