Royal Botanical Garden

Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid (CSIC)

An 18th-century garden beside the Prado, leaf-covered in autumn

Hours

Daily from 10:00; closing 19:00 in Oct, 18:00 Nov–Feb, 19:00 Mar, 20:00 Apr, 21:00 May–Aug, 20:00 Sep; closed 1 Jan, 25 Dec

Tickets

General €4

Address

Right next to the Prado; the main gate is on Plaza de Murillo

Step over the wall from the Prado and the traffic noise drops off. The garden moved to this site in 1781, so the layout is a tidy run of three terraces, with flower and herb beds between low box hedges. In autumn the maples and planes turn yellow and red and the paths fill with leaves. A greenhouse, a few fountains and a small pond give you benches for tired feet after a museum or two. The ticket is cheap, so it slots in before or after the Prado.