Why go

The Retiro is where Madrid comes to breathe. Once the garden of the Buen Retiro Palace, a royal retreat built in the 1630s, it opened to the public in the 19th century and is now the city’s favourite place to walk, run, row and picnic. Together with the Paseo del Prado it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2021, listed as the Landscape of Light.

It is a short walk uphill from the Prado, so it pairs perfectly with a morning in the museums. Weekends are the best time to see it at its liveliest, with puppet shows, buskers, rollerbladers and families out on the lake.

What to see

  • The Great Pond. The rectangular lake, built between 1634 and 1636, once staged water shows and mock naval battles for the court. Today you can hire one of about 100 rowing boats.
  • Monument to Alfonso XII. The colonnade and equestrian statue by Mariano Benlliure, inaugurated in 1922, overlooking the lake.
  • Palacio de Cristal. A glass and iron pavilion from 1887 beside a small lake, used for contemporary art. It is closed for works in late 2026.
  • Palacio de Velázquez. A brick exhibition hall run by the Reina Sofía, with free shows.
  • La Rosaleda. The rose garden, at its best in May and June.
  • The Fallen Angel. A rare public statue of Lucifer, on a fountain in the south of the park.

Plan your visit

The park is free and open every day, from 6am to midnight between April and September and from 6am to 10pm between October and March. Some areas may close when there is a weather warning, such as strong wind.

Rowing boats run every day from 10am to 2pm and again from 3.15pm until dusk, which means anywhere from 5.15pm in winter to 8.30pm in summer. Each boat takes up to four people. There are no boats on 24, 25 and 31 December or 1 January, and two boats are adapted for wheelchair users. You can book through the Madrid Móvil app, which helps on busy weekends.

A free audio tour of 38 stops, in Spanish, English and sign language, is available by scanning QR codes around the park. Allow an hour for a loop of the lake and the Palacio de Cristal, or a half day if you want to row, picnic and see the gardens.

Getting there

The main entrance faces the Puerta de Alcalá on Plaza de la Independencia, by Retiro Metro station on line 2. The southern gates are near Estación del Arte and Atocha, and the Prado and Royal Botanical Garden are just across the road on the western side.

Nearby

The Puerta de Alcalá, the Palacio de Cibeles and the Prado are all within ten minutes’ walk, and the elegant streets of the Salamanca district start on the park’s northern edge.

Good to know

There are cafés and kiosks around the lake, but prices are higher than in the surrounding streets, so a picnic is the local way to do it. Paths are wide and mostly flat, which makes the park easy with a pushchair or wheelchair, though some gardens have gravel. In July and August, come early in the morning or after 7pm, when the heat eases and the park fills with people again.