The focal point for so much of El Retiro’s life is the artificial estanque (lake), which is watched over by the massive ornamental structure of the Monument to Alfonso XII on the east side, complete with marble lions. As sunset approaches on a Sunday afternoon in summer, the crowd grows, bongos sound out across the park and people start to dance.
Monument to Alfonso XII
Madrid
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.54 MILES
Welcome to one of the world's premier art galleries. More than 7000 paintings are held in the Museo del Prado’s collection (of which only around 1500 are…
0.84 MILES
Home to Picasso’s Guernica, arguably Spain’s most famous artwork, the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is Madrid’s premier collection of contemporary art.
0.62 MILES
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum is one of the three points composing Madrid’s Golden Triangle of Art along the Paseo del Prado (Art Walk), together with the…
0.3 MILES
Spend a day exploring the vast grounds of Madrid’s emblematic park.
Basílica de San Francisco El Grande
1.72 MILES
Crowning Madrid’s oldest neighborhood of La Latina is an architectural and visual masterpiece that is the Basílica de San Francisco el Grande (Basilica of…
1.46 MILES
One of Spain’s most atmospheric arenas, the Plaza de Toros Las Ventas has hosted everything from Beatles concerts to motocross competitions during its…
1.88 MILES
Few people would ever guess that a 2200-year-old Egyptian temple exists in the center of Madrid. Yet the Templo de Debod is in no way a Vegas-style…
1.36 MILES
This imposing early-20th-century Italianate stone mansion, set discreetly back from the street, belonged to Don José Lázaro Galdiano (1862–1947), a…
Nearby Madrid attractions
0.1 MILES
On the southern end of the estanque (lake) in the Parque del Buen Retiro, the odd structure decorated with sphinxes is the Fuente Egipcia: legend has it…
2. Centro Cultural Casa de Vacas
0.14 MILES
In the heart of the Parque del Buen Retiro, this building is occasionally used for temporary exhibitions as well as teatro infantil (children’s theatre)…
0.16 MILES
Between the lake and the Palacio de Cristal, the sober 1883 Palacio de Velázquez is used for temporary exhibitions organised by the Centro de Arte Reina…
0.26 MILES
Hidden among the trees south of Parque del Buen Retiro's lake is the Palacio de Cristal. Built in 1887, it's a magnificent metal-and-glass structure and…
0.28 MILES
Just inside the Retiro's Puerta de Felipe IV stands what is thought to be Madrid’s oldest tree, a Mexican conifer (ahuehuete) planted in 1633. With a…
0.28 MILES
In the northeastern corner of El Retiro, this small country chapel is among the few, albeit modest, examples of extant Romanesque architecture in Madrid…
0.3 MILES
Spend a day exploring the vast grounds of Madrid’s emblematic park.
8. Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas
0.33 MILES
Those who love sumptuous period furniture, ceramics, carpets, tapestries and the like will find themselves passing a worthwhile hour or two here. There’s…