La Granja de San Ildefonso is located on the north side of the Guadarrama Mountains about 80 kms from Madrid and close to the city of Segovia. The area used to be very popular among the Spanish Monarchs as a hunting ground. In 1721, Philip V ordered to build a Royal Palace with vast gardens in the style of Versailles, that soon became the preferred summer residence of the Spanish Kings for the next two centuries. Nowadays the Palace is used as a museum, whereas the gardens are famous for the fountain shows that can only be seen on selected dates.