Their name refers to a historical episode that occurred in 1109, when the Muslim leader Ali Ben Yusuf tried to reconquer Madrid after the death of King Alfonso VI, attacking the fortress from the slope next to the river. He and his troops seem to have camped in the place where the gardens now occupy.

In the 16th century, King Philip II bought the land adjacent to the Alcázar, becoming the leisure area of the Court in Madrid. After the fire of the Alcázar of Madrid in 1734, this land lost prominence in favor of other areas near the Palace.

It was during the reign of Isabel II that the construction of the Gardens was undertaken by Narciso Pascual y Colomer (1844), from which the layout of the main rectilinear avenues remains, and the two fountains that line the central axis: the of the Conchas, a work by Felipe de Castro and Manuel Álvarez (1775), from the Palacio del Infante don Luis in Boadilla del Monte, and that of the Tritons, an Italian work from the 16th century from the Isleta garden in Aranjuez, and placed in front of the Great Grotto or greenhouse. During the Regency of María Cristina of Habsburg, the park was completely renovated according to the pseudo-landscape design of Ramón Oliva (1890).

The grounds of Campo del Moro were not landscaped before due to the impossibility of connecting them with the Royal Palace, located at a much higher altitude. This elevated position was used to create one of the best perspectives in Madrid, that of the Royal Palace behind a large green tapestry marked by monumental fountains within a large and shadowy romantic garden.

The gardens have a restaurant service and public toilets.

Source: Madrid City Council. Madrid Destination

Open every day (there are areas restricted to visitors). Oct - Tue: Mon - Sun: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Apr - Sept: Mon - Sun: 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.