When summer arrives in Madrid, the population disappears in a long pilgrimage to second homes… and the sky disappears too. Between the 38 degrees and the artificial light that does not rest even at dawn, seeing a star (shooting or not) becomes improbable. Therefore, more and more people are looking for an escape: a bit of green, some silence and, above all, darkness. And towns like La Hiruela are part of this plan.
This small municipality, located in the Sierra Norte of Madrid and within the Biosphere Reserve of the Sierra del Rincón, has been chosen by the GuruWalk platform as one of the ten best places in Spain to observe the best-known meteor shower in the astronomical calendar: the Perseids, also called the tears of San Lorenzo.
This 2025, the phenomenon will be visible from July 17 to August 24, although the peak of activity will come between August 11 and 13, with a maximum intensity on the 12th at 22:00, according to the National Geographic Institute.
What to do in La Hiruela
But it’s not all about looking at the sky. La Hiruela also has silence, altitude and skies without light pollution. All that makes it a privileged natural destination, just an hour’s drive from the center of Madrid. The perfect getaway for those who do not have time (or desire) to go far away.
In addition to the celestial spectacle, La Hiruela offers charming rural houses, barbecue area, and several nature trails to amortize the day until nightfall. The car is parked outside the town center, which on weekends is closed to traffic, and from there everything is nearby: trails among fruit trees, traditional cuisine, villages frozen in time.
Very close by (barely 10 kilometers away), Montejo de la Sierra shares its rural charm and stellar reputation. Together they form a perfect tandem for those who are not satisfied with seeing four stars from a rooftop in Gran Vía and are looking for a place where the experience is more particular, without streetlights that ruin the show.