WAC Travel

El Retiro may be Madrid’s most visited park, but Casa de Campo is its largest at roughly 4,257 acres, roughly five times the size of New York City’s Central Park. This sprawling bit of land was a hunting ground for exclusive use of the royal family for centuries, until 1931 when the Second Spanish Republic formed handed ownership over to the city. A key area in Francisco Franco’s Siege of Madrid, remains of bunkers can still be found there today.

It’s easy to spend an entire day without ever leaving the grounds of Casa de Campo with the abundance of activities it has to offer. The park maximizes its use of the massive space, home to not only a sizable boating lake and an outdoor pool, but also an aquarium, a cable car and an amusement park. The winding trails are perfect for biking and jogging, or simply taking a leisurely stroll. Some lead to hilltops where you can see monuments like Almudena Cathedral and Palacio Real peeking out of the trees just across the Manzanares River.

And while El Retiro tends to be a bustling with a decent amount of tourists, Casa de Campo is more laidback and ingrained in the community. You’ll find locals of all ages enjoying tapas or a drink at one of the restaurants near the lake as the sun sets or hosting various events at the pool throughout the summer.