There's more to Spain's capital than buildings and museums. Madrid is a city full of green spaces that you won't want to miss on your next visit. After a comfortable journey on Renfe trains, come and enjoy the tranquillity of Madrid's parks and gardens.
This 118-hectare historic garden and public park is home to 19,000 trees of 167 different species, in addition to numerous architectural ensembles, sculptures and landscape features dating from the 17th to the 21st century. Some of the best-known are the Alfonso XII Monument, Crystal Palace, Great Pond, Parterre Gardens, Gate of Philip IV, Royal Astronomical Observatory, Artichoke Fountain, and the Romanesque Sanctuary of San Pelayo and San Isidro. A curious feature of the park is the Fallen Angel square, which stands 666 metres above sea level, reinforcing the modern popular belief that this sculpture is a tribute to Lucifer.
Covering 1,722.60 hectares, it is Madrid's largest public park (twice the size of the Bois de Boulogne in Paris). Named after a Renaissance country house, it was once owned by the Spanish Crown and was used as a royal hunting reserve. Opened to the public on 1 May 1931, you'll find an amusement park, zoo, cable car, the Madrid Arena pavilion, the Palacio de los Vargas, the Crane Gallery, the Snake Bridge, the Train Bridge, numerous remains of the Civil War, and various sports areas.
Located opposite the north facade of the capital's Royal Palace, these gardens were built in the 1930s, following the proclamation of the Second Republic, on the site of the former royal stables. Following a competition, the architect Fernando García Mercadal from Zaragoza designed the gardens.
This garden was declared to be of historic-artistic interest in 1931 and covers an area of nearly 20 hectares. Its main characteristic is that it has a pronounced gradient, caused by the ravine between the Royal Palace and the banks of the Manzanares River. These gardens were laid out in 1844 by the architect Narciso Pascual y Colomer, but they were not actually laid out until the end of the 19th century.
Founded in 1755, the Royal Botanical Garden comprise four staggered terraces featuring plants from America, the Pacific and Europe: bonsai terrace, botanical school terrace, flowerbed terrace, laurel terrace. Numerous scientific collections are housed here, and the National Research Centre is also located in the garden.
The Temple of Debod is a funerary structure from ancient Egypt, which that country donated to Spain in 1968. That same year, Manuel Herrero Palacios designed 8 hectares of gardens to enhance the temple and allow it to shine in all its splendour. The temple was installed in the same solar orientation as in its country of origin. This garden affords superb views of Casa de Campo, Parque del Oeste and also the mountains.
Fancy getting lost in these gardens, where you can meditate, relax, take a stroll or do whatever else takes your fancy? Book your Renfe train tickets now and enjoy the peace and quiet of Madrid's parks.
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Did you like our suggestions? Well, there is a lot more where that came from! Discover other original things to do in Madrid with Renfe.