Madrid’s Atocha railway station is well worth a visit, even if you’re not catching a train while in the Spanish capital.
After near-destruction by a fire in the 1980s, and being targeted by terrorist bombers in 2004, the terminal has had its fair share of turmoil. But it now houses a delightfully peaceful botanical garden populated by hundreds of turtles, which are kept cool by frequent bursts of water throughout the air.
Away from the departing and arriving trains, its setting in the old station makes for a relaxing, tranquil and quirky waiting area.
The building has also been the home of a shopping mall, cafés and even a nightclub since it opened in 1851.
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