It's free It's beautiful…read more It's not crowded. The Crystal Palace is close currently but you can check it out. People are just hanging around and just take pictures. There's places you can sit down eat or just grab a drink.

Retiro Park is like the Central Park of Madrid. This gigantic park has it all. Large grassy areas…read morefor a picnic or long pathways to run or walk. A big lake in the center to rent a row boat and ride around or a crystal palace to swoon over. Retiro is big and it can be hard to see everything on foot. There are lots of available rental bikes to make your trip throughout the park even easier.

Who doesn't like a walk in a garden? Smartly squeezed between the Prado and Parque del Retiro,…read moreMadrid's Royal Botanical Garden is actually a large parcel of greenery, about twenty acres. Founded in 1755 and spread across seven discrete sections, the garden showcases over 5,500 living plant species, and fortunately, May was a good time to visit. Spring floral displays were just beginning, in particular, roses and irises (Photo 9), and two greenhouses contain more rarefied tropical and desert plants. For the more botanically inclined, there are organized scientific displays, aromatic medicinal herb sections, and English-style landscapes populated with towering, ancient trees. For the rest of us, there are quiet walkways and fountains that allow a more meditative pace. One particular path was set up for the specific display of bonsai trees (Photo 2). Admission is normally 4€ - though we inadvertently hit the garden during a free access period on a Tuesday. Yep, it was kinda crowded but still worthwhile. RELATED - Exploring Madrid? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/9IYyItExqL

It was closed during regular opening hours! We wanted to see it on our last night in Spain. But it…read morewas already closed at 2020 on 14 August. Several Madrilenos were also surprised that you were closed. If you close early, put a sign on the gate.

Honestly, what a surprise! Did not realize that this beautiful garden existed in the middle of the…read moreAtocha Renfe station. As you walk in, it's gorgeous and right front and center in the station! Train stations can be a mega waiting game, so it's nice to have something to do there.

An amazing use of otherwise empty space, the tropical garden of the Atocha Station is a destination…read moreby itself. Beautiful landscaping regardless of weather. There are a few paths through the "jungle" and several benches where you can sit and appreciate the trees as you wait for your train to board. There were a number of people painting today. Very cool. [Review 12545 overall, 2335 of 2019.]

A great city needs a great park, and Madrid is no exception. Just to give you a sense of scale, at…read more300 acres, it's a shade smaller than London's Hyde Park and a little over 1/3 of the size of Central Park. However, El Retiro (as locals call it) is over 200 years older than Central Park, starting as the private royal grounds. Its centerpiece is Estanque Grande (Grand Lake), a huge 17th-century artificial lake covered in rowboats on the weekend (Photo 3). Dominating the lake is the majestic Monument to Alfonso XII built in bronze and marble with an expansive colonnade (Photo 6). Because Madrid's most famous museums stand close to the park's western edge, we walked along the Statue Walk where Spanish monarchs are memorialized (Photo 7). Jamie W and I also visited another smaller lake that features the Art Nouveau-style Palacio de Cristal (Crystal Palace), but unfortunately it was closed. However, we took advantage of the Kiosco Nacional Palacio de Cristal, an open-air terrace cafe that served light lunch fare and coffee drinks (Photo). We couldn't help but indulge in a couple of desserts (Photo 2). Moreover, even though the park was plenty crowded, there was still a sense of bucolic serenity here. It wasn't a challenge to find a peaceful respite amid the overall greenery, especially with the sometimes overwhelming urbania outside the park. RELATED - Exploring Madrid? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/AwA0OI30NX

Retiro Park is an oasis in the center of Madrid. Is a gorgeous, immaculately maintained green space…read morein the heart of the city. There are numerous entrances into the park and walking paths throughout. On a pretty day, it's hard to find a better place to spend the afternoon. The people watching is fantastic, and there are multiple things to see and do inside the park, including the crystal Palace. I love to go sit by the lake and watch the people on the boats. They are often musicians playing, kids riding their bikes, and families enjoying all that Madrid has to offer.