Parque Carlos Arias Navarro

During my first two weeks in Madrid, I was lucky enough to be temporarily living in Aluche, which is an area situated in the south-west of the capital.

I used to go running every day in Parque Carlos Arias Navarro, which was situated just opposite the place where I was staying. Although it's not necessarily a "must see" in Madrid, I recommend visiting it if you want to spend some time in a peaceful place or play some sport.

Cleanliness

This was one of the things that I liked the most about the park because, despite it being somewhere regularly frequented by dogs, the owners always make sure to carry plastic bags to pick up their dog's faeces. My landlord actually told me that, due to the financial crisis, they have been getting rid of the containers where the City Council deposited these bags, but even still, they have been taking care of the cleaning of the park, which is very important for you to bear in mind.

If you like dogs or you want to live in a "pet friendly" area, this is the perfect place for you. I have visited many parks in Madrid, like El Retiro, Madrid Río and Casa de Campo (which are all much bigger), but I have never seen as many dogs in those parks as I have in this one, which really pleased me because I personally love them.

Sporty area

Madrid is a city where many people like to play different sports and take advantage of the designated "sport friendly" areas built by the City Council. One of the things that I liked the most was that the park has a separate track for runners away from the bicycle routes. In Aluche itself, I came across many pensioners who were enjoying the park with their carers, especially during the afternoons, which is when most of them go out for a walk. In the mornings, you will see several runners of all ages, although it's arguably the young people that prevail in numbers, as well as families or grandparents that walk their children or grandchildren in their prams.

The park is long with a slight oval shape, which has some football pitches and basketball courts distributed throughout it, used mainly by young people. The football pitch is in excellent condition and is artificially-turfed, although there is another one with a cement surface, both of which have tall fences to prevent the balls from landing in the middle of the road.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere at the park is very friendly because the Aluche neighbourhood itself is really homey. Given that it's an area mainly inhabited by pensioners, it's very calm, safe and quiet. It's relatively normal that you end up making one friend or another here because the people here are usually very open and friendly.

Design

The park has a simple design and is very well-maintained, as I always found the grass to have been trimmed and the bushes well-cut - some of them are even shaped! In some parts of the park, there are places to leave bicycles, sports areas, and even areas with games for children. In fact, you will even be able to find a small artificial lake with a wooden bridge that you can use to cross to the other side. My landlord told me that, in autumn, the park is full of beautiful colours, and if it ends up snowing during the winter (on the very rare occasion that it does in Madrid), the views will be even better. I would usually see lots of ducks swimming and fighting for the bread that people leave them every day, and the types of trees in the park were varied in both size and shape.

How do you get to the park?

Take Line 5 (green line) of the metro in direction of Casa de Campo (that's if you are coming from the city centre) and alight at Aluche station.

Both the metro and Cercanías Renfe stations are located in the same building, so if you are travelling by Cercanías, you will have to take the C-5 train (yellow line) and also alight at Aluche.

If you are travelling by bus, I recommend taking the 31 and alighting at the final stop on the route, which is also at Aluche station. Another option, however, would be to take the 138, which travels the length of Calle Valmojado, before passing along one side of the park and covering a large part of its perimeter: the final stop on this route is also Aluche station.

Once any of the aforementioned modes of transport has dropped you off at Aluche, you will see a Carrefour, but you have to walk in the opposite direction along Calle Valmojado. You will immediately see the park and, from there, you will be able to walk to whichever part of the park you want to be in.