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El Retiro Park

Parque de El Retiro

4.5/5

252 Reviews

based on 56873 reviews

No. 1 of Top Family-friendly Attractions in Madrid

City Parks

Open today at 6:00-22:00

Recommended sightseeing time:2-3 hours

Address:

Independence Square, 7, 28001 MadridMap

Phone+34-914-008740

What travelers say:

Originally the spiritual retreat of Spain’s ultimate power couple, Isabella and Ferdinand, Retiro evolved into a pleasure palace when the rather less devout Felipe IV wore the crown. Built by his valido (the equivalent of Prime Minister), the Conde Duque de Olivares, more than 20 buildings went up between 1630 and 1660 to please the playboy king who enjoyed balls, theater and reenactments of naval battles performed on the park’s central lake. The Palacio de Velazquez is not the only Reina Sofía gallery nearby. Venture further south and you’ll come upon the Palacio de Cristal, a huge greenhouse built in 1887 to house flora brought over from the Philippines — then a Spanish colony. Sadly, at the time, Filipino natives were also brought over and forced to live in their “natural habitat” by the side of the ornamental pond outside. The dark history of this human zoo was rightly exposed and condemned in a 2021 exhibition by Filipino artist, Kidlat Tahimik, held in the space.

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El Retiro Park Highlights: Must-See Features and Attractions

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Open to the public, there are major attractions including the Statue Avenue, the Crystal Palace, the artificial lake and more. The park covers an area of 118 hectares and has nearly 15,000 trees. It is one of the favorite places for locals to visit. It is especially lively on weekends. At that time, there will be various activities in the park. Dog classes, open-air concerts, etc., small vendors selling special souvenirs, gypsies holding crystal balls for divination, and street performers who “surprise” or “scare” tourists from time to time are also a beautiful scene. Retiro Park is a good place to relax your body and mind. You can sit on a bench in the park, or lie on the grass, bask in the sun, watch the little squirrels or pigeons play and watch the Spanish children playing in the grass. Have fun and enjoy some free time in Madrid. The statues on the Statue Avenue and the Statue Avenue in the Rose Garden Park are similar to the statues on the Oriental Plaza. They are all 20 emperors in Spanish history. The Rose Garden was designed and built by the chief designer of Retiro Park according to the design and construction of the Reed Rose Garden in the Bois de Boulogne Park in Paris. At that time, different varieties of roses collected from various botanical gardens in Europe were gathered here. Now there are more than 4,000 roses in the garden. When the roses bloom in May and June, the garden is full of fragrance. King Alfonso XII Monument and Artificial Lake The artificial lake in the center of Retiro Park is very popular. On one side of the lake stands the Monument to King Alfonso XII, about 32 meters high. The bronze statue of the twelfth century, the columns below it are arranged in a half-moon shape, which is very spectacular. There are bronze lion statues on both sides of the monument, which are lifelike and majestic. In the artificial lake, in addition to admiring the majestic King Alfonso XII Monument, you can also rent pedal boats to go boating on the lake, with black swans and teal ducks swimming by, which is very interesting. Crystal Palace and Velasquez House The Crystal Palace next to the artificial lake is one of the famous attractions in Retiro Park. This crystal clear glass house is currently open to the public as an exhibition hall like the nearby Velasquez House. Mainly used for art exhibitions.

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El Retiro Park Reviews: Insider Insights and Visitor Experiences

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Traveller00001

Outstanding

Reviewed on Aug 1, 2023

WHH12

Outstanding

Original Text

Madrid's Lichi Park occupies a very large area, it is worth a visit, but the people who enter the park dressed as Shini dolls, Bica Chao, super sound mouse is not in place!

Reviewed on Apr 10, 2023

二十画生JQK

Outstanding

Original Text

Privately think it is the best attraction in Madrid! Must go! Fulichi Park is a park with a history of hundreds of years and the largest park in Madrid. It has cultivated more than 15,000 trees. It may take at least2-3 hours for the whole park to walk down. The vehicles inside are also not allowed to pass (except for the staff's cars). But I saw bikes and scooter is OK! Therefore, if you walk to the park, you need to wear more comfortable shoes. There are puppet theaters, many fountains, open-air music stations, rose garden palaces, fisherman's cabins, rockery, monuments, boating lakes, etc. (see Figure 9 for details) The most famous one is the Crystal Palace (Palacio de Cristal, and it is free to enter. But you need to queue up, it is recommended to go when there is sunshine, the sun will shine on the glass to take pictures will be very good! ④ Suggested play time: half-day country fare: free admission (need to queue)

Reviewed on Mar 6, 2022

auganeve

Average

The park was closed due to an extreme weather alarm, so I could only see it from the outside...

Reviewed on Nov 11, 2023

juki235

Outstanding

Original Text

Lichi Park is Madrid's largest and most beautiful imperial garden. Today it is the most popular leisure and recreational place for Madrid people. The pools, fountains, gardens, sculptures and lawns are all very beautiful. Rowing, picnic is the most leisure way here. You can't miss it here in Madrid. It's really comfortable to see the beautiful scenery and people around the lake by boating.

Reviewed on Apr 21, 2017