Park
A 125-hectare park with more than 15,000 trees, part of the Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro landscape that UNESCO listed as World Heritage in 2021. Highlights include the large boating lake, the Rosaleda rose garden and a Mexican conifer of nearly 400 years in the Parterre Francés. Entry is free; the park may close in severe weather.
Attraction
A glass and cast-iron pavilion in El Retiro, built in 1887 as a greenhouse for an exhibition on the Philippines, then a Spanish colony, and modelled on London's Crystal Palace. The Reina Sofía Museum uses it for free temporary exhibitions, but it is closed for renovation until 2027.
Attraction
A neoclassical granite gate by Francesco Sabatini, erected in 1778 for Charles III as the main entrance to the city. It stands in Plaza de la Independencia beside El Retiro, has five arches rather than three, and each of its faces is decorated differently.