The Royal Botanical Gardens of Madrid
Cities Are Amazing…
But sometimes I need an escape and some fresh air! While weekend day trips are wonderful, I like to have some other options for times when a day trip is impossible. Madrid is full of excellent parks, including its 20-acre botanical gardens. The Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid is a gorgeous place to spend part of the day. Although you are right in the center of Madrid it feels like you are miles away.
Admission to the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid
Regular admission to the Madrid Botanical Garden is 3€, or half price for students and free for senior citizens and children under 10. The small price is worth it to enjoy the peaceful gardens behind the gate. I think that if it were free for everyone it would be much more crowded and lose some of its charm.
A Quick History of the Gardens
- The Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid was founded by King Ferdinand VI in 1755 and moved to its current location in 1774.
- It was not only a decorative garden, but also a place for study and plant classification.
- Throughout the years it went through various periods of neglect, but since 1981 has been open to tourists.
- The garden is currently home to over 30,000 plants and flowers and 1,500 trees.
Just Visit Already!
What is really interesting about the Madrid Botanical Garden is the fact that there are flowers in bloom in almost any season. I would have thought that going in May would be a perfect time– and many flowers were in full bloom– but I was surprised at how many hadn’t bloomed yet or had already had their season. I know I’ll be back to see how it looks at other times of year.
You need at least 1 hour to walk through the botanical gardens, any less would be a disservice to the hard work the landscapers have done, and you could potentially spend 2 hours walking around at a leisurely pace.
Take a look at some of the gorgeous flowers and plants from our visit in mid-May.
Spring at the Madrid Botanical Gardens
Have you been to the Madrid Botanical Gardens? What did you think?
For Advice on How to Take Some Beautiful Pictures of Flowers, Try This Great Tutorial
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I was there almost exactly 2 years ago and absolutely loved it!!! I saw those same iris and calla lilies 🙂 But I missed the bleeding hearts! Absolutely, do go and visit. It’s an oasis smack dab in the middle of the busy city that is Madrid. Thanks for this wonderful post!! memories……I want to go back now!
oh yea….one other thing. When I was researching things for our trip to Spain two years ago I couldn’t believe that I never heard about it when I lived there in 1980-81. and you just answered that for me: it opened to the public in 1981!! The things one learns on the internet 😉
and, if you’re interested to compare flower pics, here’s my post about the Real Jardín Bótanico:
http://travelswithtoby.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/real-jardin-botanico-madrid-espana/
Are those cool sculptures are no longer there? I loved those!
Hi Toby! Your pictures are fantastic! There were many sculptures there, but I didn’t see the cool ones you did. Hope I didn’t somehow miss them!
thanks! I wondered if those sculptures were temporary. and don’t quote me but I think they were on the Paseo del Prado side of the gardens. cool, cool place 🙂 can’t wait to see it again!
I’m adding this to my Madrid list when I visit! It’s cheap and gardens are always a nice place to get away from the hecticness of the city! Love how you’re including maps in your post!
How did you post 4 photos in one? Love it. It’s a great way to show more photos!
You should definitely check it out Lauren! And about the pictures… I finally discovered Picasa– free and easy to use! Download it!
we went to the gardens after our visit to the Prado, with a stop at the Cafe Botánico in between for refreshments. and the gardens were open later then as well. it was perfect!
I love a visit to any botanical garden but haven’t even made it to Madrid yet. Your photos are lovely.
Well, what are you waiting for? Come visit us!
Lovely post Lauren and gorgeous photos. The calla lily is spectacular, I´ve a bit of a crush on them! This is indeed a wonderful place to go – it´ll be an ideal place to take my cousins to when they come over in a month. We took our wee one there many years back and another visit is long overdue. If I remember rightly there´s also an indoor area, isn´t there? (Hope I´m not confusing it with a somewhere else). Thanks for the timely reminder.
Yes! I wish I knew more about flowers to have included the names… but that is my Mother’s field of expertise! You should definitely go with your cousin. It is right next to the Prado so it goes well with so many other touristic day plans. There were a few greenhouses as well, which were equally lovely.
A botanical garden is always a nice place to visit. It’s a good place to relax and recharge.
Exactly! I needed it!