El Retiro Park

The Buen Retiro Park, or El Retiro Park for short, is one of the largest parks in Madrid. With the size of 118 hectares, it is an impressive green space in the heart of the city.

There are many things to see and explore in this magnificent green area of Madrid. There is a Crystal Palace, a conservatory with art exhibitions, a Rose Garden, where you can enjoy different types of roses and smell them, a lake, a statue walk and more.

Quick facts

• Name: El Retiro Park
• Location: Madrid, Spain
• Built: 1868
• Type of attraction: Architectural/Park
• Ticket price: Free

It is well maintained and manicured park and you can spend hours there without getting bored.

This large urban park was created in the middle of the 17th century for King Felipe IV to enjoy. Despite being partially destroyed during the War of Independence, the park regained its charm and elegance and was opened to the public.

Here are some attractions and points of interest from the park:

The gardens contain a big artificial lake, “Estanque”, where many locals and tourists rent rowboats to explore the  or board a larger boat that circles the pond. It is fairly near to the Puerta de Alcalá’s main entrance.

The magnificent monument to King Alfonso XII, which was inaugurated in 1922 and is positioned on the shore of the artificial lake, is located on the edge of the artificial lake. On Sundays, artists congregate near this monument to perform a variety of musical instruments.

The Crystal Palace (Palacio de Cristal) was built in 1887 in a woodland region with a tiny artificial lake full of little tortoises, and it now houses a number of contemporary shows. It was designed with the intention of being utilized as a greenhouse.

Palacio de Velázquez (Velázquez Palace): This art gallery, which is quite close to the Palacio de Cristal, always has temporary art exhibitions and is free to visit: For art lovers, this is a must-see.

The Paseo de la Argentina, also known as the Paseo de las Estatuas (English: Statue Boulevard), is a large promenade with two lines of statues honoring Spain’s rulers. Ferdinand VI commissioned the first statues to adorn the Royal Palace.

Address of the park: Plaza de la Independencia, 7, 28001 Madrid, Spain

• The Rose Garden is home to over 4,000 roses.
• The enclosed Jardines de Cecilio Rodríguez is filled with peacocks.
• The park was originally created as a retreat for Royal family of Spain and later opened for public.

Read more: Interesting facts about El Retiro Park