10 best parks

Madrid is a place with countless nice parks so there is many many places you can go to in order to find some greenery and peace in the city. In general, the parks are well taken care of. Many times I have visited them, there have been gardeners around cutting too long branches, mowing the lawn or doing other ways of gardening. I am going to present only 10 of them I thought were the prettiest I have seen.

Retiro

Most famous park in Madrid is Retiro, always full of people walking around, running and having picnics. It is by the train station Atocha and of perfect size to walk through whole park in one afternoon. It has something nice in all corners like a small bridge crossing a brook where you can make a magical picture. There is a Fountain of the Fallen angel. The most known part of the park is the wonderful Cristal Palace. Inside you will find a small exhibition and small lake in front of it. Some meters away is a larger lake with boats. Around that lake you can rest in the shadows of trees and feed catfish with breadcrumbs - some of them can be surprisingly large. You may also see a turtle or two. During the night an atmosphere is romantic but remember that they close it at 10/12pm depending of the season so do not get locked inside.

Boating in Retiro. Source: http://t1.uccdn.com/images/5/1/9/img_cuales_son_los_mejores_parques_de_madrid_18915_orig.jpg

Sabatini gardens

Sabatini gardens are next to the Royal palace and they leave an impression containing organized hedges, trees, ponds and statues. They are geometrically shaped and although small it would be a shame not to visit after seeing the Royal palace. It can get a bit crowded during summer months though, being so small. Even though, it is a good way of escaping the sun for some minutes during unbelievably hot summer in Madrid.

View of Sabatini. Source: http://oddviser.com/photo/place/1600/655.jpg

Campo del Moro gardens

Campo del Moro is just next ot Sabatini gardens so what one would expect is lots of tourists. But it was not so neither of the two times I visited it. The park is small and well taken care of. It has nice benches and some smaller sculptures making a nice atmostphere. You can find proud peacocks walking around and some ducks swimming in the ponds. There are also signs with different names of certain areas, such as Paseo de los mosquitos (but in general, in is too hot in Madrid for mosquitos). You will have a nice view of the back side of Royal palace.

It looks like there are two entrances into the park but they will not let you enter one of them. So coming from Sabatini gardens, you can go left down the descendending street. The first entrance with a large road is not the one you can enter, so keep walking and turn right by the first corner where you will find the real entrance.

View of the Royal palace. Source: http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/13402668.jpg

El Capricho

Parque El Capricho is named the most romantic park in Madrid. It is a cute little part of Madrid many people skip when they visit the city but it really is worth a visit, with or without partner. Having fountains, small greek-like sculpture, little houses, lakes, ducks and colorful plants it really comes as no surprise that it holds such a name. But beware: it is only open on weekends so check the opening hours before you get there so you will not end up like me traveling almost one hour by metro just to find myself locked outside.

Hidden jewel of Madrid. Source: https://desenfoquesurbanos.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/envio-ag_67-5-copy1.jpg

Casa de Campo

The city's largest park Casa de Campo does not have some very specially ordered surfaces. However, it is a great place to go if you want to get some fresh air in your lungs considering it has 1,750 hectares of greenery. It has a smaller lake with small boats floating around which you can walk. It is mostly used for recreation - you can see many people cycling, running and doing other sports around it. Being so large, most people do not see more than a small part of it. What you can find there is ZOO and also an amusement park from which you can hear screams if you decide to walk by. It also has a funicular which offers a nice view of the park and the city.

Funicular. Source: http://gazinggirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/232mad-madrid-teleferico-casa-de-campo-seilbahn-2801819.jpg

Parque Juan Carlos I

Parque Juan Carlos I is located near airport. When getting out of the metro station, you might be a bit confused which way to go. It is not hard to see the entrance to Feria de Madrid so once you find it - just turn for 180° and walk until you see large green areas on the left. This park is large so many people visit it on bicycle. But you can also walk around on foot - just make sure you put comfortable shoes on and take enough water with you on a hot day. Besides large lawns the park also has different sculptures and a river crossing it.

One of many sculptures. Source: my photo

Parque Europa

This park is ''minimundus of Madrid''. Parque Europa has sculptures of some of famous monuments around Europe, such as: the Eiffel Tower, Tower Bridge, danish Mermaid, Atomium, the statue of David and some others. It also has those three small elephants in a row made of bushes and an artificial waterfall. The park is the furthest from the center of all the parks I am mentioning but in case you will be in Madrid for longer period, it is a great way of spending afternoon. There is also fountain show at 8pm during the summer but check that out in order to be sure.

There is a funny anecdote I have of this park: I wanted to see it one day with my roomie and we went to Parque Europa metro station where the park is NOT - there was only Fuente de las Escaleras (which honestly is not really anything special). So how you really can get there: take the bus nr. 224 from Avenida de America and exit where most tourists will after around 35 minutes of driving - it got me to the right place.

Small Tower bridge. Source: my photo

Parque de Berlin

Parque de Berlin is not very central and it is smaller than I expected. During my visit in autumn I could see the trees inside with various colors: from green, orange, red, yellow to brown. It is most famous for having a part of Berlin wall in a small pond. There is a children's playground on one side and people coming there are mostly young families. All in all, it is a nice park but considering its small size and the time needed to reach it, you can skip this one unless you have some errands nearby.

Berlon wall mural. Source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g6I-k0x3xtw/T5QlPsV8frI/AAAAAAAACdE/tfonVmW7yxU/s1600/Parque+Berlin+7.jpg

Real jardin botanico

Real Jardin Botanico is ste only park on my list that has an entrance fee. It is located by Prado museum and the inside is very ordered. It contains a collection of exotic plants and pipes where you can refill your empty water bottles. Usually, it is not too crowded so it represents a great place to spend afternoon peacefully and take a rest of the city's bustle.

Botanical garden. Source: http://www.gardenvisit.com/uploads/image/image/167/16709/madrid_botanical_garden-real_jardin_botanico_2098_jpg_original.jpg

Quinta de los Molinos

Parque Quinta de los Molinos is also one of the parks that are a bit distant. I visited it in December, so the ordered tree plantations were bare - without those small pink flowers on the branches you can see in the picture below so this park is nicest in the spring time when all thise trees bloom and show themselves in the best light. However, it was still nice to visit. The park is medium size and has mills in one side - they are not very large and astounding, but it somehow still makes the park nicer. The walls around the park have graffiti that are not anything of so called high street art. One quote from there stayed in my memory and it is called: ''Perdoname por amarte tanto pero no puedo evitarlo.'' (Sorry for loving you so much but i cannot avoid it.)

Pink trees. Source: http://escuelainfantillazaro.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/wpid-20140310_161455.jpg

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