You can get a view from the steps of the cathedral but that is quite a long distance away. You can then nip through a side gate and try to see over the heads of everybody else to watch the ceremony proper. They then march up to the Cathedral side of the palace and enter the main courtyard for the ceremony. The ceremony starts at midday (mas o menos) and if you stand on the Plaza Oriente side of the palace you can see the troops and cavalry and the band forming up. On the day (first Wednesday of the month except in July and August), the palace is closed until after the ceremony is completed. The Royal Palaces website only says that the palace hosts "Other important acts including. Maybe it’s just me but I found it very difficult to find information about this event.
A lot of people sat on the cathedral steps or stood at the gate but later when we did a tour of the cathedral museum, we found that the best place was on the cathedral balcony before going up the dome. It was interesting to see horses misbehave and for soldiers to be chatting. There were various troops of lancers and cavaliers changing in there beautiful horses (a troop seemed to be of either all black, all brown or all white horses which made it so much neater). A lot of people were queuing at the palace and we found out that these were going to be inside the gates but standing at the gates gave a better view of the soldiers getting ready to come in to the "procession". We arrived at the palace gates early but were surprised that it wasn't as packed as we had expected. This happens at 11am every Wednesday but an extra special one takes place on the first Wednesday at noon and lasts close to an hour. We were told about this event by my aunt who had been in Madrid a few weeks before and said that it was worth a look. Centro can be touristy (pickpockets are unfortuately not unheard-of here), crowded, and sometimes gimmicky, but it is also the place to experience classic Madrid. Plaza Isabel II (also known as “Opera”) is smaller and a good meeting spot, and the stately Plaza del Oriente is the front yard of the Royal Palace. The nearby Plaza Mayor, completely enclosed by historic red buildings, is an ideal place to grab a bite to eat outside, amidst scores of tables and people out for a stroll. The iconic Puerta del Sol is the giant crossroads of the city and a must-see attraction at any time of the day. Some of these side streets are wide pedestrian shopping routes, and some are hidden, so it's possible to duck in and out of the bustle as desired. Expansive plazas, local and foreign crowds, street performers, colorful lights, window shopping, restaurant signs promising the best paella, ham, and churros con chocolate- this is downtown Madrid, a collection of plazas interconnected by a network of side streets.
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