El Retiro Park is one of the loveliest in Madrid, and since 2021 it’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with the nearby Paseo del Prado (the “Landscape of Light”).
Inside, besides a huge variety of plants, you’ll find a lake, a rose garden and a commemorative grove. And then genuine works of art, like the splendid Crystal Palace and the monument to Alfonso XII.
Come and discover them with me!
The history of El Retiro Park in Madrid
El Retiro Park lies a stone’s throw from the Prado Museum and Plaza de Cibeles. It was private property of the kings of Spain from the 17th century, when Philip IV had the Buen Retiro Palace built here, enriching it with statues and fountains.
The royal palace was largely lost when Napoleonic troops camped here, in 1808, turning the gardens into a fortress. The Retiro finally became a public park in 1868, after the “Glorious” Revolution, and has belonged to the people of Madrid ever since.
Today it stretches over more than 125 hectares, with over 15,000 trees: a true green lung in the heart of the city.
The Crystal Palace
Between exhibition spaces, a small artificial hill and numerous monuments, the jewel of the park is without doubt the splendid Crystal Palace (Palacio de Cristal). It was built in 1887 by the architect Ricardo Velázquez Bosco to host the Exhibition of the Philippine Islands, and later used as a greenhouse. Today its magnificent architecture remains, isolated and reflected in a small lake, used for contemporary art exhibitions (often linked to the Reina Sofía museum).
The model was London’s Crystal Palace, destroyed by fire in 1936. This masterpiece was very avant-garde for its time, being built entirely of iron and glass: stepping inside, on a sunny day, is like being in a bubble of light.
The lake and the monument to Alfonso XII
At the centre of the park opens the great lake (estanque), where you can rent a rowing boat and spend a pleasant hour among ducks and swans. In the background rises the majestic monument to Alfonso XII, designed by the architect José Grases Riera and inaugurated in 1922: a great colonnaded exedra overlooking the water, some thirty metres tall. At weekends, all around, drummers, jugglers and street artists gather: the atmosphere is lively indeed.
The Bosque del Recuerdo
Within the park there’s also the Bosque del Recuerdo (the “forest of remembrance”, once Bosque de los Ausentes), inaugurated in 2005. It’s a silent, moving memorial: 192 trees - cypresses and olives -, one for each of the victims of the attacks of 11 March 2004 (11-M), when ten bombs exploded on four commuter trains bound for Atocha station. A place that invites reflection, just steps from the cheer of the lake.
The Rosaleda, the Retiro’s rose garden
In El Retiro Park there’s also an enchanting rose garden, the Rosaleda, created by the gardener Cecilio Rodríguez in 1915, inspired by the Bagatelle rose garden in Paris.
Today it holds about 4,000 roses of many varieties, and the ideal time to visit is between May and June, when it’s in full bloom. A curiosity: this area of the park was originally a pond, used by the people of Madrid to ice-skate on the rare winter days when it froze.
The nearby Royal Botanical Garden
Another unmissable “green” stop, a short walk from the Retiro and the Prado, is the Real Jardín Botánico. Founded in 1755 by King Ferdinand VI (and moved to its current site next to the Prado by Charles III in 1781), it holds over 5,000 plant species from all over the world. Even in winter it shows off a great variety: imagine how lush it is in summer!
Practical information
Entry to El Retiro Park is free and the park is open every day until evening (generally from 6 am to 10 pm, with reduced hours in winter). It’s easily reached by metro (Retiro, Ibiza or Atocha stops) and is the perfect green break between a visit to the Prado and one to the Reina Sofía.
Since it’s a UNESCO site but all there to be “read”, to discover the stories behind the Crystal Palace and the monuments you can also join a guided tour of the Retiro: entry stays free, but the guide adds the whole story.
And you - would you like to row on the Retiro’s lake with the Crystal Palace glittering in the distance?
