Madrid is a beautiful city with so many famous landmarks to see that the parks are often forgotten. Some of the best parks of Madrid are very close to the center of Madrid and are well worth the visit. I have spent countless hours with my kids in many of these parks. If we go for a walk, we always plan the route so we walk through one of the many parks, especially in the summer time.
It’s pretty easy to forget about the green spaces when you are seeing so many amazing sites in the city, but you should really consider visiting some of the parks in Madrid. It’s a really good way to cater for the kids to and make sure they are also having fun on the trip. Or a romantic walk with your partner, you can hire a bike or a scooter and take a ride around Retiro, visit the Botanical Gardens, take a nap on the grass.
There are many parks in Madrid that have activities for the whole families, others that are just to go and enjoy some quiet time. Whatever your reason, you really should make the time to visit some of the parks in Madrid, and I will do my best to give you my top picks and some information about each option.
So lets take a look at some of the best Parks in Madrid:
1 Retiro Park Madrid
Retiro park is the most well known in Madrid, and the most popular among travelers and locals. It’s spread over 125 hectares right in the heart of the city and has many gardens, sculptures, a crystal palace and a huge lake in the middle where you can rent a boat and enjoy the serenity away from the city.
Getting to the park is very convenient, just find your way to Puerta de Alcala and you will see the huge iron gates leading you in to the park. It is especially active on the weekends full of travelers, locals and families all enjoying different parts of this amazing green space.
You can simply take a stroll through the park, visit the crystal palace, get some pictures with all the sculptured and statues. But if you want a little more adventure, you can take a bike tour or a walking tour around the park with or without a guide and see as much of the park as you can .
If you make it to Retiro, make sure you go and check out the statue of the fallen angel, the Velazquez palace, and the a 400 year old Cypress in the rose garden recognized as the oldest tree in Madrid. No matter what your preference, there is something for everyone to do in Retiro park.
2 Casa de Campo
Spread over 1,700 hectares (that`s 5 times the size of new York’s central park!), casa de Campo is the largest park in Madrid. It’s great to spend a whole day out, have a picnic, go for a bike ride, a hike. You can even have a go on the Teleferico (cable cars) and get a birds-eye view of the park.
The Zoo & amusement Park of Madrid are also located here in Casa de Campo so you add this to the list of things to do. The park is very big and you wouldn’t be able to walk around it in a day, so taking a bike ride through Casa de Campo is your best bet to see as much of it as you can.
If you go far enough in the park, you might even bump into a deer, for sure you will see some rabbits and squirrels, something really cool for the kids. The whole park is a giant playground and there are picnic spaces with tables too so you can bring a little lunch and not need to leave the park.
If you are with a group of friends, they have some sports facilities where you can play football, tennis, and paddle. You can get a work out in, then cool off on the lake in a rental boat.
To get to Casa de Campo you can take the number 10 line to Casa de Campo metro station.
3 Campo del Moro Gardens
Just over to the west of the Royal Palace you will find this beautiful park with some of the most well kept gardens I have ever seen. There are a number of fountains around the park all worthy of a picture, and flower beds with bright arrangements throughout.
It is one of the prettiest and best parks of Madrid, 160 years old, spread over 20 hectares with over 70 tree species. Many of the trees are nearly 2 centuries old!
This park is really worth the visit, and is so pretty and well kept it was declared a Historic Monument of Art back in 1931. Before becoming a public park, the gardens were actually used as hunting grounds for the palace.
The closest Metro stations to the park are Opera and Principe Pio.
4 Sabatini Gardens
Another one of the best parks in Madrid is also located right in front of the Royal Palace. These gardens are nice for a romantic stroll with a partner, or to spend a little time with yourself and relax for a little while in the heart of Madrid.
It’s not the largest of parks, but it is very well kept and designed, the hedges are all perfectly cut, there’s a gorgeous fountain right in the middle and stone benches scattered around so you can sit opposite and see the beautiful Royal Palace and take a load off at the same time.
The best part about this park though is coming here in the afternoon, and getting one of the best vies of the sunset in Madrid looking out over Casa de Campo.
The closest Metro to the park is Opera and Plaza de España.
5 El Capricho Park
It seems a common theme to have a park with a lake and a Palace, and this is another park in the northeastern corner of Madrid with exactly that. It’s a great plan for a day trip without having to go far from the city center. Not even many locals know how beautiful this park is, so it is never really busy and you have all the space you need for yourself.
The best part of this park in Madrid for me has always been the maze. It’s a lot of fun with the kids, there’s a small lake and many sculptures to see as well. The park has a lot of history and was frequented by Francisco de Goya and many other famous artists.
The closest station to the park is El Capricho on line 5.
6 Madrid Río Park
Madrid Rio was a project done by the local government to create a park to run alongside the Manzanares river. It stretches over an impressive 7km and is one the most beloved parks in Madrid for the variety of things you can do.
You will find bike paths, skate parks, kids parks and all manner of activities for kids while you explore this endless park, but don’t worry because they thought about the adults too.
You can come down to the riverside and use one of the many outdoor gyms to get a workout in, and after that you can sit at the terrace of the many bars along the waterside and take in the sun.
If that’s not enough activity, there are football pitches, paddle courts, tennis courts, rock climbing, BMX parks and loads of cafes and restaurants. Some of the nest sites along the river though are the old bridges that were restored and incorporated into the project.
Although it is a modern development, the city of Madrid has been increasing the amount of greenery the city has for a while, and planted close to 40,000 trees in Madrid Rio.
If you are in Madrid in the summer and with the kids, take them down the river where they have a playground with water jets! it’s so much fun and a great way to cool off.
Make sure you have your camera ready too. You get views of the Madrid skyline you cannot see from anywhere else, and it is particularly pretty if you are there around sundown.
All in all one of the best parks in Madrid with plenty to do. Enough to keep you and your family and friends occupied for an entire afternoon.
7 Oeste Park
Oeste park is located very near to the Royal Palace and has a number of flower gardens, fountains and sculptures. The rose garden here is definitely something to see if you are here in the correct season.
The rose garden has close to 20,000 flowers and over 500 different varieties of Rose bushes. The Rose garden has even won awards from the World Federation of Rose Society. Even if you have hay fever, plug your nose if you have to but you cannot miss it.
At over 100 hectares, not only is it one of the best parks in Madrid, but it also a very important green area for the amount of trees and greenery that help keep the city cool and the air clean.
Before I get to the main attraction, you also need to check out the Civil War era bunkers from the Spanish war that still remain in the park to this day. The gem of this park though is the real Egyptian temple.
The Templo de Debod is one of the main attractions in the city of Madrid. A real Egyptian temple that was relocated to Spain from Egypt. If you are staying close to the center, you have to see the sunset from here just one time, it is one of the most beautiful sights you will see in Madrid
The closest Metro to the park is Moncloa and Plaza de España
8 Berlin park
Although not as big as the rest of the parks we have checked out, the Berlin park is a lot calmer and a great place to take a little walk or sit and chill for a while. The park is home to 3 pieces of the Berlin Wall that sit in the middle of a fountain, and most people come to the park just to see the pieces of history.
There are few other fountains and sculptures around the park, and if you are with kids theres a playground, football and basketball courts as well. Oh not to forget the monument erected in honor of Ludwig van Beethoven.
The closest Metro to the park is Concha Espina.
9 Royal Botanical Gardens Madrid
Located right by the Prado Museum, this is more than just one of the best parks in Madrid. This garden has a scientific mission to study diversity in plants with special attention given to the conservation and understanding of fungi.
The garden holds over 5,000 different types of plants from all around the world, and there is also a greenhouse split into three different climates with tropical plants housed and studied. There is a tropical, sub tropical and desert area in the greenhouse.
Entrance to the garden costs €4 euros, and for €6 euros you can visit the full garden and the exhibitions that take place in the Villanueva Pavilion. If you are here on a Tuesday, entrance is actually free after 2pm.
My favorite part of the garden is the Bonsai Terrace. Once you learn how difficult it is to create one of these bonsai trees, you really appreciate the effort that goes into something like that and you understand it is actually a living piece of art.
An excellent side quest if you are in the center of Madrid. You can complete the visit in an hour or two and continue seeing the rest of the sites, or just slip into the Prado.
The closest Metro to the gardens is Estacion del Arte.
10 Quinta de la Fuente del Berro
For me this has to be on the list of the best parks in Madrid, but it is not really a park that gets mentioned a lot. It is right in the center of Madrid, and a detour definitely worth taking.
The park has an actual waterfall, peacocks, fountains, historical buildings and a lot of green space. It’s particularly busy on the weekend, a favorite spot for families.
It is a pretty large park at 13 hectares, and has recently undergone a lot of restoration and is in really great shape. It was actually owned by the Royal family at one point but was handed over to the public.
It is really easy to find if you are walking, just walk in the direction of the big radio tower you can see from all over Madrid, and it will lead you here.
The closest metro to the park is O’Donnell.
11 Jardines de Las Vistillas
Over to the west of town you will find a Madrid park with some of the best views. It is a great little park to sit and enjoy in the afternoon and wait for the sunset, especially with a romantic partner.
You have the best views over Casa de Campo, Manzanares River and the Almudena cathedral . When the sun sets, grab a seat on the grass on top of one of the mounds in the park, and just enjoy the serenity. It is one of the most beautiful sights you can find in Madrid.
There are also a few bars on the grounds of the park. It’s a really great place to cool off on the hotter days if you are around the area, and a well deserved bit of peace after a long day out exploring.
12 Parque Juan Carlos I
I am very lucky that this park is only a ten minute walk from where I live. The amount of birthday parties and picnics we have had at this park are countless. It is a really big park with so much to do.
My kids love this place because of the giant slides they have in one of the playgrounds, and we like going to one of the little lakes and feeding the fish as well. We also come here a lot as soon as the sun comes out to go for bike rides.
There are running tracks, a swimming pool (currently closed), tennis courts, paddle courts, basketball courts, and so many wide open green spaces. There are small rivers, bridges, play parks, and climbing walls. You can spend the whole day in this park, and we regularly do.
13 Dehesa de la Villa
This park is in the north of town very close to the Cuatro Caminos Metro. Now it is a bit more of a walk to get to, and it can be a bit steep in places, but I promise you that the view from the top will be more than worth it.
The park is spread over 60 hectares making it one of the biggest in Madrid. It used to be hunting grounds, but over time as the city developed, it was turned into a public park.
This park is not full of rose gardens and flower beds, but it has a much more natural feel with the dense woodlands that are left to mesh with nature. One of the most relaxing walks you will have in Madrid and definitely one of the best parks in Madrid.
14 Quinta de Torre Arias
This is a really cool addition to the list, because it has only been accessible to the public since 2016. Up until then the house was owned by the Spanish aristocracy, but when the last owner passed away they donated the estate to the city of Madrid.
The gardens are kept very well, but they pretty much still exist in their original form. There are many oak trees, pine trees, almond trees and a 300 year old Holm Oak!
If you are close to the area of Canillejas, definitely come and take a walk around this park. It is currently being restored, and has been for a while so it’s an ongoing project, but the park is beautiful and the Palace on site is something to behold. Although you currently cannot visit the palace as it is also being restored.
The closest metro station to the park is Torre Arias.
15 Parque Enrique Tierno Galván
This might be the best park in Madrid to go to with kids. It’s a big park with wide open spaces, children’s play areas, sports and exercise facilities and many bike paths. It’s also close to the center just south of Atocha station.
But the best part for me has always been the planetarium. It was renovated in 2017 with a grant from the La Caixa foundation, and has some really high tech projection systems and exhibition spaces. The kids will absolutely love this place, and there are a lot of interactive exhibitions to get the kids interested in some science.
The best is the full dome projection of the night sky, a very immersive effect, it makes your mind go a little left until you get accustomed, but it is a very cool experience.
When you leave the planetarium, I would advise having a little picnic by one of the three ponds, and taking a walk around the park’s many walkways. It really is a very nice and well kept park and likely my favorite of the best parks in Madrid.
16 Parque de las Siete Tetas “Tio Pio”
If you want the best view of Madrid, I think may have found the perfect spot. It’s a bit further from the center, but you need the distance to be able to get the perspective. On a clear day you can see the Almudena Cathedral, the Basilica of San Francisco el Grande, and even Plaza Mayor.
The park is made up of seven distinct hills, and this is why it is called “parque de las siete tetas” which translates to “the park of seven boobs”, But it’s actual name is Tio Pio. Depending on the hill and where you face you will get a slightly different view. The four towers from here at sunset is up there with the best of them.
You want to go here on a warm summer evening with a blanket, take a few drinks and something to eat and watch the sunset over the city. This is the best park in Madrid if it has a good view you are looking for.
Map of the best parks in Madrid
FAQ’S
What are the opening hours of the parks in Madrid?
The parks close at different times of the year. In the winter months they are open from around 6 am to 9 pm, but in the summer months they stay open later. Always check the signs at the entrance to be sure.
Are the parks in Madrid free to enter?
All of the public parks in Madrid are free to enter. There are some parks that have further exhibitions that are optional to visit at a cost, and you have to pay to enter the Botanical Gardens, overall the parks in Madrid are free to enter.
Are there any rules or regulations for visiting the parks in Madrid?
The same rules you would expect to find anywhere would apply here as well. You shouldn’t drink alcohol in public, but if you are having a picnic with a bottle of wine and a beer its not a problem. But, I wouldn’t sit in a kids park with an open can of beer. Police may want to have a word with you and it’s not a great sight.
Can I bring my pet to the parks in Madrid?
Madrid is a very pet friendly city, and in a lot of parks they also have dedicated workout areas for dogs. The fountains in many parks have attachments at the bottom so dogs have a place to drink water.
Conclusion
As you can see, we are spoilt for choice. There are parks all over Madrid. Big ones, small ones, forests, playgrounds, outdoor gyms. We have more sunny days than not in Madrid, so people spend a lot of time outdoors, and the parks are always well kept and a pleasant place to be to enjoy some rays.
You could want to spend some time alone and go for a hike, want to have some fun with your kids or go on a romantic stroll. Whatever your reason, there is a park for everyone’s needs. Check out some of the ones on the list, and drop a comment, let me know how it went.
If you find any hidden gems I have not yet been to, it would be great to hear about those too.
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