Retiro Park & Crystal Palace

Parque de El Retiro · Palacio de Cristal

Rowing lake, glass palace and UNESCO-listed parkland

⚠ Crystal Palace under repair

Hours

Park Apr–Sep 06:00–24:00, Oct–Mar 06:00–22:00 (check on site). Crystal Palace gallery Oct–Mar 10:00–18:00, Apr–Sep 10:00–21:00 (interior currently closed for repairs)

Tickets

Park and both Retiro galleries free; boat hire is paid (check prices on site)

Address

Main gate on Plaza de la Independencia by the Puerta de Alcalá; the Crystal Palace is by a lake in the south of the park

In through the gate by the Puerta de Alcalá, ten minutes' walk brings you to the Estanque Grande, with the curved colonnade of the Alfonso XII monument on one side and rowing boats bumping about on the water. Further south, the Crystal Palace, built for an 1887 Philippines exhibition, stands over a small lake: an iron-and-glass greenhouse that glitters inside when the sun hits it. In 2026, though, it's closed for repairs and wrapped in an art installation. The lakeside walks, the boats and the rose garden still fill half a day easily.