The Madrid region has the virtue that a ten-minute drive (or public transport) is enough to have the feeling of having abandoned all metropolitan logic. The altitude of the Sierra can mean that while it is a sunny day on Argumosa street 50 kilometers away, the snow has been lying for weeks or months in Navacerrada.
And as we know the joint notion of snow and mountains can be somewhat ethereal, with this article we will tell you what are the best villages in Madrid to enjoy the snow.
1. Navacerrada
Navacerrada is possibly the village that first comes to mind when a Madrileño thinks of the mountains. With stone houses and slate roofs, low temperatures are its main attraction, both in summer (to escape the heat) and in winter (to get in touch with the snow). It is just 50 kilometers from Madrid and is perfect for a day trip.
2. Patones de Arriba
Patones de Arriba is one of the least claimed jewels of Spanish rural tourism. And yet, weekend after weekend the parking lots at the entrance of the village are full -advice: get up early if you want to go. The stamp of Patones de Arriba is quite peculiar: houses built on the slopes of the mountains, black architecture and ovens in the streets. Nearby is the Church of San José, the Canal de Isabel II Aqueduct and the Dehesa de la Oliva, a site with archaeological remains from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages.
3. Rascafría
In addition to being considered in 2020 candidate to become Capital of Rural Tourism 2020 (according to the website Escapada Rural), Rascafría has a great virtue that can go unnoticed: it can be reached by public transport. Rascafría is a paradise with hiking trails, the Forest of Finland is spectacular and a visit to the great Monastery of Santa María del Paular (dating from 1390) is a must. A classic, by the way, of the summer due to the low water temperature of the Presillas, its natural pools.
4. Buitrago de Lozoya
It is quite feasible that in an objectively subjective way the most beautiful village in the sierra is Buitrago de Lozoya. Surrounded by the Lozoya River -from which it takes its name- and declared a National Monument in 1931, Buitrago is the only town in the Community of Madrid that keeps its walls intact. It also has a not so well known space which is a museum that houses 60 works of Pablo Picasso, all donated to Eugenio Arias and ceded by him to the deputation of Madrid in 1982.
5. Cercedilla
Located half a hundred kilometers from the capital, the attraction of visiting Cercedilla does not lie exclusively in the village, but also in its surroundings. The surroundings are projected as an ideal place for hiking and getting into the rural world. There is also the Valdesquí ski resort, from where you can enjoy spectacular views of the National Park.
6. Manzanares el Real
Manzanares el Real has a virtue easily remembered by anyone who has visited it: the Castillo de los Mendoza is one of the best preserved castles in Spain. It is recognized as the jewel of Madrid’s fortifications and in the words of the Community of Madrid: “one of the jewels not only of Madrid’s military architecture, but of all the medieval architecture of the Kingdom of Castile”. Covered with snow it is a real spectacle.
7. San Lorenzo de El Escorial
If the snowfall is not too heavy, it is always a good opportunity to rediscover the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. In addition to admiring one of the most beautiful libraries in Madrid, one never tires of it, it is also a good opportunity to discover the town of El Escorial. It has some jewels of the eighteenth century, such as the Royal Coliseum of Charles III and the cafe of the same theater.
If you feel like eating, the town has some of the best restaurants in the sierra, including one with a Michelin star. And to wash down your meal, a walk through the forest of La Herrería, weather permitting.