Greenhouse inside the Atocha train station
If you happen to arrive in Madrid via the AVE (the Spanish high-speed train), specifically at the Atocha station, you have a great opportunity to see your first of Madrid’s many gardens inside the very own train station.
You’ll see that next to the modern AVE station there’s a historic building, the Atocha Station. Thanks to the renovations carried out by the architect Moneo between 1985 and 1992, the trains were replaced with a greenhouse style garden.
Make sure to check out the old building. You’ll be surprised by the contrast between the iron structure that housed the station and the lush garden that now occupies a 4,000 square meter space.
The garden receives natural light through the building’s elevated windows. You’ll see tropical plants that are sustained by the garden’s warm and humid climate.
The best views of the Atocha greenhouse garden are those from the second floor of the new station. There, you’ll find some interesting nooks, such as the bronze sculpture dedicated to the traveler, holding its luggage.
If you didn’t arrive in Madrid by train, make sure to take time to see this garden when you’re in the area. It’s an essential stop considering it’s on the other side of the plaza from the Reina Sofia museum, which is where Picasso’s infamous Guernica painting is located.
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