Just inside the Retiro's Puerta de Felipe IV stands what is thought to be Madrid’s oldest tree, a Mexican conifer (ahuehuete) planted in 1633. With a trunk circumference of 52m, it was used by French soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century as a cannon mount.
Madrid’s Oldest Tree
Madrid
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.27 MILES
Welcome to one of the world's premier art galleries. More than 7000 paintings are held in the Museo del Prado’s collection (of which only around 1500 are…
0.59 MILES
Home to Picasso’s Guernica, arguably Spain’s most famous artwork, the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is Madrid’s premier collection of contemporary art.
0.37 MILES
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum is one of the three points composing Madrid’s Golden Triangle of Art along the Paseo del Prado (Art Walk), together with the…
Basílica de San Francisco El Grande
1.45 MILES
Crowning Madrid’s oldest neighborhood of La Latina is an architectural and visual masterpiece that is the Basílica de San Francisco el Grande (Basilica of…
1.72 MILES
One of Spain’s most atmospheric arenas, the Plaza de Toros Las Ventas has hosted everything from Beatles concerts to motocross competitions during its…
1.68 MILES
Few people would ever guess that a 2200-year-old Egyptian temple exists in the center of Madrid. Yet the Templo de Debod is in no way a Vegas-style…
1.47 MILES
This imposing early-20th-century Italianate stone mansion, set discreetly back from the street, belonged to Don José Lázaro Galdiano (1862–1947), a…
Nearby Madrid attractions
0.06 MILES
Spend a day exploring the vast grounds of Madrid’s emblematic park.
0.1 MILES
One of few vestiges of the 17th-century Palacio del Buen Retiro, this austere building overlooking the Parque del Buen Retiro has been restored and now…
0.16 MILES
West of the Jardín de los Planteles in the Parque del Buen Retiro is the moving Bosque del Recuerdo, an understated memorial to the 191 victims of the 11…
4. Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas
0.17 MILES
Those who love sumptuous period furniture, ceramics, carpets, tapestries and the like will find themselves passing a worthwhile hour or two here. There’s…
5. Iglesia de San Jerónimo El Real
0.19 MILES
Tucked away behind Museo del Prado, this chapel was traditionally favoured by the Spanish royal family, and King Juan Carlos I was crowned here in 1975…
0.24 MILES
On the southern end of the estanque (lake) in the Parque del Buen Retiro, the odd structure decorated with sphinxes is the Fuente Egipcia: legend has it…
0.27 MILES
Welcome to one of the world's premier art galleries. More than 7000 paintings are held in the Museo del Prado’s collection (of which only around 1500 are…
0.28 MILES
The focal point for so much of El Retiro’s life is the artificial estanque (lake), which is watched over by the massive ornamental structure of the…