Manzanares El Real
Ir is one of the most attractive towns of the Madrid province as it is situated in the truly privileged environment - it is one of the entrances to the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park. The visitors are in for a treat: the impressive Mendoza Castle, one of the best conserved castles in all Madrid. Manzanares El Real is a place where you can enjoy nature, history, outdoor sports less than 60 km from the city.
Mendoza Castle
This 15th century monument is one of the last examples of the Castilian military architecture. The entire castle is surrounded by a wall that is fully open to the public. Even though it was initially designed as a fortress, it ended up as a residence for the Mendoza family and on the inside you can see their furniture and tapestry dating from the 17th century,
Its beautiful silhouette with the La Pedriza mountains backdrop and surrounded by the Santillana lake is a perfect photo stop.
There is also a special way to visit the castle: a 45-minute dramatized tour with actors representing Don Íñigo López de Mendoza and his daughter Brianda that guide the visitors through the rooms of this medieval gem with great salons and a church with three naves. There is also an exotic garden, Jardín de los sentidos, with medicinal and other plants that have been selected according to the historic documents and that try to recreate the monk’s garden the duke used to have, a labyrinth and an arena that reminds of the place where the games and tournaments were held. On occasions you can see fencing tournaments, movie screenings, choral music...
Other interesting sites
Although the castle is the real “gem” of Manzanares El Real, there are other interesting sites that you can visit and that have appeared in the movies like “El Cid” and “Alexander the Great”. Going up to Ermita de Peña Sacra is worth the climb as you have an amazing view of the La Pedriza mountains. You should also visit the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de las Nieves (also from the 15th century), the Cañada Real Segoviana Bridge and the Ermitas fountain.
As an ending to a cultural day, we recommend a visit to the local Ethnological museum where you can see the archological remains and a reconstruction of the traditional house.
To say “Manzanares El Real” is to speak of nature, as it is a town that leads to La Pedriza, an amazing and unique landscape on the Iberian peninsula with rocks that have been sculpted over centuries by water and wind and that are a part of the Guadarrama National Park. The strange forms of these mountains have served as a hiding place for the bandits in the 19th century and are full of legends.
The best way of getting around is to start at the Visitors’ Center located 2 km from the Manzanares El Real. There you can get some advice on the routes and trails and visit the exhibition “Journey to Sierra de Guadarrama”. After that the Park awaits with its amazing fauna like the vulture and the Spanish ibex hidden in the remote corners of the mountains.
On the other side, the town is surrounded by the Cuenca Alta del río Manzanares Regional Park (declared Biosphere Reserve) and you can have a pleasant walk around the Santillana Lake.
The beautiful landscape is a perfect place for all kinds of sports. One of the most popular activities is undoubtedly hiking, since there is a large number of different types of trails around La Pedriza ranging from the most challenging to those appropriate for the whole family, as is “Senda de las formas”, You can look for rocks that look like animals like “the seal” ot “the turtle” and observe the reliefs of the Cancho de los Muertos, or the El Yelmo dome and Las Torres ridges.
Another of the sports more associated with La Pedriza is climbing, since the ultimate Madrid climbing school was founded here, and some legendary climbs have taken place on in its historic cliffs. There are also other activities available, such as fishing, cycling, running and even bird watching since numerous species inhabit Manzanares El Real with several great places to spot and enjoy them.
It must be pointed out that two of the major routes to Santiago de Compostela pass through the region of Manzanares El Real thanks to its central position and the influence of great figures. On one hand, to the north of the Community of Madrid (St James’ Route) and, on the other hand, it was the main town of the Dukedom of the Mendoza family.
Meat of this area is simply delicious so we recommend not leaving this place without trying some of their traditional Castilian style roasts like kid goat stew, grilled grass-fed veal, rabbit in escabeche sauce, stewed partridge or the traditional baby lamb shoulder blade. Those that prefer fish will also find delicious dishes like roteña style sea bream.
You cannot miss the famous puche dessert, whose traditional recipe consists of milk, flour, sugar, a pinch of aniseed, lemon rind, diced bread and oil.
- By car: A little less than 50 km from the city of Madrid, take M-607 (Autovía de Colmenar Viejo) until you get to he end of the highway and to the M-609 and then head to M-862 and finally to M-608.
- By bus: Plaza Castilla bus station, line 720 and 724.
Interesting links:
Other must-visit places near Madrid
Manzanares El Real Tourist Guide (PDF)
A complete guide with general information, situation, connections with Madrid and the most important sites.
