Fountain of Neptune

The Fountain of Neptune is located in the centre of Plaza Cánovas del Castillo in Madrid. This is the square that you will find after the Cibeles Fountain if you continue along the Paseo del Prado. It was inaugurated in 1786, which means that it has spent more than two centuries in the Spanish capital.

The Fountain of Neptune is of a Neoclassical style, and, although I personally like it, it's not very striking. In the middle of the fountain, you will see Neptune (the god of freshwater and the seas) with a trident in his hand, in a chariot pulled along by two seahorses with fish tails, which makes it seem like he is sailing through the sea.

This fountain is very well-known amongst Spaniards because it is the fountain where Atlético Madrid celebrate their victories and title wins. Although these were originally celebrated in Plaza Cibeles (just like Real Madrid does), there came a day when they both played in an important final and they had to split up in order to celebrate properly.

To get to this monument, the best thing to do would be to walk from the city centre or take a bus (there are many services that pass by the fountain). In the event that you have to take the metro, the closest station is that of "Banco de España", which will leave you just a few short metres from Plaza Cibeles. From there, you would just have to continue walking along the Paseo del Prado to arrive at the Fountain of Neptune.