Spring in Madrid has a Japanese name and a must-see stop in Barajas. The so-called “sakura route” in Juan Carlos I Park has become one of the city’s most special botanical walks: a free tour that winds through hundreds of cherry trees in bloom and ends, quite literally, in a small jungle under glass, right in the heart of the park.
The origin of this pink scene lies in a gesture made just over a decade ago. The Japanese Community Association in Madrid donated around 200 cherry trees to the City Council, which were planted in a corner of Juan Carlos I Park that, over the years, has become the best place to enjoy hanami without leaving the M-30. Today, it is estimated that there are nearly 300 cherry trees in the park, of different varieties (including Somei Yoshino and Shidare Yoshino), scattered in clusters that in spring dye the meadows and hillsides white and pink.
When they bloom, the effect is that of a pink tunnel, thanks to their branches laden with flowers, green grass below, and families, couples, and onlookers spreading out blankets in the shade, mimicking the Japanese tradition of picnicking under the sakura. There is no admission fee or reservation required: simply arrive at the park, follow the paths that skirt the lake, and let the pink canopies guide you.
The botanical trail: from the green belt to the greenhouse “jungle”
Juan Carlos I is one of Madrid’s largest parks, with a ring-shaped layout that is visible from the air due to its proximity to the airport. The cherry blossom trail takes advantage of this circular design to offer a botanical walk that combines open landscapes, outdoor art, and very distinct plant microclimates.
Many guided tours and organized walks begin at the Campo de las Naciones metro station (Line 8) and head into the park toward the Estufa Fría, the large central greenhouse. Along the way, visitors can identify the park’s signature species, including centuries-old olive trees, pines, poplars, and grassy meadows, until reaching the cherry tree area, where spring bursts forth in a shower of petals. From there, the route continues inward until it enters the Estufa Fría, that exhibition greenhouse which, viewed from the outside, appears as a discreet glass structure and, on the inside, opens up like a veritable botanical jungle.
The Cold Greenhouse is the park’s hidden treasure: a free greenhouse housing a Japanese garden, a pond with aquatic plants, and collections of bamboos, succulents, cycads, palms, acidophilic plants, citrus trees, and other species rarely found in typical parks. As soon as you walk through the door, the atmosphere changes: the temperature is milder, the humidity rises, and the vegetation thickens to form corridors of large leaves and tall canopies that justify the nickname “jungle under glass.”