Manzanares El Real

It's one of the most attractive towns in the Madrid province, found in a truly privileged location, as it serves as one of the gateways to Sierra de Guadarrama National Park. Visitors are in for a treat, with the impressive Mendoza Castle–one of the best-preserved castles in the Madrid region. Manzanares El Real offers a perfect blend of nature, history and outdoor sports, all within 60 km of the city.

Mendoza Castle

This 15th-century monument is one of the last examples of Castilian military architecture. Originally designed as a fortress and surrounded by a wall, it eventually became a residence for the Mendoza family, featuring furniture and tapestries from the 17th century.

Its beautiful silhouette, set against the backdrop of the La Pedriza mountain range and surrounded by Santillana Lake, makes for a perfect photo stop.

Currently, visits to the castle are not open to the public.

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 the Hermitage of Nuestra Señora de la Peña Sacra is worth the climb as you can take in the amazing view of the La Pedriza mountains. You should also visit the Church of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves (also from the 15th century), the Cañada Real Segoviana Bridge and Ermitas Fountain.

To bring this cultural day to a close, we recommend stopping by the local Ethnological Museum, where you can see the archaeological remains and a reconstruction of a 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 19^th 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.

We recommend a visit to the Sabores de la Sierra store, a traditional shop with a long history that produces handmade products with its own recipes, such as jam, honey and goat's cheese, among others.

• 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:

• Turismo de Manzanares El Real
• Villas de Madrid