Madrid, which in 2020 and in 2021 was recognized by the UN as a Tree City of the World, half fulfills this idea: most of the parks and gardens are spread out in the suburbs.
The most central park in Madrid is an emblem, a plan in itself and a flag that can be raised in any situation and by anyone. But talking about parks in Madrid is much more than talking about the Buen Retiro Gardens (which two hundred years ago, by the way, were a military fortress). Our parks collect stories, monuments and decorations, but above all shrubs, plants, trees and the possibility of making a free plan.
Here are our favorite parks and gardens in Madrid, enjoyable at any time of the year, but perhaps especially in spring.
1. Cultural Landscape of Aranjuez
“The abundance of fauna and flora of this valley caught the attention of nobles and kings since the twelfth century. Already at that time they appreciated the value of Aranjuez as a place for recreation and hunting.” The appointment corresponds to the Council of Europe, the highest level of political cooperation between the countries of the European Union. And precisely this organism considers that the Cultural Landscape of Aranjuez is one of the best gardens in Europe. It leads this list for a very simple reason: if it is one of the best gardens in Europe, how could it not be the best in Madrid?
2. El Retiro
It appears in all the tourist guides, it is the venue of our Book Fair, it hosts exhibitions, it has monuments that hide enigmas, castles of medieval appearance, a viewpoint located in an enviable location. Any definition of El Retiro will always be inaccurate, insufficient and unfair. Our most famous park is an oasis in a desert of asphalt.
3. El Capricho
The park of El Capricho is one of those bucolic oases that greens Madrid among so much traffic and blocks of apartments. This stately and historic garden has a peculiarity that attracts curious visitors during specific events of the year. We are talking about the bunker of the Civil War.
The Bunker of the Jaca Position (code name of the Headquarters of the Republican Army of the Center) is one of the most important military constructions in Europe due to the good condition it is in. It is a space built about 15 meters underground and has about 2,000 square meters. It was built in May 1937, when the Madrid Defense Board decided that the Republican high command should leave the basements of the Ministry of Finance to move to a safer location.
4. Fuente del Berro Park
With the image that precedes the description of this park, a game could be played: where in Spain does this image correspond to? Quite possibly, except for someone who has seen the waterfall or the author of the photo, almost no one would guess that we are talking about Fuente del Berro, which is precisely one of those places in Madrid that does not seem to be in Madrid. More than 13 hectares, a monument to Becquer, another statue to the Russian poet Pushkin, a palace, fountains, waterfalls, ponds (two!). A full-fledged park.
5. Quinta de los Molinos Park
This park, located at Calle Alcalá, 527, requires few introductions: the beauty of the spectacle of its almond trees in bloom is a typical postcard of mid-February, since these trees bloom between February and March ( last year, for example, took place in late February). This natural event is ephemeral and only lasts two or three weeks, during which most of the visits are concentrated.
It is precisely the almond blossom that has made this park so well known, and perhaps its fame has eclipsed the rest of the elements that are housed in its 28 hectares and that are also worth seeing. In the northern area, romantic landscape style, you can find a palace house, a pond or a stone picnic area and in the southern area, agricultural, you can see two reddish metal mills that come from the United States. In addition to all this, there are other varieties of trees such as pines, olive trees and eucalyptus.
6. Gardens of the Sorolla Museum
The Sorolla Museum is a secluded oasis in the Chamberí district (Calle General Martínez Campos, 37) and one of the most beautiful museums in Madrid. Perhaps it is perceived as such because, unlike other exhibition spaces in the city, it blends the work and life of the artist in the most natural and absolute way possible: turning what used to be his house into his own exhibition center.
But besides being able to know the paintings of this Valencian master of light while touring and visiting the different rooms of the house, perhaps one of the things that weigh more when considering its beauty are, precisely, its gardens. They are the first thing that welcomes visitors, isolating them from the bustle of the street, and are divided into two spaces inspired by the Trojan Garden of the Alcazar of Seville and Granada’s Generalife, respectively. There is a third garden with a pond, a sculptural group and a pergola. There, according to the Museum’s website, Sorolla used to sit with his family, and today visitors do. One of those “good things of passing into eternity” that Manel sang about.
7. Rose garden of the Parque del Oeste
It was inaugurated in 1955 and is also known as the “Ramón Ortiz” Rose Garden in honor of Don Ramón Ortiz Ferré, its ideologist and Director of Parks and Gardens of Madrid at the time. In 2006 it received the “Award of Garden Excellence” from the Word Federation of Rose Societies, which recognizes it as one of the most exceptional rose gardens in the world.
No wonder: its 32,000 square meters are home to nearly 20,000 rose bushes of more than 650 different varieties. The result is a beautiful explosion of color that every year is subjected to public scrutiny so that citizens can choose their favorite rose in the Popular Rose of Madrid Contest.
8. Casa de Campo
If we talk about important green spaces in Madrid can not miss, of course, the largest public park in the city: Casa de Campo, with more than 1,500 hectares of extension. In addition to hosting a wide variety of ecosystems and biodiversity, it has facilities such as the Casa de Campo Lake, the Amusement Park or the Cable Car, as well as other sports facilities.
9. Vistillas Gardens
It can be said that this tree-lined complex designed in the 1930s, in the heart of Madrid de los Austrias, is the most traditional of the city. Every San Isidro, thousands of chulapas and chulapos wiggle on the slopes of the old Vistillas hill, whose name comes from the monumental views of the Manzanares and Casa de Campo that can be glimpsed from its peak. The most characteristic feature of the park, besides the panoramic views, are the central stairs guarded by walls and lampposts.
At the top of the staircase, the Plaza de Gabriel Miró is the meeting place for the festivities of the patron saint of Madrid, where the stalls of entresijos and gallinejas and the main stage are spread out. Not surprisingly, one of the most characteristic sculptures in the gardens is the Violetera (or Celia Gámez dressed as a chulapa). The basilica of San Francisco el Grande and its dahlia garden are other wonders of the Vistillas Gardens. The incredible sunsets from the terraces at the top are still among the wonders of spring and summer in Madrid.
10. Mount El Pardo
Former refuge of hunters and military, El Pardo is, today, one of the least explored lungs of the city. At the western end of Fuencarral-El Pardo, less than 15 kilometers from the historic center, this immense sea of pasture oak groves, and dotted with cork oaks and pines, called the Monte de El Pardo is home to a large community of wild boar, fallow deer (the specialty of El Pardo‘s restaurants), hares and birds (it is a Special Bird Protection Area).
Few people know that this spectacular Mediterranean forest is one of the most important in Europe for its environmental value. In an area of almost 16,000 hectares, 120 varieties of flora coexist with more than 200 species of animals. Only 900 hectares (less than 6% of the park) can be visited. And it is there where, among other heritage jewels, the Royal Palace of El Pardo and the Casita del Príncipe are located. Access to the rest of the park is prohibited and fenced with a fence that runs 66 kilometers.
11. Dehesa de la Villa
Located northwest of Madrid, in the vast surroundings of Ciudad Universitaria, this large forest-like park totals 64 hectares of native vegetation and green areas. It is another of the great unknowns of metropolitan Madrid. The Dehesa de la Villa is perfectly conditioned, with benches and tables, for family picnics. It has become a green and hygienic refuge to celebrate meetings with friends.
Among its inhabitants, a huge variety of birds that roam freely among its poplars, ashes and elms, and fly over its viewpoints such as the Cerro de los Locos. And among its regulars, in addition to the residents of the Valdezarza neighborhood, cyclists ride daily along the network of lanes that wind around its characteristic shrubs, especially the broom, rosemary and rockroses. The Dehesa de la Villa also has basketball and petanque courts.
12. Sabatini Gardens
The most representative of these gardens, among the most beautiful places in Madrid de los Austrias, are its views of the north facade of the Royal Palace. In fact, they are named after the Italian architect Francesco Sabatini, who participated in the design of the monument. They are filled with white marble sculptures originally intended to decorate the palace. Their geometric shapes and the symmetrical arrangement of their elements reinforce their neoclassical style. All this contributes to the fact that they are considered by many to be one of the most romantic corners of the city.
13. Madrid River
Editorial credit: Brian Adamson / Flickr
This is one of the most ideal places in the city for outdoor sports. It covers a space of more than 10 kilometers in which to enjoy numerous lanes for running, skating, walking or cycling. It has areas dedicated to the enjoyment of other activities and also for children. Spread along both banks of the Manzanares, one of its most outstanding features are the bridges that cross it, such as the Toledo Bridge, the Segovia Bridge or the Matadero and Invernadero twins, among others.
14. Berlin Park
The charm of this park lies in the fact that it houses a little piece of German and world history, since the concrete blocks that protrude from its fountain are authentic pieces of the Berlin Wall. And this is not its only nod to the German capital. It also has a monument to the emblem of the city, a bear standing on its two hind legs, and one to Beethoven. That is why we can consider the Berlin Park another of those places in Madrid that allow you to travel to another corner of the world.
15. Campo del Moro Gardens
Behind the Royal Palace are the gardens of Campo del Moro, one of the essential and most stately gardens of the capital. It is fenced and has only one entrance, and its gates are open from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. It is not usually crowded, for how beautiful it is, which adds to its charm. It is one of the most bucolic parks in the city and hides the nineteenth-century pavilions and the Queen’s Chalet, which, although you can not visit inside, are buildings reminiscent of northern Europe and are unusual in the city. There are also loose peacocks and other caged birds.
16. Royal Botanical Garden
The Royal Botanical Garden is part of Madrid’ s cultural heritage. It was founded more than 200 years ago in the vicinity of the Manzanares River, and was moved to the Paseo del Prado, in the heart of the capital, during the reign of Charles III. Since the time of the Enlightenment, this magnificent green space has attracted the attention of many naturalists for its herbariums, which are of great international value. Even today, collections acquired during scientific expeditions of the 19th century are still collected in them.
This garden is open every day at 10:00 a.m. except on January 1 and December 25. There are some tricks to visit it for free. Of course: entrance costs 4€ most of the year. To access the exhibition pavilion, you will have to pay a supplement of 2€.
This article has been written by Isabel Nieto, Alberto del Castillo, Selene García Torreiro, Sara Morillo, and Elena Francés.