It has capacity for 105,000 fans. They are right alongside the Paseo del Prado, just south of the Prado museum, but inside this green oasis, with more than 30,000 plants from around the globe, it's easy to feel that city life has been put on hold. Ideal for a stroll or a moment's peace in spring, early summer or autumn. Designing a bridge across the avenue, they decided the space underneath would be a good art venue. The Meeting by Eduardo Chillida.
Skateboarders use it a lot, too.
A seemingly endless, bunkerish building that contains a complex of government ministries, begun in 1932 and one of the largest projects bequeathed by the Spanish Republic to Madrid. Inside it has a park-like garden, open to the public, that's often frequented by local office workers taking a break from the city. Recent arrivals in Madrid often refuse to believe that this extraordinary construction, dwarfing the Plaza de Cibeles and regularly compared to a sand castle or a wedding cake, can be just a post office. However, that's what it is. The design was influenced by Viennese art nouveau, but also features many traditional Spanish touches.