Children love the zoo and the Parque de Atracciones (see “Madrid for Families,” both in this park formed from former royal hunting grounds south of the Palacio Real across the Río Manzanares. You can see the gate through which the kings rode out of the palace grounds, either on horseback or in carriages, on their way to the tree-lined park. The lake inside Casa de Campo is usually filled with rowers, and you’ll find a snack bar here for drinks and light refreshments by the water. A playground by day, the park gets rather dangerous at night.