We’re used to visiting Madrid’s most popular tourist attractions: the Plaza Mayor, Sol, the Prado Museum, the Royal Palace, El Retiro… but to really discover Madrid, you need to get lost and go beyond the usual sights, because Madrid has so much more to offer than what appears in the guidebooks. This is certainly true, for example, of El Capricho Park in the Alameda de Osuna.

On the Alameda de Osuna lies one of the green spaces that form part of Madrid’s artistic and natural heritage: El Capricho Park. It is one of the most beautiful parks and, paradoxically, one of the least well-known (particularly its Civil War bunker). It was created in 1784 by the Dukes of Osuna, and in particular by the Duchess, Doña María Josefa de la Soledad Alonso Pimentel.

This park boasts a wide variety of natural species and works of art. You’ll find gazebos, chapels, fountains and even a palace. As for garden styles, you’ll discover three different ones: the parterre or French garden, the English landscape garden and the Italian giardino. “In front of the palace’s west façade lies the parterre, with its hedges trimmed as if they were embroidery on the ground. Down below lies the Italian garden, the oldest part of the estate, which combines hedges with trees where you can sunbathe in winter or seek shelter from the summer sun. Nearby, the maze – designed for amorous games and hide-and-seek – is made of laurel and follows the layout of the one planted during the Duchess’s lifetime. Finally, the rest of the park is designed as a typical English landscape garden, evoking nature in its purest form, which invites visitors to stroll and linger in its most secluded corners”, as described on the official Madrid Tourism website.

But El Capricho is not just a romantic setting; it hides another secret: the Posición Jaca bunker, a site from the Civil War that is unique in Europe due to its current state of preservation and which housed the headquarters of the Republican Army of the Centre. The bunker has its own blog where you can find a range of activities and information on how to visit it.

Entry is completely free, although there is a maximum capacity of 1,000 people; you can book a place on this page. Opening hours are from 1 October to 31 March: Sat–Sun and public holidays, 9.00–18.30; from 1 April to 30 September: Sat–Sun and public holidays, 9.00–21.00. Free guided tours (20 people per group) on Saturdays and Sundays (May to September 2017: 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.00, 18.00 and 19.00; October and November 2017: 10.00, 11.00, 12.00, 13.00, 16.00 and 17.00).