Madrid Río: a riverside walk along the Manzanares

Updated on October 1, 2026

Madrid Río is the linear park laid out along the banks of the Manzanares after the M-30 ring road was moved underground. According to Madrid City Council, it covers more than 106 hectares over more than 6 kilometres, from the Puente de los Franceses to the Nudo Sur junction, with more than 30 kilometres of cycle paths. You walk from one historic bridge to the next, past pine groves, playgrounds, sports courts and the Matadero Madrid cultural centre. Entry is free, and the park links directly to the Casa de Campo, below the Royal Palace.

Highlights

The Toledo and Segovia bridges

The Puente de Toledo, a nine-arched Baroque granite bridge designed by Pedro de Ribera and built between 1718 and 1732, is one of the finest structures along the route. Further north, the Puente de Segovia, designed by Juan de Herrera under Philip II and completed in 1584, has linked the historic centre to the Segovia road for more than four centuries.

The Arganzuela footbridge

This spiralling steel footbridge, designed by the architect Dominique Perrault, crosses the Manzanares at the Arganzuela park. It is both a crossing between the two banks and a viewpoint over the river.

The Puente del Rey and its esplanade

Built in 1816 under Ferdinand VII by Isidro González Velázquez, the Puente del Rey once linked the Royal Palace to the Casa de Campo hunting grounds. It is now pedestrian and leads to the esplanade where the city hosts concerts and cultural events.

Matadero Madrid and the urban beach

The former municipal slaughterhouse, built in Neo-Mudéjar style and closed in 1996, is now a cultural centre (exhibitions, theatre, festivals), open daily from 09:00 to 22:00. Nearby, next to the Arganzuela footbridge, the Madrid Río "beach" has three oval pools with water jets and mist, no sand, open only in summer.

Infos pratiques

Tips

The park is ideal by bike: BiciMAD docking stations line the banks. The urban beach runs in the summer season from 11:00 to 21:00, then from 12:00 to 20:00 from 8 September, until it closes for the year depending on the weather. You can walk freely around the Matadero Madrid grounds; activities have their own hours, generally Tuesday to Sunday afternoons, and performances require a ticket. For a half-day walk, start at Príncipe Pío, follow the riverbank to the Toledo bridge and on to Matadero, and head back from Legazpi metro station.

How to get there

The park follows the Manzanares for more than 6 km; landmark address: Puente de Segovia, s/n, 28005 Madrid. Metro: Príncipe Pío (lines 6, 10 and Ramal), Puerta del Ángel (line 6), Pirámides and Marqués de Vadillo (line 5), Legazpi (lines 3 and 6, for Matadero). Cercanías trains: Príncipe Pío and Pirámides stations. Matadero Madrid is at Paseo de la Chopera, 14, 28045 Madrid.