Five medieval towns about two hours or less from Madrid let you inside their castles, and two of the best known do not. A medieval town near Madrid is a small walled or castle town that keeps its Middle Ages layout within a two-hour drive of the capital. Coca castle shows its brick walls on a guided tour for €3.00, Belmonte charges €10.00 with an audio guide, Brihuega opens its great hall for €2.00, Pedraza keeps the Ignacio Zuloaga museum inside its castle, and Consuegra pairs its castle with the windmills. Buitrago del Lozoya has walls you can walk but a castle that is temporarily closed, and Manzanares el Real has kept its castle shut since January 2025.
Which medieval town near Madrid has a castle you can go inside? Coca, for €3.00 in cash on a guided tour; Belmonte, for €10.00 with an audio guide; Brihuega, whose castle hall costs €2.00; Pedraza, with the Zuloaga museum open Wednesday to Sunday; and Consuegra. The castles of Buitrago del Lozoya and Manzanares el Real are closed.
Which castles near Madrid can you go inside?
Before choosing a town, decide whether you want to step inside a castle or simply wander a walled old town. That splits the list in two.
| Town | What you can enter | Ticket | Closed | Without a car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coca | Brick Mudéjar castle, guided tour | €3.00, reduced €2.50, cash only | First Tuesday of the month | Car only |
| Belmonte | Fifteenth-century castle, audio guide | €10.00, children €6.00; with siege park €13.00 and €9.00 | Mondays | Car only |
| Brihuega | Great hall of Piedra Bermeja castle | €2.00; five sites €8.00 | Ask at the tourist office | Car only |
| Pedraza | Zuloaga museum inside the castle | Ask on +34 921 509 825 | Monday and Tuesday | Car only |
| Consuegra | Castillo de la Muela and Bolero windmill | At the tourist office | Ask at the tourist office | Car only |
| Buitrago del Lozoya | Upper wall and clock tower; castle closed | €5.00, reduced €4.00 | Mondays | Bus 191 |
| Manzanares el Real | Nothing: castle closed | No tickets | Closed since January 2025 | Bus 724 |
Driving from Puerta del Sol without traffic takes 49 minutes to Chinchón, 1 h 3 min to Buitrago, 1 h 41 min to Consuegra, 1 h 44 min to Sigüenza, 1 h 45 min to Pedraza, 1 h 48 min to Ayllón, 1 h 56 min to Coca and 2 h 7 min to Belmonte.
Can you do it without a car?
Only four medieval towns work as a car-free day trip from Madrid, and only one of them by train.
- Sigüenza has a direct Renfe Media Distancia regional train from Madrid-Chamartín. Its castle is now a state-run Parador hotel, the full plan is in the Sigüenza day trip from Madrid, and the town has a cathedral and steep medieval streets.
- Buitrago del Lozoya has the Alsa 191 bus from the Plaza de Castilla interchange. The walls are the reason to go; the castle is closed.
- Chinchón is served by the 337 bus.
- Manzanares el Real has the 724 from Plaza de Castilla, but with the castle closed it is a trip for La Pedriza rather than for medieval stone.
For Coca, Belmonte, Pedraza, Sepúlveda, Ayllón, Hita, Brihuega and Consuegra, hire a car. Ticket and route options for the bigger historic cities are in the Segovia day trip from Madrid and Madrid to Toledo by train or bus.
Belmonte or Coca, if you only see one castle
Belmonte is the fuller day. According to the Belmonte castle price list, the self-guided visit with audio guide costs €10.00, or €6.00 for ages 5 to 12, and €13.00 and €9.00 with the siege-engine park beside it. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours for the castle and 45 minutes for the park. From 22 September to 6 January it opens 10:00 to 14:00 and 15:30 to 18:30; from 7 January to 28 February it opens weekday mornings only, with afternoons on weekends. It closes on Mondays, and the last ticket is sold 45 minutes before closing.
Coca is the cheapest entry on this list, an all-brick Mudéjar fortress. The guided tour costs €3.00 and €2.50 for ages 6 to 14 and over-65s, runs 11:00 to 13:00 and 16:30 to 18:00, and takes cash only. On weekends and public holidays the tours need booking and a group of 10 to 12 people, so a weekday is easier. You will climb 78 steps in the keep and 52 in the second tower, high and narrow.
Which castles are closed despite what older guides say?
The Mendoza castle of Manzanares el Real, the closest to Madrid, has been shut to visitors since January 2025. Its owner, the Ducal House of the Infantado, says it will reopen once the authorities grant its activity licence, with no date given; the background is in why the Manzanares el Real castle is closed.
Buitrago del Lozoya lists its castle as temporarily closed, according to the Buitrago town council. The town is still worth the trip for its walls and the free Picasso museum.
Walking the walls in Buitrago del Lozoya
The walls of Buitrago del Lozoya run for about 800 metres in two parts. The lower wall walk is free and always open.
The upper wall, with the clock tower and a display of siege weapons, costs €5.00 or €4.00 reduced, and under-10s go free. From 1 November to 31 March it opens Tuesday to Saturday 11:30 to 13:45 and 16:15 to 17:45, Sunday mornings only, and closes on Mondays. No one is let in during the last 15 minutes.
Plan around the Spanish midday closure
Almost every castle on this list closes between lunch and late afternoon. Coca stops between 13:00 and 16:30, Belmonte between 14:00 and 15:30, Buitrago’s upper wall between 13:45 and 16:15, and Pedraza’s museum between 14:00 and the afternoon session. Arrive mid-morning, eat around 14:00 like everyone else, and keep the afternoon slot for a second sight. Monday is the day to avoid, because most of these sights close.
In the towns themselves, lunch runs roughly from 14:00 to 16:00, and restaurants must offer free tap water under Spain’s Law 7/2022 on waste, so ask for it rather than buying a bottle. Tipping is optional, as explained in tipping in Madrid. Coca also needs cash for the castle, so bring some.
Medieval festivals worth timing a trip for
| Festival | Town | When |
|---|---|---|
| Hita Medieval Festival | Hita | First weekend of July |
| Ayllón Medieval | Ayllón | Last weekend of July |
| Medieval combat tournament | Belmonte | September |
| Saffron Rose festival | Consuegra | Late October |
They bring stalls, costumes and crowds. If what you want is a quiet castle, pick another weekend.
What you might not like
- Closed castles still listed as open: Buitrago and Manzanares el Real.
- Cash only: Coca does not take cards.
- Steps: Coca’s two towers add up to 130 uneven steps.
- Distance: Belmonte, Coca and Ayllón are close to two hours each way.
- Unpublished prices: Pedraza and Consuegra sell tickets on site without listing them online.
For prettier villages chosen on looks rather than history, see the most beautiful villages near Madrid. For more Madrid-region ideas, see day trips from Madrid and which Madrid villages are open on which days.
Frequently asked questions about medieval towns near Madrid
Which castles near Madrid can you visit inside?
Coca, on a guided tour for €3.00; Belmonte, with an audio guide for €10.00; Pedraza, where the castle holds the Ignacio Zuloaga museum; Brihuega, whose great hall costs €2.00; and Consuegra, next to its windmills. Buitrago’s castle is temporarily closed and Manzanares el Real’s has been shut since January 2025.
Can you visit a medieval town from Madrid without a car?
Yes, four of them. Sigüenza has a direct Renfe regional train from Madrid-Chamartín, Buitrago del Lozoya has the 191 bus from Plaza de Castilla, Manzanares el Real the 724 from the same station, and Chinchón the 337. Coca, Belmonte, Pedraza and Ayllón realistically need a car.
Is Belmonte or Coca the better castle?
Belmonte if you want half a day and a self-guided visit, at €10.00 with an audio guide and a siege-engine park next door. Coca if you want the cheapest proper castle, at €3.00 on a guided tour, but it takes cash only and its towers mean 130 steep steps.
When are the medieval festivals near Madrid?
Hita holds its Medieval Festival on the first weekend of July, Ayllón Medieval runs on the last weekend of July and Belmonte stages a medieval combat tournament in September. They are the busiest days of the year in each town.
What day should I avoid for a medieval town trip?
Monday. Buitrago’s upper wall, Belmonte castle and Ayllón’s tourist office all close, and the castle museum in Pedraza shuts on Monday and Tuesday. Coca also closes on the first Tuesday of every month.
Pick Belmonte or Coca for a castle, Sigüenza for a car-free town, and keep Monday free.