El Retiro

El Retiro was laid out in the 1630s as the grounds of a palace built for Philip IV, opened partially to the public in the eighteenth century and fully after 1868, and it covers about 125 hectares in the middle of Madrid. It was inscribed by UNESCO in 2021 as part of the Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro landscape. Its set pieces are the rectangular estanque with rowing boats and the Alfonso XII monument behind it, the Palacio de Cristal of 1887, a glass and iron pavilion built for an exhibition and now used for contemporary art installations, and the Rosaleda rose garden. A Montezuma cypress near the Parterre, planted around 1633, is thought to be the oldest tree in Madrid.

What you actually see

• The estanque - a rectangular lake with rowing boats and a colonnade monument.
• The Palacio de Cristal - an 1887 glass pavilion used for art installations.
• The Rosaleda - a rose garden at its best in May and June.
• The ancient cypress - a tree planted around 1633, Madrid's oldest.

When to go

Spring and autumn; the roses peak in May, and autumn colour is good in November. Sunday afternoons bring drummers, performers and crowds to the lake area. Summer middays are hot even under the trees.

Honest expectations

The park is crowded at weekends, particularly around the lake. The Palacio de Cristal's installations change and are sometimes closed between shows. Rowing boats queue in season.

Nearby

The Prado and the Reina Sofia are on the western side; Atocha station lies south.