The green side of Madrid: inside the city’s most beautiful gardens and parks

I have been eager to visit Madrid for years. It’s a hot spot for any art lover, with the Reina Sofia, home to Picasso’s Guernica and for Museo Del Prado, a haven of masterpieces including Goya’s Black Paintings and Bosch’s ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights’. Madrid itself is certainly full of these delights; there are so many gardens to explore that it can be hard to choose which to visit.

1. Real Jardin Botanico

As you enter the garden, you are greeted by their seasonal display. When I visited in spring, I was met with rows of brightly coloured tulips set between lines of immaculate box hedges. This display is rotated with the seasons changing to dahlias and peonies to attract visitors into these historic gardens. The entrance of the garden can become crowded as people flock to the amazing colours, but once you pass through, the gardens are incredibly peaceful. The garden is split into many terraces over 20 acres, and you could spend all day here exploring the botanical collections. They have a vast collection of bonsais and over 1,500 specimens of trees. I ended up visiting the gardens twice, and on my second visit, time ran away from me as I was admiring the amazing pond life and listening to the low rumbling croaking of frogs. Real Jardín Botánico is a must-see if you are interested in expanding your botanical knowledge or if you are a lover of large trees.

2. El Retiro Park

El Retiro Park, home to an incredible 15,000 trees. The parks of Madrid are like nowhere else; they are so well maintained and vast. From what I experienced, they are not overcrowded as some parks can be in the UK, because there many of them and each covers such a large area. Like many of Madrid’s parks, El Retiro was created for royalty, and from its opening in the 17th century until the end of the 19th century, this is what it was used for. Now it is open for the public to enjoy the rose garden, incredible lake, and crystal palace, as well as many other beautiful buildings, many of which host temporary art exhibitions and museum collections.

3. Campo del Moro

Campo del Moro is a Royal Park to the west of the city, and a garden of the Royal Palace of Madrid. When you enter the grounds, you quickly escape the busyness of the palace. The park is very well manicured, but it somehow feels wild. As you walk around the parks vast sloping paths, flanked with tall deodar cedars, you feel enclosed in the greenery and can stumble upon small dwellings used by previous generations of Spanish royality. If you visit Campo del Moro in the summer months, you will see the beautiful Magnolia grandiflora in bloom across the grounds.

4. Jardines de Sabatini

When you have finished at Campo del Moro, you could visit the Jardines de Sabatini, which sit just to the side of the park, the gardens are part of the Royal Palace. Split into three terraces, the gardens are neoclassical in style and feature immaculate box hedges and beautiful water features. It's also one of the best spots to view the palace from.

5. Huerto de las Monjas

There are many smaller hidden gardens across the city, such as Huerto de las Monjas, the ‘Nun’s Orchard’ which was once a vegetable garden for the Cistercian Nuns. This garden is tucked away in the heart of the city and is a great spot to find some calm.

6. Humbraculo - Atocha station

If you arrive in Madrid by train, you may come into Madrid Atocha station, a cast iron and glass structure full of towering plants from the Americas, Asia, and Australia. It is a great welcome to the city. If you aren’t travelling by train, you can still visit and enjoy this unexpected tropical garden.

7. Parque de la Quinta de los Molinos

If you are planning to visit Madrid in February or March, this is a must visit. Sitting to the east of the city, Parque de la Quinta de los Molinos is home to many Almond trees which come into their white and pink blossom at the end of winter.

8. Jardines de la Rosaleda

This magnificent rose garden sits in Oeste Park, a large green space open to all. Although slightly hidden, this garden is home to an amazing 650 different varieties of rose bushes, and totals over 20,000 specimens. It is the perfect place to submerge yourself in the scent of roses, learn some new varieties, and why not set yourself the impossible task of choosing a favourite?

9. Parque de El Capricho

In the 18th century, this 17-acre park to the northeast of the city was popular with the artists, writers and bullfighters of the day. Including Francisco Goya, who painted ‘The Spell’ to hang in El Capricho Palace. This park is full of treasures, as well as many gorgeous plants, it is home to a mansion, a bandstand, a lake and even a labyrinth to get lost in. This is a great place to visit to learn about the Spanish Civil War, as hidden 15 metres under the surface of the park, lies a 2000 square-metre bunker built in 1937. You can even attend a free guided tour, which take place every Saturday and Sunday.

More info:

Madrid can get very hot in summer, so bear this in mind when planning your trip. El Retiro Park and Campo del Moro are free to visit, the Real Jardín Botánico is €4 – more info at esmadrid.com and spain.info. I stayed at Hotel Avani Alonso Martínez Madrid, which is very central and close to many of the gardens and museums – see avanihotels.com.

More travel inspiration:

• Monty Don's favourite gardens around the world
• Gardens to visit in the Dolomites
• Gardens to visit in Madeira