The big pond in the Retiro Park

The Great Pond of the Retiro, in Madrid

The Great Pond is the heart of the Retiro park, the great green lung of Madrid. The Madrid audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this vast basin where you go boating, dominated by the monument to Alfonso XII, an emblematic place of relaxation of the capital.

The basin in the heart of the Retiro park

The Great Pond, in Spanish the Estanque grande, is the central and most lively element of the Retiro park, the most famous green space of Madrid. This vast rectangular basin, heir of the pleasure gardens of the former royal Buen Retiro Palace, is a place of relaxation very prized by the people of Madrid. There you can rent small rowing boats and sail peacefully on the water, an essential tradition of the Sunday walks. The pond is dominated, on one of its banks, by the imposing monument to Alfonso XII, with its great semicircular colonnade and its equestrian statue. All around, the park unfolds its shaded paths, its gardens, its statues and its fountains. A place of promenade, leisure and freshness in the heart of the town, the Great Pond of the Retiro is one of the most loved places of Madrid.

What to see

Here you enjoy the vast rectangular basin in the heart of the Retiro park, where you rent small rowing boats, dominated by the imposing monument to Alfonso XII and its colonnade, surrounded by the shaded paths, gardens, statues and fountains of the park. The Great Pond is one of the most loved places of Madrid. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Great Pond lies in the heart of the Retiro park, in Madrid, reachable on foot and by public transport. The park is an open-air public space, freely accessible according to its hours; the boat rental follows its own conditions, which vary with the season. The promenade is particularly pleasant in fine weather.

What can you do at the Great Pond of the Retiro in Madrid?

You can rent small rowing boats and sail on the water, a tradition of the Sunday walks, and admire the imposing monument to Alfonso XII that dominates one of its banks, in the heart of the Retiro park.

Where is the Great Pond of the Retiro?

In the heart of the Retiro park, in Madrid, in Spain.