It is made up of an extensive territory, the axis of which is the Tagus River. There are three areas of great natural and monumental interest. The best known is the palace core (Palace, Casas de Oficios and Patio de Caballeros, Casa del Labrador) and the royal gardens (Príncipe, Rey, Isla, Parterre, Princesita).

The area of the orchards, tree-lined streets and squares, as well as the hydraulic system that makes this orchard possible, are of great historical interest. They were laid out in the 16th century following Renaissance principles of geometry and perspective. The vast space is the oldest example of large-scale gardening in the world.

The third element of the cultural landscape of Aranjuez is the court city, an 18th-century historic quarter inspired by the classical principles of the ideal city and enlightened hygiene, with grid streets and a drinking water supply. The Royal Theatre, the bullring, the market, the hospital of San Carlos, palaces, hotels and service buildings, churches and convents dot the streets of a cosmopolitan city, to which diplomats, artists and travellers flocked. And in the centre, the Plaza de San Antonio, the largest classical arcaded square in Spain.

The exceptional nature and universality of Aranjuez, recognised by UNESCO, is due first and foremost to the masterpiece status of its town planning, gardens and architecture. But this environment also witnessed scientific, cultural and technological innovation: botany, agricultural science, gastronomy, hydraulic engineering and the railway.