EL RETIRO PARK

It is one of the lungs of the city, as well as a classic place for a stroll where locals and visitors alike come together. Enjoy a trip in a rowing boat or on foot, a performance at the Puppet Theatre or an open-air concert. 

Since the end of the 19th century, as a public park, El Retiro has been used as a setting for various international exhibitions. As a testimony to these, there are such emblematic buildings as the Palacio de la Minería, popularly known as the Palacio de Velázquez, and the Palacio de Cristal, undoubtedly the most outstanding feature of the gardens, which together with its artificial lake was built in 1887 for the Philippine Islands Exhibition, where various species of flowers from this site were exhibited.

In the 1930s and 1940s new gardens were created by the master gardener Cecilio Rodríguez, who designed and built the Rose Garden and the Cecilio Rodríguez Gardens where the pavilion is located.

Madrileños and visitors usually come together in this park, which at weekends and on public holidays comes alive with performances by singers, musicians, puppeteers and artists who line up in front of the lake.

Among all the fountains, the Fallen Angel fountain, whose main statue represents the devil, stands out.

Address: Plaza de la Independencia (Metro: Retiro Line 2)