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Madrid has some lovely parks
and gardens both in the
city center and in the suburbs.
Here is a guide to our favourite
parks in Madrid.
- Campo del Moro: These
form part of the the gardens
belonging to the Palacio
Real togehter with
the palace's own gardens
and the 'Jardines
de Atenas'. They
are located on the banks
of the Manzanares river.
- Dehesa de la Villa:
Located to the north
of the university campus.
It is an area where the
inhabitants of Madrid can
have a relaxing stroll.
- Montes del Pardo:
Located on the Monte del
Pardo 15 kms from Madrid
on the road to la Coruña.
The hill covers 16,000 hectares
and is a national park.
its plants and flowers are
typical to the Mediterranean.
The Palacio del Pardo,
the Palacio de la
Zarzuela (official
residence to the Spanish
Royal family) and the Palacio
de la Quinta are
all located on this hill.
- The Fuente del Berro
Park: c/ Jorge Juan
(al final). These consist
of some very old, pretty
gardens, Carlos V, Felipe
II and Isabel II...used
to take a stroll in them
and drink from the fountain
(Fuente del Berro),
whose waters were said to
be very beneficial. It is
located next to the M-30.
- Parque del Capricho:
Avda. de Logroño
on the Alameda de Osuna.
These gardens belong to
the Dukes of Osuna and date
back to the 18th century.
They are very pretty and
you can see the palace,
a temple dedicated to the
god Baco, the jetty and
the pavillion. They have
been considered as special
historic gardens since 1942
and won a prize 'Europa
Nostra' in 2002.
- Parque del Oeste:
Pº Pintor Rosales.
Also known as the
Parque de Rosales.
This terrain was bought
by Felipe II with the intention
of joining the Monte
del Pardo with the
Palacio Real.
It was designed by Cecilio
Rodríguez and has
many different kinds of
roses.
- Parque del Retiro:
c/ Alcalá/Pº
del Prado. Located between
la Puerta de Alcalá
and the Prado Museum. Built
by Felipe IV in the 17th
century. There was also
a palace on this site although
now the only parts of the
palace that remain are the
Casón del Buen
Retiro and the Salón
de Reinos, (now
the Military museum). Until
1869 the park was used exculsively
by the Royal family. The
park has many different
types of trees although
the Madroño tree
which is typical to Madrid
stands out. There are also
several buildings in the
park: the Palacio
de Cristal and the
Palacio de Velazquez
designed by Ricardo Velazquez
Bosco; the Observatory and
the Casita del Pescador
(built by Fernando VII).
This park is a meeting place
for many of Madrid's inhabitants
who enjoy strolling around,
riding their bikes, skating,
sunbathing or rowing on
the lake. You also get street
theatre, buskers...etc.
There is a book fair twice
a year in May and in September.
-
Parque Juan Carlos I:
M-40 next to the tradefair
centre. Located in a former
olive grove. It has a large
lake, fountains, hundreds
of years old olive trees,
a golf course and a lot
of vegetation. At present
it lacks shade but this
should improve in the future
when the newly planted trees
have grown bigger.
- Parque Tierno Galván:c/
Mendez Alvaro. Next to the
M-30 and near the Atocha
station. This is one of
the few green areas to the
south of Madrid. There is
a planetarium and a Museum
(the Museo Angel Nieto).
- Real Jardín
Botánico: in
the Plaza Murillo, 2. Located
next to the Prado Museum.
Built by Carlos III in 1781.
It has a large number of
plants and trees from the
Philippines and South America.
- Jardines del Descubrimiento:
Located on the Paseo
de Recoletos between calle
Goya, Calle Jorge Juan and
calle Serrano, in the middle
of the commercial area.
It is next to the National
Library and the Archeological
Museum. An ideal place to
relax in the middle of the
city.
- Casa de Campo:
1700 hectares of mediterranean
forest, just a few kilomteres
from the Plaza de
España and
old Madrid (see Palacio
Real). Built by
Felipe II, to be his hunting
grounds. At present it includes
Madrid's Zoo, Waterpark
and Fair.
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Travel
guides to Spain
