Real Jardín Botánico Madrid: Tickets, Free Entry and Hours

Ticket prices and free entry

The prices are public prices set by the CSIC, the research council that runs the garden, in a resolution of 20 March 2024 published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado and in force since 24 April 2024. The garden's practical guide gives the same figures:

The resolution lists the Tuesday morning slot as a free category without limiting it to any group, so it applies to all visitors. Turismo de Madrid's page describes the Tuesday slot as being for under-18s, but under-18s go free at any time, so the garden's own pages are the better guide here.

Some temporary exhibitions in the Pabellón Villanueva cost an extra €2–5 on top of any ticket, including free ones. The supplement can be paid at the ticket office, at the pavilion door or online. A €4 ticket without the supplement still covers the garden, the greenhouses, the Cátedra de Cavanilles and the Bonsai Greenhouse exhibition room.

What it costs for different groups

• Two adults with two teenagers: €8, because under-18s are free.
• A student couple aged 20 and 22 with student cards: €2 in total.
• Anyone on a Tuesday before 13:30: €0. Tuesday morning is also a good fit with the Prado next door; our museum free hours guide explains when the museums are free.

Tickets are sold at the ticket office at Plaza de Murillo 2 and online at entradas.rjb.csic.es. The garden says it is not responsible for higher prices charged by other online platforms, so buy from its own site or at the gate.

Opening hours

The garden opens every day at 10:00. Closing time depends on the month, according to the practical guide:

Ticket offices, the Bonsai Terrace, the greenhouses and exhibitions close 30 minutes before closing time, and visitors are asked to start leaving then. On a December afternoon, that means the greenhouses shut at 17:30.

The garden is closed on 25 December and 1 January; the practical guide says these are its only closing days, so it is open on 6 January. For other closures around the holidays, see our Madrid at Christmas guide.

Getting in and getting there

The only public entrance is the Puerta de Murillo, in Plaza de Murillo opposite the Prado. The building on Calle de Claudio Moyano is for staff and researchers only, so do not walk round to it.

Turismo de Madrid lists these connections:

• Metro: Atocha (L1), Estación del Arte (L1) and Banco de España (L2).
• Cercanías: Madrid-Atocha.
• Bus: many lines, including 10, 14, 27, 34, 37 and 45.

The same page says the paths are accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs, and that wheelchairs can be borrowed. There is no parking at the garden.

If you are combining the garden with Retiro Park, note that the Turismo de Madrid Retiro page gives the park's winter hours as 06:00–22:00 and lists Atocha and Estación del Arte among its nearest stations too. Do the garden first, while it is open, and the park afterwards. Our Retiro guide covers the boats and the palaces there.

Rules to know before you go

The garden's rules are stricter than a city park's:

• No pets, except guide dogs.
• No picnics. Eating and drinking is limited to the café area.
• No bikes, skates, balls or similar that could damage the plantings.
• Keep to the paths and do not pick any part of a plant.
• Children under 14 must be accompanied.
• Casual photos are fine, but tripods are not allowed in the greenhouses and photography is not allowed inside the Pabellón Villanueva exhibitions. Commercial shoots need permission.
• Groups of 10 or more must book online, and only the garden's own authorised guides may lead tours inside.

Keep your ticket until you leave: the rules ask you to hold on to it for the whole visit.