How to see Chinescos and other beautiful places in the Gardens of Aranjuez

A visit to the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, it would not be complete without exploring the enormous Palace Gardens, one of the most spectacular gardens in Spain.

Under this general name of Gardens of Aranjuez There are three very different enclaves, the Garden of the Island, Parterre Garden and Prince's Gardens with corners as special as the pond Chinese.

When we talk about the Gardens of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez we should distinguish between the different areas it has and which I am going to talk to you about in detail.

But to understand it from now on, next to the palace are the Parterre and Isla gardens, and a very short distance away are the Prince's Gardens, which is by far the largest, with 150 hectares of area.

In fact, I can tell you that, from my point of view, the latter are the most beautiful to visit because, due to their characteristics, they contain the most interesting corners to discover during a walk, such as the Chinese pond.

El Prince Garden extends along the banks of the tagus river through the area known as Spring Garden.

Built at the end of the 18th century by order of the Charles IV, compared to the French style of the gardens that surround the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, in the nearby Prince Garden you will find the characteristic landscape style of the english gardens.

To visit it, you will move away from the building Royal Palace heading east and you will enter through the first of the entrances, the Embarcadero Gate.

Another option is to continue along the road that runs next to the garden fence and access it through the Plaza Redonda Gate.

What to see in the Prince's Garden

It is a set of garden areas where you will find some beautiful corners, such as the Chinescos Pond, which I consider is the one that shows the greatest charm.

And next to it you can see the artificial hill known as Roller coaster.

Another notable corner is the Pier located next to the tagus river, which dates back to the time of Ferdinand VI, and to get to it you will pass through a roundabout where five pavilions built in the times of Carlos III y Charles IV.

Next to the Embarcadero is the current museum of royal feluccas. which shows several small boats from different periods that were used by the kings of spain to navigate places like the tagus river or Pond of the Retreat in Madrid.

Now, the main building that you find in these gardens is the Labrador House, an ancient hunting lodge Built at the end of the 18th century, at the time of Charles IV.

This palace maintains its original interior decoration and you can visit it by signing up for the guided tours that are carried out in groups.

Chinescos Pond in the Prince Gardens

From my point of view, the so-called Chinescos Pond It is the most beautiful and charming place of those mentioned Gardens of Aranjuez.

It is a artificial lake with three islands where you can see a pavilion Greek style with Ionic columns that emulate being made of marble, which at the beginning of the 18th century was built Juan de Villanueva, who was the architect of the building of the Prado Museum.

But in reality it is a Chinese style temple the one that gives its name to the pond.

It seems that the original Chinese temple suffered serious damage during the conflagration of the War of independence, and that king Ferdinand VII He ordered its reconstruction.

During your walk through this pleasant place, which reaches great splendor with the colors of autumn, you will be able to see in the waters of the pond ducks, pheasants or peacocks that also walk along the banks.

Now, in order to get to know this corner,where is the Chinescos Pond?

You find this place in the Middle area of the Prince's Gardens, accessing through the Plaza Redonda Gate.

Parterre Garden in Aranjuez

The Parterres gardens were built in 1727 by order of the king Philip V.

Also know as New Garden, and annex to the aforementioned Garden of the Island, has a French garden design.

This garden is delimited on the north side by the tagus river and its entrance faces the entrance road to the town from Madrid along the so-called boat bridge.

In the garden, its three fountains stand out, which were built throughout the 19th century, already at the time of Ferdinand VI.

The most notable is the one called Fountain of Hercules and Antaeus, the first one you will find as you enter through the main door on the eastern side.

The other sources are those of Ceres and Nereids.

Garden of the Island in Aranjuez

It was in the 16th century when Felipe II commissioned the design of Garden of the Island for which various species of trees and plants were brought from places such as Valencia and Andalusia, but also from more distant places such as Flanders and France.

The marbles used for the construction of the fountains and other corners come from Italy.

With a structure that combines rectangular and square areas, during your visit you will see that the highlights of the Garden of the Island They are the fountains located in the different squares.

You will also surely see the great viewpoint over the Tagus River which in the 18th century was ordered to be built by Philip V, based on retaining walls whose objective was to defend the gardens from the sudden flooding of the river.

Tour to Aranjuez in half a day

On the other hand, if instead of going to Aranjuez on your own you prefer to sign up for an organized excursion, here you have the information about a Tour to Aranjuez in half a day.

With this excursion that leaves Madrid at 15 p.m. you will be accompanied by a Spanish-speaking guide, and in addition to visiting the Royal Palace, you will also be able to see the gardens of the Island and the Parterre, also discover the Royal Barge Museum found in the Prince's Gardens.

• Here you can do the online reservation for the Tour to Aranjuez.