Madrid Río Park

Madrid Río Park

Running along the bank of the Manzanares River, this beautiful new park is the perfect place to have a long, laid-back lunch and spend the afternoon strolling, cycling or simply people-watching.

Madrid Río is a vast leisure and cultural spot parallel to the River Manzanares, which, thanks to its restoration, has recovered its surprising fauna. Historic monuments and leisure and culture facilities alongside the riverbed that has recovered its biodiversity in giant leaps.

From the playful viewpoint of the new system on the bank of the Manzanares, it provides the perfect recipe for a good time with family. Children will have fun in the 17 play areas found along the Salón de Pinos, all with swings made from sustainable, natural materials such as wood and hemp rope, forming webs, hammocks, hanging bridges or climbing vines. Each zone has different characteristics according to age, so there are areas dedicated for younger and older children based on skill, balance and strength.What everyone agrees on, children and adults alike, is that Madrid Río Beach and jets of water are ideal to cool down in summer.

But it is also a place where adults can enjoy a great cultural offering. From all of the cultural activities (exhibitions, musical festivals, theatre plays…) held at Matadero Madrid, as well as the beautifully built new bridges, such as the monumental Arganzuela Bridge or Perrault Bridge.

It is worth mentioning the new restaurant, Café Naves, designed by the architect, Paula López Barba and decorated by the British designers, Morag Myerscough & Luke Morgan. It forms part of the set of Naves del Español spaces for the performing arts at Matadero and boasts a café-restaurant and a stage for café-theatre performances.

Madrid Río is also home to the Puente del Rey Esplanade, where the Spanish national football side celebrated its victory in the South Africa World Cup in 2010. If the plan for the day is to go shopping, you must visit the impressive Plaza Río 2 Shopping Centre.

Following the course of the Manzanares River, the area of Madrid Río, as it passes between Usera and Vallecas, takes you to the Manzanares Linear Park, an area for walking and leisure activities designed by the architect Ricardo Bofill, and built in 2003, where you can find playgrounds, green areas, an amphitheatre, two viewing points (one of which is crowned by Manuel Valdés’s sculpture The Lady of Manzanares) and Caja Mágica, the High Performance Tennis Centre designed by Dominique Perrault.