Is it safe/advisable for a woman to run alone in the Retiro in the morning? I get grouchy if I can't get out for a run while on the road but don't want to be looking over my shoulder all the time either.

I think it's safe because when you run, you don't have money or anything interesting for thieves and they also have to run to catch you. My sister has been robed twice in the Retiro when she worked close to it, but it was at noon in winter, there was nobody and she looked very well dressed. I think that running is different. If you don't take anything of value, you are safe, I think.

My friend in Granada runs alone all the time and has no problem, and while Granada isn't quite the same as Madrid, I would assume that you...as a runner...would be equally safe. All the postings of crime in Madrid have had to do with muggings and pickpockets. We haven't read anything about women being dragged off into the bushes in the style of New York City, Chicago, or my own booming metropolis of Tucson. As was pointed out, the would-be thief would have to run to pick your pocket anyway! They are looking for an easy mark...not a moving target!

Enjoy your run AND your trip!

I have two friends that went on their semesters abroad, one in Salamanca, and one in Cordoba. They are both athletic, and ran very frequently, but they said that its not the norm to see women running like that, and they were harassed. My friend who went to salamanca had been chased a few times. Maybe they just had bad experiences with it, but I'd be careful.

When I visited Retiro Park in the early afternoon, there were several groups of runners, or joggers, going around the park. There were one or two people on their own and I noticed that they always kept to the main pathways. These pathways are patrolled by the Police on their scooters and I presume this is a deterrant to most would-be thieves. Assuming you will be dressed only in shorts and t-shirt, there is not much you can carry in your pockets anyway.

there are always runners around retiro, although women runners are much rarer than in the states... i never felt threatened, but did receive strange looks and some heckling when i would run with or without someone else anywhere in the city. so, my advice is that as along as it is light out, you are fine, and retiro is a great place to run.

My running friends in Salamanca were sometimes teased (along the lines of, "hey, where are you going in such a hurry?"), but never really bothered. Obviously, Retiro is probably very different, but I would think that running at busy times of day and in open areas would be no problem...sort of like running in any park in a big city. Just don't expect crowds of OTHER runners!! And beware of the heat, which can be incredibly intense. It may be tempting to run early in the morning (not late at night, I would imagine), but I would wait for daylight and for a few other folks to be out.

That cracks me up because I can literally visualise these typical men on a bench in Salamanca with their Mahous saying "A donde vas guapita!!??"

It all depends on the time of the day and the area of the park. You said on mornings,but from safety perpective it's totally different if you are for an early run (7am) than for a middle morning one (11am).

Regarding runs themselves, the majority of women the run alone do it on the so called "short run", not because is short it's because it really safe even at night (11pm). This run is basically going parallel to the park fence on Menendez Pelayo street and going back through the main avenue of the park up to the fence again in O'Donell with Menendez Pelayo. (It's a bit less than 2KM).

The long run (a bit less than 5km) has shady hidden areas.