SECRETS OF THE CAPITAL I: RETIRO FROM ABOVE AND FOR FREE
- DEW ARIZA
- Jul 2, 2024
- 2 min read
The city of Madrid hides many secrets, even from its own inhabitants and citizens. As a curious person with a great desire for knowledge, as well as absorbing all the curiosities and useless knowledge, knowing the secret places of a city is one of my favorite activities.
Places unknown to most, with a lot of history, curious, beautiful, creepy or even an oasis in the middle of the concrete mass that are the cities, as well as accessing places that you see from the outside and wonder: how will you get there?
As a good fan of knowing these types of places, I will tell you how to discover these places. Pasea Madrid, or the Patrimonio website, are two of my great allies. There you can find all kinds of free guided tours to places that cannot normally be accessed (soon I will show you more secret places that the capital hides). Tickets usually sell out quickly but I recommend that if you know what day and time they are visiting, you show up there just in case (getting on the waiting list when possible). There is almost always someone who does not show up. Once, half of the people didn't show up on one the tours.
One of these places is the viewpoint of the Monument to Alfonso XII. Next to the Retiro pond, there is a large monument that does not go unnoticed, and I am sure that most of you know which one I am talking about. It is a double semicircular colonnade and a large tower in the center, crowned by a sculpture of Alfonso XII on his horse. This colonnade, of Ionic order, contains a frieze in which we can see the coats of arms of all the provinces of Spain of the time (early 20th century) and in which there is one that is repeated: the province of Madrid (as It's obvious, being in Madrid).
But let's get to the interesting part. Just below the equestrian statue, at the top of the tower, you can see a kind of cabin with windows. It is a viewpoint with 360º views of the city, with a unique and amazing panoramic view of the Retiro and its pond. And yes, you can go up, but not in any way. To do this I had to make an appointment with the aforementioned Pasea Madrid. A 10/10 visit if you allow me. The guide was spectacular, and in addition to learning about history, we had a laugh and he told us a thousand anecdotes and curiosities (have I already told you that it is one of my favorite things?). After not leaving a single detail up our sleeve, we all left there with a smile.
A different plan, cheap (free), unique and from which you will leave having learned something.
And you? What curious places in Madrid or your cities would you recommend?
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