Things to Do in Madrid, Spain (2026)

Madrid · ES

Fountain of the Water Source

The Fountain of the Water Source (Fuente del Nacimiento del Agua, also known as the Fuente de la Concha) is an ornamental, romantic-classicist monument in the gardens of Plaza de España, on the edge of Madrid's Argüelles neighbourhood in the Moncloa-Aravaca district. Built in 1969, it turns the simple theme of water springing forth into a sculptural showpiece: a long granite basin crowned by two kneeling bronze nymphs who tip their jugs into great scallop-shell valves. Free and open around the clock, the fountain sits within one of Madrid's biggest green squares, framed by the skyscrapers of Torre de Madrid and Edificio España, the Cervantes monument and the brick-and-stone church of the Discalced Carmelites nearby. It is a popular stopping-off point for visitors combining it with the Temple of Debod a short walk away.

Park

Madrid · ES

Manzanares River Linear Park

The Linear Park of the Manzanares River is a bold piece of landscape architecture on Madrid's southern edge, where a former wasteland has been transformed into a 97-hectare urban oasis. Designed by the acclaimed studio of Ricardo Bofill and opened in the early 2000s, the park stretches along both banks of the Manzanares River in the Usera–Vallecas district. Its most unmistakable landmark is La Dama del Manzanares, a colossal 13-metre bronze head by artist Manolo Valdés that gazes back toward the city from atop a terraced artificial hill. Beyond the sculpture, the park unfolds as a sequence of themed gardens, open meadows, sports facilities, and shaded walkways — a place where joggers, families, dog walkers, and sunset-chasing photographers all find room. The adjacent Caja Mágica tennis stadium, designed by Dominique Perrault, adds a contemporary architectural edge to the river landscape. Entry is free, the park is dog-friendly, and it is easily reached by metro on Line 3.

Tourist attraction

Madrid · ES

Fuentes de las Cuatro Estaciones

On the leafy central boulevard of Madrid's Paseo del Prado stands the Fountain of the Four Seasons, better known to locals as the Fuente de Apolo. A neoclassical monument of stone and running water, it raises the sun god Apollo on a pedestal ringed by four allegorical figures — one for each season — that give the fountain its evocative popular name. Conceived in 1777 by the architect Ventura Rodríguez for the royal embellishment of the Salón del Prado under King Carlos III, the fountain is one of the great showpieces of the 'Paseo del Arte'. It was finished only in 1802 and inaugurated to mark the wedding of the future Fernando VII, and today it is recognized as one of the finest works of Spanish neoclassicism. The fountain sits in the tree-lined median between the Cibeles and Neptuno fountains, and since 2021 it forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage 'Paisaje de la Luz' (Light of Knowledge landscape). It is an open-air monument, free to visit at any hour, and the gently sloping water and sculpted figures make it a favourite stop for families and photographers.

Madrid · ES

Pl. de Herradores

Plaza de Herradores is one of Madrid's smallest and most quietly storied squares, tucked a few metres from the Plaza Mayor in the old Habsburg quarter known as the Madrid de los Austrias. Its name—roughly “Blacksmiths' Square”—comes from the herradores, the farriers who once set up their benches in the middle of the plaza to shoe the city's horses and mules, until the noise and crowds of animals became such a nuisance that the town council moved them elsewhere. Today it is a pocket-size plaza where half a dozen narrow streets meet, more a landmark of curiosities than a place to linger for an hour: a plaque marking the first “taxis” of Madrid, a long-running artisan bakery, a century-old junk-shop, and a corner of culinary history. It is best discovered as a quick, rewarding stop on a walk between Calle Mayor and the Arenal.

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Fountain of the Water Source

Manzanares River Linear Park

Fuentes de las Cuatro Estaciones

Pl. de Herradores

Finding your next place…

A little more
of Madrid.

Fountain of the Water Source

Manzanares River Linear Park

Fuentes de las Cuatro Estaciones

Pl. de Herradores