Between its healing properties, its aroma and its undeniable charm, the rose could be considered the queen of flowers. Madrid is one of the European capitals where its petals shine when spring arrives, and there are two free access places where it enjoys a special prominence.
The Retiro Rose Garden
The first is the Retiro Rose Garden. There are few plans in Madrid as romantic as strolling through here. This historic garden, with arches full of vegetation and hidden fountains, shines between the months of May and June, when its 4,000 rose bushes reach the peak of their beauty.
The Rose Garden, located very close to the famous statue of the Fallen Angel, is a reconstruction of a project designed by Cecilio Rodriguez, Jardinero Mayor de la Villa, in the 1910s. To carry it out, he was inspired by European rose gardens such as Bois de Boulogne (Paris).
Its sophisticated air did not save the beautiful garden from the Civil War. The conflict left this corner of Madrid partially destroyed, causing the greenhouse that the Marquis of Salamanca ordered to be installed there to be lost forever.
This did not prevent that, in the forties, all the rose bushes were replaced, as well as other elements of the space. Today it offers a great visual spectacle with its roses of different sizes and colors.
📍Location: accesses from the Fernán Nuñez oaseo and the Paseo de Uruguay.
Hours: in winter, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and in summer, from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.
The Parque del Oeste
The second place that rose lovers should not miss is the Rose Garden of the Parque del Oeste. In this corner of Madrid, of about 32,000 square meters, there are 20,000 rose bushes of 650 varieties.
It preserves a veritable banquet of flora, and for this it has received some international recognition: the Word Federation of Rose Societies awarded the space the Award of Garden Excellence, so it is, officially, an exceptional rose garden in the world.
📍Location: Calle Rosaleda, 1 (Argüelles)
Hours: from November 1 to March 1, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm;from March 1 to April 15, from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm;from April 16 to September 15, from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm, andfrom September 16 to October 31, from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm.