For a city that is so large and is the capital of Spain, Madrid has a lot of plant life. I greatly enjoyed Madrid's parks. There are many & they are huge. We started by going to the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid. Can you believe that royalty had so much land and plant life? With more than 2,000 different species of plants, there is a ton to see!
Please remember to respect the plants. ;) I'm all about respecting the plants, it just sounds funny.
My favorite spot of the botanical garden is the greenhouse full of succulents and cacti.
Near the botanical garden, you can find the Palacio de Cristal, the Crystal Palace. This breathtaking palace is in the middle Madrid's "Central Park," Parque del Retiro.
Wouldn't it be fun to have a party in there?
& in the midst of the botanical garden and one of the largest parks in Madrid, is one of Europe's most famous museum, The Prado. Give yourself a whole day for a trip to explore this grand museum of European art. Do not bring a backpack unless you want to get a locker. & get there before or when it opens! The line gets long!
We went to two more parks while in Madrid. The Temple of Debod is an Egyptian monument that was dismantled and placed in Madrid. It's free to enter and check out (& be careful! The admission times change seasonally!) It wasn't my cup of tea. But the temple is in the middle of another Madrid park. There's a lot of visual stimulation while there. You can see acrobats practicing between the trees, people playing instruments and sunbathers. We just sat in the sun and soaked up the culture. I definitely suggest it!
One more park. ;) Casa de Campo has a gigantic lake in the middle & a walking/biking trail surrounding. There are also more hiking trails surrounding the area. If you're in the mood to be at a park restaurant or paddle on a boat, those activities are available to you. This is the largest park in Madrid, so I'm sure there's more to find that I didn't see!
Madrid also offers a city bus tour that we enjoyed. You can get a 2 day ticket for only 4 additional euros. I suggest doing that, so you can use the bus to get around even if you're not touring,
The Royal Palace of Madrid.
Sammy, the laundromat dog. ;)
Sangria in the Plaza de Santa Ana.
I absolutely love Madrid & hope to return. Have you been to Madrid? What did you do? Would you visit Madrid?
Want to more of Madrid? Feel free to read my vegan guide to Madrid or watch my Madrid vlog!
- Christina
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Oh dear, you need to leave your backpack in a locker at the Prado? :( That sounds like a pain! I was carrying my backpack everyday when I was traveling Europe and I would not have been happy to part with it. The crystal palace looks like it would be beautiful lit up at night. You're right, I think it'd be lovely to have a party in there! :)
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid could easily be my favorite place to visit. It looks absolutely gorgeous; I love plants & nature. :]
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I just didn't want the expense of having to rent a locker. Gotta save money where you can. AND at the same time, the Prado is really strict about taking photos so carrying your camera around would be a waste anyway.
ReplyDeleteIt would be cool if the Crystal Palace had more of a function than just looking pretty. ;)
Definitely worth a visit! You would enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely photos! Madrid looks absolutely amazing. I can't believe that I have lived in Berlin for 5+ years and have never made it over to Madrid. Adding it to the travel bucket list.
ReplyDeleteRae | Love from Berlin
Thank you, Rae! Madrid is definitely worth the visit! Hope you're well. :)
ReplyDeleteBotanical gardens are one of my favorite things to visit on trips! That crystal palace... wow!! I like the way you did this post, I could feel the atmosphere of Madrid! I've not heard too many positive things about Madrid so I was happy to see this post and put it back on my to-visit-in-the-future list :P
ReplyDeleteFour Leaf Clover
I love botanical gardens, too! I really love the one I saw in Hawaii, too. I appreciate your kind words, Eva! I'm surprised people say they don't like Madrid. I loved it. Although, I love Barcelona A LOT more. So if I would have to choose between the two, I'd choose Barcelona. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's probably why, haha! Those I spoke to had wished they'd gone to Barcelona instead or had been to both and loved Barcelona much more!
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