16- El Retiro Park
Created in the 17th century for King Felipe IV, it is the most important historic-artistic park in the city and one of the most beautiful in the world. It was part of a complex made up of a large palace and enormous gardens with numerous buildings: hermitages, caves, covered walks, ponds, ball courts, etc. The Gardens of Cecilio Rodríguez and the Parterre stand out, the pond and Monument to Alfonso XII, the ruins of the Hermitage of San Pelayo and San Isidoro, the Palacios de Velázquez and de Cristal, the Fuentes del Ángel Caído and de la Alcachofa, etc.
HOURS: WINTER (October to April): from 06:00 to 22:00 (doors open at 06:00, with all doors open at 07:00 and closing begins at 21:30 , being all closed at 10:00 p.m.). SUMMER (from May to September): from 06:00 to 24:00 (closing starts at 23:30, being all closed at 24:00).
Aerial photo of the park, in which you can see a large green area thanks to the trees and gardens, surrounded by buildings. Within the green zone the pond can be distinguished.
Photo of the Retiro Pond where you can see people in boats. In the image you can see that the pond is surrounded by the monument to Alfonso XII, which stands on the eastern shore, which it invades by means of a large semicircular staircase, which goes into the waters, like a jetty.
Photo of the Cecilio Rodríguez Rose Garden where you can see the monument to Benito Pérez Galdós. It is a leafy corner of vegetation and roses.
In the photo you can see the Crystal Palace from the outside, which is on the shore of a small pond, in the middle of the grove.