Category
Nature
19 articles
NatureEl Capricho Park Madrid, Opening Hours and Bunker Tours
El Capricho park in Madrid, and whether it deserves a weekend morning of your trip. It is a free garden laid out for the Duke and Duchess of Osuna from 1784, with a labyrinth, a lake and a Civil War bunker you can tour, but it bans dogs, bikes and picnics, so it suits a slow walk far better than a lazy afternoon on the grass.
NatureFinnish Forest Rascafría, Getting There From Madrid
Getting to the Finnish Forest in Rascafría from Madrid is easy by car, a 750-metre stroll from the monastery. Without one, only a weekend bus gives you a full day. Make it a full day with El Paular Monastery or the RV 6.2 trail, about 12.6 km there and back, and avoid Mondays and Tuesdays, when the monastery is shut.
NatureHiking Near Madrid by Train, Easy Trails From the Station
Hiking near Madrid by train comes down to one choice. Want an easy day with nothing to book? Ride to Cercedilla and walk straight off the platform into the Fuenfría valley. Want the high peaks? The Navacerrada pass and Cotos are reached on a booked replacement bus, and the last one down leaves at 6.40pm.
NatureJuan Carlos I Park Madrid, Hours, Free Bikes and Metro
Is Juan Carlos I Park worth the trip? It is if you want open space and a free bike, and it sits on the airport Metro line, so it fits a last half-day in Madrid. Bring your actual passport, pick up the bike at the main gate and keep the free train for the long loops.
NatureRetiro Park Boat Rental Madrid, Price and When to Book
Retiro Park boat rental, when to go and whether to book. The booth sells without a booking all day, online slots need 12 hours notice and weekdays save €2 a boat. Over-65s pay €1.80 on non-holiday weekdays before 2pm, under-14s must row with an adult, and the boats only stay moored on four winter holidays or when high wind shuts the park.
NatureSkiing Near Madrid Without a Car, Which Resort Opens
Where can you ski near Madrid without a car this winter? One resort and one bus. Valdesquí is the only nearby resort running a normal season, and bus 691 from Moncloa stops in its car park. Catch an early bus to get a full day on the lifts, and plan around the last bus down, which leaves at about 6.20pm at weekends.
NatureMadrid nature centres, free activities and booking
Entry costs €0 and so do the activities, across 12 regional centres and a separate municipal network that does not list them. The Chapinería one runs 9am to 3pm and shuts Mondays, and at La Pedriza three information points keep three timetables, the shortest open 90 minutes a day.
NatureMadrid picnic areas, and why fires are banned all year
Fires are banned on all 365 days, with no season and no exception, under the INFOMA plan. What you do get is up to 12 listed facilities, from tables to toilets, and every area arrives with its road and its kilometre point, like Las Presillas at km 28.600 of the M-604 in Rascafría.
NatureMadrid plant nurseries, how to visit and when they open
Two of the city's three municipal nurseries cannot be walked into at all. The Estufas nursery inside the Retiro and the Casa de Campo one open only to booked group tours, on 915 280 938. Inside sits a glasshouse moved from the Liria palace in 1956, and the third one shuts at 3pm.
NatureCasa de Campo Madrid, Getting There and What to Do
At 1,747.6 hectares this is the largest official neighbourhood in Madrid and more than three times the whole Centro district, which covers 523. Having no perimeter fence, it never closes completely, not even on a red alert when the Retiro locks its gates. It cordons off the wooded stretches instead.
NatureMadrid Río, What to See and How to Walk It
Over 6 kilometres and 106 hectares with 33 crossings of the Manzanares, so walking the whole thing is a day out rather than a stroll. Inside are 30 kilometres of cycle paths, 33 sports courts and an urban beach of 11,930 square metres that is a water and play area rather than a bathing spot.
NatureCercedilla Las Dehesas Parking Booking Near Madrid
Las Dehesas caps cars at 240 and makes you book ahead, but the cap counts vehicles rather than walkers, so anyone arriving on the Cercanías line skips it entirely. Drivers face two separate calendars, daily from 1 June to 15 September and weekends only through the rest of the year.
NatureMadrid Parks, Weather Closures and Which Ones Shut
A city that shuts its parks in bad weather takes some getting used to, and Madrid does it by decree. 6 enclosed grounds close completely in a red alert, the Retiro among them, while 7 open spaces such as Casa de Campo only cordon off sections, and the deciding factor is whether there is a gate to lock.
NatureSierra de Guadarrama Access Near Madrid, Quotas
Leaving the car behind gets you past most of the Sierra's access limits, but not this one. The Peñalara massif holds a daily ceiling of 945 visitors however they arrive, while the Los Cotos car park runs a separate cap of 250 vehicles across its 251 marked bays, and groups of 15 or more need permission first.
NatureNature Near Madrid, Access Rules and Quotas
A lottery at the beech forest, a car counter at La Pedriza, a fixed season for the bathing spots and a fare at the Botanical Garden. Montejo draws places on the 1st and 16th, La Pedriza caps at 270 parked vehicles, the five bathing spots open 15 May to 15 September, and the garden charges €4.
NatureRetiro Park Madrid, Wind Closures and Why
Madrid closes six parks outright in a red weather alert, the Jardines del Buen Retiro among them, and restricts zones in seven more, including Casa de Campo. There are three alert levels, and what decides which list a park lands on is whether it has gates, not how many hectares it covers.
NatureLa Pedriza Car Access Near Madrid, Quota and Hours
Can you drive into La Pedriza? Yes, with no booking, until 270 cars are parked inside at once and only while the La Camorza barrier is open. Miss out and a 75-space car park beside the barrier lets you walk on to Canto Cochino, while Las Dehesas at Cercedilla sells its 240 places in advance.
NatureMontejo Beech Forest Near Madrid, Booking and Ballot
The Hayedo de Montejo is free and almost impossible to fit into a short trip. Places are released at 9:30 on the 1st and the 16th of each month for the following fortnight, applications stay open for five days, and they go by draw rather than by speed. Independent access is not permitted at all.
NatureRoyal Botanical Garden Madrid Tickets and Hours
The Royal Botanical Garden sits next door to the Prado and answers to the CSIC research council, which is why it charges €4 against its neighbour's €15. The reduced rate is €1, groups of ten pay €2, under-18s enter free any day of the year, and on Tuesdays from 10:00 to 13:30 so does everyone else.