Majadahonda is worth the trip if you want woods and wildlife without a car. Cercanías trains reach the town station beside the Monte del Pilar, holm oak and pine woods with marked walking and cycling trails, open 7:00 to 22:00 every day. For families, the draw is GREFA, a wildlife rescue centre that runs a two-hour guided visit at 11:30 on weekends and holidays, for 6 euros. It is not the place for a historic old town: the centre is residential and modern.
What is there to do in Majadahonda? Choose by day. On Saturday, pick between the 156-stall market in the centre and the Monte del Pilar woods with GREFA, which sit in a different part of town. On Sunday, do the woods and GREFA in the morning, then Centro Oeste shopping or skating at La Nevera, 17:00 to 19:00.
- Book GREFA: phone 91 638 75 50.
- Market: Tuesday and Saturday mornings only.
- Getting back: train from the same station, or bus 651 or 652 to Moncloa.
How do I get there, and why the train is the easy option
Cercanías lines C-7 and C-10 stop at Majadahonda, in fare zone B2, next to the woods, so the main plan needs neither car nor bus. Metro does not reach the town. Intercity buses leave the Moncloa interchange: the 651 goes to the centre via Calle Doctor Calero and Avenida de España, the 652 to the Gran Plaza 2 shopping centre and the 653 past the station to Puerta de Hierro hospital. A bus single is 3 euros, paid on board.
| Going to | Out | Last bus back at the weekend |
|---|---|---|
| Monte del Pilar and GREFA | Cercanías C-7 or C-10 | Train from the same station |
| Town centre and market | Bus 651 from Moncloa | 651 from Avenida de España: 23:30 on Saturday, 23:55 on Sunday, both ending at Princesa |
| Gran Plaza 2 | Bus 652 from Moncloa | 652 from Calle Químicos: 23:32 and 00:30 on Sunday |
Return times are departures from the first stop, so the bus reaches a later stop after that. The late services that end at Princesa leave you on Calle Princesa, a short metro hop from Moncloa (lines 3 and 6).
What does a Saturday look like?
On Saturday morning you choose: the market and the town centre, reached on bus 651, or the Monte del Pilar and GREFA, reached by Cercanías. La Nevera is a separate evening plan. Sunday has no market, so the morning goes to the woods and GREFA, and the afternoon to shopping or skating.
Is the GREFA wildlife visit worth it?
For families and anyone interested in wildlife, yes. GREFA is a rescue and rehabilitation centre for wild animals in the Monte del Pilar. The guided visit takes in ponds with amphibians and terrapins, enclosures for birds of prey and other birds, and a climate change classroom; the veterinary hospital is not part of it.
It runs on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays at 11:30, lasts about two hours and costs 6 euros a person, free for children under 4. You must book first on 91 638 75 50, with up to 15 people per guide. If you need the visit in English, ask when you book. For a family of four with two children aged 4 or over, that is 24 euros; for two adults alone, 12 euros.
When is the market, and what does it sell?
The municipal market runs on Tuesdays from 9:30 to 14:00 and Saturdays from 9:30 to 15:00, with 156 stalls on a plot between Calle Erillas, Calle Santa Catalina and Calle de la Luna: clothing, shoes, accessories, food, plants and homeware.
It does not open on local holidays such as 25 November, on the Tuesday and Saturday before the September town festival, or on 25 December and 1 and 6 January. For markets in the capital, see Madrid street markets by day.
What is open on Sunday?
| Plan | Sunday | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Monte del Pilar woods | 7:00-22:00 | Free |
| GREFA guided visit | 11:30, booked ahead | 6 euros, under 4 free |
| La Nevera ice rink | 17:00-19:00 | Ask at the rink; gloves 5 euros |
| Gran Plaza 2 | Shops 10:00-22:00; fountain shows 18:30-21:30 | Shopping |
| Centro Oeste shopping centre | Shops 10:00-22:00 | Shopping |
| Market | Closed | — |
Centro Oeste, at Calle Las Moreras 2, opens shops every day 10:00 to 22:00 and its Carrefour hypermarket from 9:00, except 1 and 6 January, 1 May and 25 December. La Nevera, at Calle Fresa 14, requires gloves, sold at the rink for 5 euros; for skating in central Madrid at Christmas, see Madrid ice rinks. For lunch or dinner in town, see where to eat in Majadahonda.
What might disappoint
If your free day is Sunday and you came for the market, it will not be there. If you turn up at GREFA without booking, you will not get in, and if you need the tour in English, check that when you phone. If you come by bus late on a weekend night, the last 651 goes to Princesa rather than Moncloa.
And if you expect an old quarter with monuments, Majadahonda will feel suburban: the reason to come is the woods. The town festival is in mid-September, around 14 September.
Nearby, see things to do in Las Rozas, and further afield, day trips from Madrid.
Majadahonda, questions
Is Majadahonda worth a day trip from Madrid?
For a nature day with children, yes: the Monte del Pilar woods sit beside the Cercanías station and open 7:00 to 22:00, and GREFA, a wildlife rescue centre inside them, runs two-hour guided visits on weekends and holidays at 11:30 for 6 euros, free under 4, booked by phone on 91 638 75 50. It is a residential town, not a historic one.
How do I get to Majadahonda from central Madrid?
Take Cercanías line C-7 or C-10 to Majadahonda station, in fare zone B2, or an intercity bus from Moncloa: line 651 to the town centre, 652 to Gran Plaza 2 and 653 via the station to Puerta de Hierro hospital. A bus single costs 3 euros, paid on board.
When is the Majadahonda market?
Tuesdays from 9:30 to 14:00 and Saturdays from 9:30 to 15:00, with 156 stalls between Calle Erillas, Calle Santa Catalina and Calle de la Luna. There is no Sunday market, and it does not open on local holidays such as 25 November.
Is there ice skating in Majadahonda?
Yes, at La Nevera, a permanent rink at Calle Fresa 14. Public sessions run on Saturdays from 18:00 to 21:00, from 17:00 in December and January, and on Sundays from 17:00 to 19:00. Gloves are compulsory and sold at the rink for 5 euros.
How do I get back to Madrid at night from Majadahonda?
By Cercanías from Majadahonda station, or by bus. The last 651 from Avenida de España leaves at 23:30 on Saturday and 23:55 on Sunday, and both end at Princesa, not Moncloa. On Sunday, the 652 from Calle Químicos, by Gran Plaza 2, has late departures at 23:32 and 00:30.
Train to the woods, GREFA at 11:30, and the market only if it is Saturday.