Estación de Atocha

Madrid's grandest railway station — a 19th-century wrought-iron train shed whose old departure hall was converted in 1992 into a tropical garden of more than 7,000 plants and a resident population of turtles in a central pond. Still a fully working station, and free to wander through.

The garden hall sits between the old and new station buildings, so you can walk through it without a train ticket — just pass through the general concourse. It's busiest at rush hour when commuters cut through; midday is calmer for photos of the palm canopy against the original ironwork. The high-speed AVE platforms for Toledo, Segovia, and Seville all depart from this station, making it a natural stop before a day trip.