When you get tired of bar-hopping in Madrid during your sports team tour, the Retiro park is a great place to escape for a few hours. Originally the grounds of a royal retreat and designed in French style offering a mix of formal gardens and wide open space (330 acres!).

You can hire a small row-boat beside the Monument Alfonso XII and go rowing on the lake in the middle of the Retiro park. If this sounds too energetic, relax in one of the outdoor cafes with a cold drink and some tapas, have your fortune told or simply enjoy the street entertainment. On weekends, Peruvian & Ecuadorian bands can be heard as soon as you enter the park playing their windpipes.

In early June, the Book Fair takes place where hundreds of book publishers and retailers set up stalls and offer great discounts on their wares. Travelling art exhibitions are frequently housed in the beautiful Palacio de Cristal and the Casa de Vacas. Look out for the "Angel Caido" the world's only public statue to the Devil.

The Retiro park can be visited as part of our Open Air bus tour. If you take route 2, you pass by the Retiro and can hop off to enjoy Contact us for booking and further details.