Alcobendas, on metro line 10 north of the city, runs a Christmas built for families rather than sightseers. The headline last season was a Three Kings parade on 5 January that ended beside a metro station, plus a rink, a tent and three nativity scenes spread across two hubs 1,631 metres apart. The 2025-26 programme ran from 5 December to 11 January.
Is Christmas in Alcobendas worth a trip from Madrid? For families, yes: in 2025-26 Alcobendas paired an 8-euro ice rink with the Navibendas tent, a Christmas train between its two hubs, three nativity scenes and a Three Kings parade on 5 January at 18:00, all on metro line 10. The rink returns to the same spot for 2026-27.
- Ice rink: Valdelasfuentes, 8 euros for 45 minutes, gloves required.
- Train: 20 December to 4 January, two stops, no service on the 25th or the 1st.
- Parade: 5 January, 18:00 start, finish beside the metro.
- Metro: change at Tres Olivos for line 10, 3 euros combined ticket.
Hours and prices below are from last season. The rink is confirmed for 2026-27: on 1 October the town awarded the contract to install an ice rink and children’s rides on the outdoor grounds of the Valdelasfuentes sports complex again. Dates, hours and the new price are not public yet.
Which hub suits your plan?
The two hubs work for different visitors. Valdelasfuentes is the one for children: rink, tent and the train’s northern stop, all within 100 metres of the metro. The old centre is for a slower morning, with the nativity scene in the town hall courtyard and, on 28 December, an eve-of-New-Year grape party in the Plaza del Pueblo where all you had to bring was the grapes.
If you only have one afternoon, go to Valdelasfuentes between 20 December and 4 January, when the rink, the tent and the train all overlap, and ride the train to the centre for the second half.
How to get to Alcobendas from Madrid, and Sanse next door
Both hubs sit on metro line 10: change at Tres Olivos from central Madrid, and the combined ticket to zone B1 costs 3 euros. Cercanías line C-4 also stops at Valdelasfuentes station, 896 metres from the rink.
Neighbouring San Sebastián de los Reyes concentrates its market and nativity scene around its old square, so the two towns fit in one day; see Christmas in San Sebastián de los Reyes. On the same trip, MUNCYT Alcobendas is a free science museum open Tuesday to Sunday, and what to do at Christmas in Madrid covers the city itself.
Three Kings parade route
On 5 January 2026 the parade left Bulevar Salvador Allende at 18:00 and reached the Ciudad Deportiva Valdelasfuentes around 20:30, after almost 4.5 km. Six areas along the route were reserved for disabled people and their families, staffed by volunteers: calle Libertad 6, Marqués de la Valdavia 42 and 90, Miguel de Cervantes 3, Avenida de Pablo Iglesias 5 and the finish at Valdelasfuentes.
Watching the end is the smart move if you are coming from Madrid: the finish is beside Manuel de Falla, so you are on the train minutes after the last float. The capital’s own procession is covered in the Madrid Three Kings parade guide.
Ice rink prices and hours
The rink stood on the esplanade of the Ciudad Deportiva Valdelasfuentes from 5 December to 11 January. A session cost 8 euros for 45 minutes, and gloves were compulsory, so bring a pair. Until 19 December it opened 12:00-15:00 and 17:00-22:00; from the 20th, 11:00-22:00 straight through, closing at 17:00 on the 24th and 31st.
Next door, the Navibendas tent opened from 12 December to 5 January, 12:00-14:00 and 16:30-20:30. For a bigger rink or a second session, Madrid’s ice rinks are a metro ride away.
The Christmas train between hubs
The Christmas train ran from 20 December to 4 January, 12:00-14:30 and 17:00-20:00, with only the 11:00-14:30 slot on the 24th and 31st and no service on 25 December or 1 January. Each run carried 56 passengers.
It is a shuttle, not a loop: there are two stations, Navibendas (opposite the Orpea care home) and Plaza del Pueblo, and everyone gets off at each stop. The fare for last season is not listed, so check it with the 2026-27 programme before promising the ride to the children.
Nativity scenes and their hours
Three nativity scenes opened last season, each with its own timetable. The main one, the Gran Belén Municipal, sits in the town hall’s Patio de Encuentros, 787 metres from Manuel de Falla.
| Nativity scene | Hours | Venue | Last day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extremaduran nativity | 9:00-14:45; closed 24 Dec-1 Jan and 6 Jan | La Esfera | 7 January |
| Murcian craft nativity | Mon-Sat 10-21; Sun 10-14; closed holidays | Centro de Arte Alcobendas | 7 January |
| Gran Belén Municipal | Mon-Fri 10-14 and 17-21; weekends and holidays 10-14 and 17-20 | Town hall, Patio de Encuentros | 6 January |
On a Sunday afternoon only the Gran Belén is open, until 20:00. A walk through Madrid’s nativity scenes is the bigger version of the same plan.
Concerts, markets and New Year
Concert tickets ranged from free to 9 euros: 5 euros for the human-rights Christmas concert at La Esfera on 11 December at 19:00, 7 and 9 euros for the town band and choir at the Teatro Auditorio on 13 December at 20:00, and free at the Auditorio Paco de Lucía on 14 December at 12:30, a mix of classical instruments, rock band and choir.
There was no weeks-long Christmas market, only two Sunday ones: a producers’ market on 14 December, 10:00-15:00, on Paseo de Valdelasfuentes, and the Brandy Be market on 21 December in calle Felicidad, between Paseo de Fuente Lucha and Avenida de Pablo Iglesias. On 31 December a local San Silvestre run started from Valdelasfuentes between 12:00 and 14:00, and children had their own grape countdown at 12:00 in the Navibendas tent.
Outside the festive season, things to do in Alcobendas shows what opens on which day.
Questions about Christmas in Alcobendas
How much is the Alcobendas ice rink?
In the 2025-26 season the rink on the esplanade of the Ciudad Deportiva Valdelasfuentes cost 8 euros for a 45-minute session, and gloves were compulsory. It ran from 5 December to 11 January, 88 metres from Manuel de Falla metro station on line 10.
When does the Alcobendas Christmas train run?
Last season it ran from 20 December to 4 January, 12:00 to 14:30 and 17:00 to 20:00, mornings only on the 24th and 31st, and not at all on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day. It stops at Navibendas and Plaza del Pueblo, and riders must get off at each stop.
What time is the Three Kings parade in Alcobendas?
On 5 January 2026 the parade left Bulevar Salvador Allende at 18:00 and reached the Ciudad Deportiva Valdelasfuentes around 20:30, covering almost 4.5 km. The finish is next to Manuel de Falla metro station, which makes the return to Madrid easy.
Is Alcobendas easy to reach from central Madrid for Christmas events?
Yes. Metro line 10 has a station beside each hub: Manuel de Falla is 88 metres from the ice rink and Marqués de la Valdavia 483 metres from Plaza del Pueblo. From central Madrid you change at Tres Olivos, and the combined ticket to zone B1 costs 3 euros.
Pick the hub first: ice and tent at Valdelasfuentes, nativity and grapes in the centre.