Things to do near Madrid
It's not necessary to go as far as Toledo or Segovia to escape the bustle of Madrid or see a bit of Castile. Within an hour's drive of the capital, traffic permitting, it's possible to sample huge fresh strawberries at a green oasis in the dusty plains, visit the house where Cervantes was born, or take in the cool peaks of the Sierra de Guadarrama.
Madrid is often blisteringly hot in summer, and madrileños who don't go to the coast head for the hills of the Sierra de Guadarrama. The mountain towns aren't especially beautiful, but they serve as weekend retreats and bases for hiking (in winter, the higher villages attract about 300,000 skiers each year). There are also some beautiful scenic views, especially where the mountains overlook a river or a reservoir.
Castile la Mancha
To the south, where the dusty plains of Castile La Mancha begin, the countryside is far from exciting, but there are at least two spots in this area worth visiting. One is the delightful little medieval village of Chinchon, today famous for its widely consumed anis de Chinchon liqueur. The other is Aranjuez, a former royal residence that is still an oasis of luxuriant gardens and abundant vegetation. To the east, Alcahi de Henares is best known as the birthplace of the man who wrote Don Quixote.
And the greatest cultural attraction in the immediate Madrid region is the monumental monastery and palace of EL Escorial' A few miles away is the Valle de Los Cafdos (Valley of the Fallen), the controversial monument to the dead of the Spanish Civil War and burial site of Generalissimo Francisco Franco.
This chapter has been designed so that, with one exception, these locations can be enjoyed in easily managed day trips (the Sierra de Guadarrama excursion is best done in two days by hire car from Madrid Barajas Airport).
Things to do in Chinchon
To say there is nothing much to Chinchon would be an understatement. Founded in 1085, the village's centerpiece today is the 16th-century Plaza Mayor, an oddly shaped square of rickety three-story arcaded buildings topped with 224 wooden balconies. The village was immortalized in the film - Around the World in 80 Days, and draws as many as 15,000 visitors per weekend, many of whom arrive in cars.
In the past, the square was a favorite (and crowded) parking place for day trippers, but new rules in effect on weekends prohibit parking within 100 yards of the square, leaving it traffic-free and even more attractive. Since 1502, the Plaza Mayor has been the site of bullfights, and it is still occasionally cordoned off for them.
They are usually held during fiesta week (August 13 through 18), but be warned as a rule it's scorching hot here at that time of the year.Try to visit Chinchon during spring or early summer. Sit at one of the many open-air cafes in the Plaza Mayor and enjoy a small glass of the drink for which the village is nationally famous. The anis of Chinchon is made with the oily seeds of locally grown anise, a member of the parsley family, and alcohol. Those who haven't eaten yet should ask for the dulce, or sweet, variety the seco (dry) is potent stuff!
Chinchon is also famous for its ajo (garlic), and for bread baked in the shapes of fish, horses, owls, eagles, and other animals. The loaves can be bought varnished for decoration or unvarnished to eat. There are several bakeries on the Plaza Mayor. Looming over one side of the square is the parish Iglesia de la Asuncion (Church of the Assumption), built between 1534 and 1626; its highlight is the Assumptio of the Vlrgin by Goya, who often stayed in Chinchon. Just behind the opposite corer is the Parador de Chinchon from which there is a good view of the well-preserved 15th century castle, with its circular fortIfIed towers; it was ransacked, along with the rest of the town, by Napoleon's troops in 1808.
Things to do Aranjuez
This town (pronounced Ahrahnhwayth) enjoys a pleasant climate that provides a respite from the blistering summer heat., This fact wasn´t lost on Spanish monarchs, whose efforts at crating a Spanish version of Versailles here attract many visitors today.
The informal Jardin de la Isla (Garden of the Island), on an island in the Rio Tajo (Tagus River) next to the Palacio Real (Royal Palace), dates from Philip II's time in the 16th century.
Felipe V, whose rule spanned the first half of the 18th century, chose Aranjuez as a royal residence. His successors, Fernando VI and Carlos III demolished the Palacio Real - a fire destroyed much of the original building in 1712, and the present building was constructed in 1744 and built a huge square in front of it and the large, French-modeled Parterre gardens around it. From 1792 to 1803, Carlos IV built a second palace, the Casa del Labrador, in some ways as beautiful as the first though much smaller, and added the vast landscaped park Jardin del Principe (Prince's Garden)that surrounds it.
The spacious leafy gardens and long, tree shaded avenues of Aranjuez (population 37,000) are delightful for an unhurried stroll (and they're expected to get even better, thanks to a $7.2 million renovation of the urban center's old quarter now under way). The Palacio Real and the Casa del Labrador are both richly decorated with ornaments, including priceless gifts from royalty around the world.
The palace has hundreds of rooms; the best known is the Salon de Porcelana (Porcelain Hall), the former reception hall, whose walls and ceilings are covered with white porcelain by the Italian artist Gricci. The Casa del Labrador (Peasant's House, so named because a farm worker’s home used to stand on the site), in the nearby Jardin del Plincipe, contains an abundance of marble, gold, semiprecious stones, crystal, silk hangings, Roman mosaics, huge chandeliers, and 27 elaborate clocks.
The gardens are open daily; the Palacio Real and the Casa del Labrador are closed Mondays. One admission charge allows entry to the Palacio Real (the visit here is by guided tour) and the Casa del Labrador; there's no admission charge to the gardens.
Aranjuez is nationally famous for its delicious crops, asparagus and strawberries in particular, and from March through May the roadsides are crammed with stalls selling produce. A meal isn't complete here without a first course of green asparagus and a dessert of strawberries and cream. A popular excursion for madrileños is the wonderful Tren de la Fresa (Strawberry Train), a 19th-century-style steam train that runs to Aranjuez from Estacion de Atocha, Madrid's main train station, on weekends and public holidays from May through October.
The ticket includes visits to the Palacio Real, the Casa del Labrador, and the gardens and free strawberries on the train. For information, contact the main ticket office for RENFE, the Spanish national railway.
Things to do in Alcala de Henares
The greatest writer in the Spanish language, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, author of Don Quixote, was born here in 1547, but the town's history goes back much further. The area around Alcala de Henares includes several prehistoric, Roman, and Visigothic sites, but unfortunately none is open to the public.
A 3,600 square foot Roman site from the 4th century was discovered in 1988, and it includes an important multicolored mosaic from a villa in the Roman settlement of Complutum, in the Rio Henares valley. The nearest anyone can get to the remains is the Museo Arqueologico del Taller Escuela de Arqueologia (School of Archaeology Workshop Museum, also known as the Museo TEAR) at Paseo de Juncal.
Alcala's golden age began in 1498, when Cardinal Francisco Jimenez de Cisneros, Queen Isabella I's confessor, founded the famous Universidad Complutense (Complutensian University). For many years the most important institution of higher learning in Spain, it published Europe's first polyglot Bible, a six-volume work printed from 1514 to 1517, with side by side texts in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Chaldee, and Syriac (a dialect of Aramaic spoken in Syria and Mesopotamia).
Many colleges and convents were built in the next two centuries, but the historic university was moved to Madrid in 1836, and the city has declined in importance ever since.The original university complex, the Colegio de San Ildefonso, in the Plaza San Diego (near the main Plaza Cervantes), is now the site of the much newer Universidad de Alcala, which has become an important center of North American studies.
Its 16th-century Plateresque facade is interesting; the doorway leads into the arcaded Patio de Santo Tomas (St. Thomas Courtyard) and the Paraninfo (great auditorium), and on to the adjacent 16th-century Patio Trilingiie (Courtyard of Three Languages, so named because Greek, Latin, and Hebrew were taught here).
Famous monuments in Alcala
Other monuments of note in Alcala include the Iglesia Magistral de San Justo, an imposing 17th-century church with a Gothic portal; the 13th-through 16th-century Palacio del Arzobispo (Archbishop's Palace), badly damaged by fire in 1939 (most of the town's churches suffered damage during the 1931-39 Second Republic and Spanish Civil War); and the Capilla de San Il defonso (Chapel of St. Ildephonsus, 2 Calle Pedro Gumiel), where Cardinal Cisneros's 16th-century marble tomb is on display.
The Salon Cervantes (Calle Santiago), one of the town's two theaters, was built in 1888 and is now open after many years of restoration (the other theater, the 16th-century Teatro Cervantes, is being restored to its former glory and is scheduled to re-open this year after decades as a cinema). The unusual Museo del Perfume, opened at the end of 1991, is located at the soap and perfume factory 3km from the town center.
El Pardo Spain
The highlight of the quiet village, 9 miles (14 km) from Madrid, is the delightful Palacio del Pardo, (also referred to simply as EI Pardo), a royal residence built in the 16th century on the foundations of a former hunting lodge, partly destroyed by fire in 1604 and enlarged in 1772.
Generalissimo Francisco Franco, Spain's right-wing dictator from the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939 till his death in 1975, lived here, and the palace now serves as guest quarters for visiting heads of state; when not in use, it is open to the public.
Inside are paintings, frescoes (including some showing the palace's original furnishings), period furniture, and an extensive, fine collection of wall tapestries. Other charming buildings nearby include the Casita del Principe (Prince's Cottage), also built in 1772, and the Quinta del Pardo (El Pardo Villa), with a collection of 19th-century wallpapers.
The royal park adjacent to EI Pardo houses the smaller Palacio de la Zarzuela, also a former hunting lodge, dating from the 17th century and rebuilt during the 18th century. Badly damaged during the civil war, it was rebuilt in the 1960s and is now the principal residence of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia; it's closed to the public.
En Route from EI Pardo Back on A6, the turnoff to EI Escorial – C505 - is clearly marked at Las Rozas, which is 10 miles (16 km) from Madrid. The road leads to the small town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial 29 miles (46 km) from Madrid; well before reaching the town, travelers will see the enormous rectangular monastery looming in the distance.
El Escorial
Philip II, the man who sent the invincible Spanish Armada to conquer Queen Elizabeth I's England and transferred the Spanish capital from Toledo to Madrid, was a deeply religious ruler who reigned during the zenith of Spain's Catholic Empire. In 1557, after Philip's army defeated the French in the battle of St. Quentin on the feast day of San Lorenzo. (St. Lawrence), Philip decided to establish a monastery in the later saint´s honor. The building was also to serve as a mausoleum for his parents, Charles V and Queen Isabel, and as a royal summer residence.
Built over the course of 21 years (1563 to 1584) by some 3,000 people, El Escorial comprises not only a monastery, a mausoleum, and a royal residence, but also a church, two palaces, a school, and one of the most Important libraries in Spain. An ambiguous structure, it manage to be both a grand repository of riches and a monument of great monastic importance.
The severe exterior of the church, for example, gives way to the.grandeur of the interior with its elaborate high altar, painted ceilings, and decorated side chapels. All the paintings are by Italian artists and depict events in the life of Christ except for one that portrays St. Lawrence being martyred.
There are statues here of Philip and three of his four wives. England's Mary Tudor is missing simply because she never vIsited Spain. One of the chapels contains a beautiful statue of ChrIst on th Cross, created by Benvenuto Cellini in 1562 from one piece of marble. Directly below the main altar is the Panteon de los Reyes (Royal Pantheon), reached by a marble and jasper stairway. Here, in black and brown gilded marble tombs, lie every Spanish monarch since the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (including Carlos I of Spain) except Felipe V, Fernando VI, and the present king. Also entombed are some of the country's queens, but only those who gave birth to a future king. Next door is the Panteon de los Infantes, where several princes and princesses are buried. Many sections of El Escorial were added by later monarchs, which explains the varied styles in the Palacios (Royal Apartments).
Elsewhere, the Biblioteca (Library), above the monastery entrance, has a marvelous Renaissance vaulted ceiling; among its treasures are the personal book collection of Philip II, unique Arab and Hebrew manuscripts, the 10th-century Codex Albedensis, St. Teresa of Avila's personal diary, and a Bible lettered entirely in gold. The Nuevos Museos (New Museums) contain works of art by Bosch, EI Greco, Ribera, Veron ese, Velazquez, Zurbaran, Titian, and many others.
Car hire Madrid Airport
If you are planning to travel around the Madrid region, the most economical and comfortable way to do it is to hire a car from Madrid Barajas Airport and take your time to explore the outlying towns and areas at your own pace. Madrid Barajas Airport car hire can be booked before you leave home, and most major car hire companies are represented at the airport, including Hertz, Helle Hollis and Avis, along with plenty of local car rentals companies.
Madrid is often blisteringly hot in summer, and madrileños who don't go to the coast head for the hills of the Sierra de Guadarrama. The mountain towns aren't especially beautiful, but they serve as weekend retreats and bases for hiking (in winter, the higher villages attract about 300,000 skiers each year). There are also some beautiful scenic views, especially where the mountains overlook a river or a reservoir.
Castile la Mancha
To the south, where the dusty plains of Castile La Mancha begin, the countryside is far from exciting, but there are at least two spots in this area worth visiting. One is the delightful little medieval village of Chinchon, today famous for its widely consumed anis de Chinchon liqueur. The other is Aranjuez, a former royal residence that is still an oasis of luxuriant gardens and abundant vegetation. To the east, Alcahi de Henares is best known as the birthplace of the man who wrote Don Quixote.
And the greatest cultural attraction in the immediate Madrid region is the monumental monastery and palace of EL Escorial' A few miles away is the Valle de Los Cafdos (Valley of the Fallen), the controversial monument to the dead of the Spanish Civil War and burial site of Generalissimo Francisco Franco.
This chapter has been designed so that, with one exception, these locations can be enjoyed in easily managed day trips (the Sierra de Guadarrama excursion is best done in two days by hire car from Madrid Barajas Airport).
Things to do in Chinchon
To say there is nothing much to Chinchon would be an understatement. Founded in 1085, the village's centerpiece today is the 16th-century Plaza Mayor, an oddly shaped square of rickety three-story arcaded buildings topped with 224 wooden balconies. The village was immortalized in the film - Around the World in 80 Days, and draws as many as 15,000 visitors per weekend, many of whom arrive in cars.
In the past, the square was a favorite (and crowded) parking place for day trippers, but new rules in effect on weekends prohibit parking within 100 yards of the square, leaving it traffic-free and even more attractive. Since 1502, the Plaza Mayor has been the site of bullfights, and it is still occasionally cordoned off for them.
They are usually held during fiesta week (August 13 through 18), but be warned as a rule it's scorching hot here at that time of the year.Try to visit Chinchon during spring or early summer. Sit at one of the many open-air cafes in the Plaza Mayor and enjoy a small glass of the drink for which the village is nationally famous. The anis of Chinchon is made with the oily seeds of locally grown anise, a member of the parsley family, and alcohol. Those who haven't eaten yet should ask for the dulce, or sweet, variety the seco (dry) is potent stuff!
Chinchon is also famous for its ajo (garlic), and for bread baked in the shapes of fish, horses, owls, eagles, and other animals. The loaves can be bought varnished for decoration or unvarnished to eat. There are several bakeries on the Plaza Mayor. Looming over one side of the square is the parish Iglesia de la Asuncion (Church of the Assumption), built between 1534 and 1626; its highlight is the Assumptio of the Vlrgin by Goya, who often stayed in Chinchon. Just behind the opposite corer is the Parador de Chinchon from which there is a good view of the well-preserved 15th century castle, with its circular fortIfIed towers; it was ransacked, along with the rest of the town, by Napoleon's troops in 1808.
Things to do Aranjuez
This town (pronounced Ahrahnhwayth) enjoys a pleasant climate that provides a respite from the blistering summer heat., This fact wasn´t lost on Spanish monarchs, whose efforts at crating a Spanish version of Versailles here attract many visitors today.
The informal Jardin de la Isla (Garden of the Island), on an island in the Rio Tajo (Tagus River) next to the Palacio Real (Royal Palace), dates from Philip II's time in the 16th century.
Felipe V, whose rule spanned the first half of the 18th century, chose Aranjuez as a royal residence. His successors, Fernando VI and Carlos III demolished the Palacio Real - a fire destroyed much of the original building in 1712, and the present building was constructed in 1744 and built a huge square in front of it and the large, French-modeled Parterre gardens around it. From 1792 to 1803, Carlos IV built a second palace, the Casa del Labrador, in some ways as beautiful as the first though much smaller, and added the vast landscaped park Jardin del Principe (Prince's Garden)that surrounds it.
The spacious leafy gardens and long, tree shaded avenues of Aranjuez (population 37,000) are delightful for an unhurried stroll (and they're expected to get even better, thanks to a $7.2 million renovation of the urban center's old quarter now under way). The Palacio Real and the Casa del Labrador are both richly decorated with ornaments, including priceless gifts from royalty around the world.
The palace has hundreds of rooms; the best known is the Salon de Porcelana (Porcelain Hall), the former reception hall, whose walls and ceilings are covered with white porcelain by the Italian artist Gricci. The Casa del Labrador (Peasant's House, so named because a farm worker’s home used to stand on the site), in the nearby Jardin del Plincipe, contains an abundance of marble, gold, semiprecious stones, crystal, silk hangings, Roman mosaics, huge chandeliers, and 27 elaborate clocks.
The gardens are open daily; the Palacio Real and the Casa del Labrador are closed Mondays. One admission charge allows entry to the Palacio Real (the visit here is by guided tour) and the Casa del Labrador; there's no admission charge to the gardens.
Aranjuez is nationally famous for its delicious crops, asparagus and strawberries in particular, and from March through May the roadsides are crammed with stalls selling produce. A meal isn't complete here without a first course of green asparagus and a dessert of strawberries and cream. A popular excursion for madrileños is the wonderful Tren de la Fresa (Strawberry Train), a 19th-century-style steam train that runs to Aranjuez from Estacion de Atocha, Madrid's main train station, on weekends and public holidays from May through October.
The ticket includes visits to the Palacio Real, the Casa del Labrador, and the gardens and free strawberries on the train. For information, contact the main ticket office for RENFE, the Spanish national railway.
Things to do in Alcala de Henares
The greatest writer in the Spanish language, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, author of Don Quixote, was born here in 1547, but the town's history goes back much further. The area around Alcala de Henares includes several prehistoric, Roman, and Visigothic sites, but unfortunately none is open to the public.
A 3,600 square foot Roman site from the 4th century was discovered in 1988, and it includes an important multicolored mosaic from a villa in the Roman settlement of Complutum, in the Rio Henares valley. The nearest anyone can get to the remains is the Museo Arqueologico del Taller Escuela de Arqueologia (School of Archaeology Workshop Museum, also known as the Museo TEAR) at Paseo de Juncal.
Alcala's golden age began in 1498, when Cardinal Francisco Jimenez de Cisneros, Queen Isabella I's confessor, founded the famous Universidad Complutense (Complutensian University). For many years the most important institution of higher learning in Spain, it published Europe's first polyglot Bible, a six-volume work printed from 1514 to 1517, with side by side texts in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Chaldee, and Syriac (a dialect of Aramaic spoken in Syria and Mesopotamia).
Many colleges and convents were built in the next two centuries, but the historic university was moved to Madrid in 1836, and the city has declined in importance ever since.The original university complex, the Colegio de San Ildefonso, in the Plaza San Diego (near the main Plaza Cervantes), is now the site of the much newer Universidad de Alcala, which has become an important center of North American studies.
Its 16th-century Plateresque facade is interesting; the doorway leads into the arcaded Patio de Santo Tomas (St. Thomas Courtyard) and the Paraninfo (great auditorium), and on to the adjacent 16th-century Patio Trilingiie (Courtyard of Three Languages, so named because Greek, Latin, and Hebrew were taught here).
Famous monuments in Alcala
Other monuments of note in Alcala include the Iglesia Magistral de San Justo, an imposing 17th-century church with a Gothic portal; the 13th-through 16th-century Palacio del Arzobispo (Archbishop's Palace), badly damaged by fire in 1939 (most of the town's churches suffered damage during the 1931-39 Second Republic and Spanish Civil War); and the Capilla de San Il defonso (Chapel of St. Ildephonsus, 2 Calle Pedro Gumiel), where Cardinal Cisneros's 16th-century marble tomb is on display.
The Salon Cervantes (Calle Santiago), one of the town's two theaters, was built in 1888 and is now open after many years of restoration (the other theater, the 16th-century Teatro Cervantes, is being restored to its former glory and is scheduled to re-open this year after decades as a cinema). The unusual Museo del Perfume, opened at the end of 1991, is located at the soap and perfume factory 3km from the town center.
El Pardo Spain
The highlight of the quiet village, 9 miles (14 km) from Madrid, is the delightful Palacio del Pardo, (also referred to simply as EI Pardo), a royal residence built in the 16th century on the foundations of a former hunting lodge, partly destroyed by fire in 1604 and enlarged in 1772.
Generalissimo Francisco Franco, Spain's right-wing dictator from the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939 till his death in 1975, lived here, and the palace now serves as guest quarters for visiting heads of state; when not in use, it is open to the public.
Inside are paintings, frescoes (including some showing the palace's original furnishings), period furniture, and an extensive, fine collection of wall tapestries. Other charming buildings nearby include the Casita del Principe (Prince's Cottage), also built in 1772, and the Quinta del Pardo (El Pardo Villa), with a collection of 19th-century wallpapers.
The royal park adjacent to EI Pardo houses the smaller Palacio de la Zarzuela, also a former hunting lodge, dating from the 17th century and rebuilt during the 18th century. Badly damaged during the civil war, it was rebuilt in the 1960s and is now the principal residence of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia; it's closed to the public.
En Route from EI Pardo Back on A6, the turnoff to EI Escorial – C505 - is clearly marked at Las Rozas, which is 10 miles (16 km) from Madrid. The road leads to the small town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial 29 miles (46 km) from Madrid; well before reaching the town, travelers will see the enormous rectangular monastery looming in the distance.
El Escorial
Philip II, the man who sent the invincible Spanish Armada to conquer Queen Elizabeth I's England and transferred the Spanish capital from Toledo to Madrid, was a deeply religious ruler who reigned during the zenith of Spain's Catholic Empire. In 1557, after Philip's army defeated the French in the battle of St. Quentin on the feast day of San Lorenzo. (St. Lawrence), Philip decided to establish a monastery in the later saint´s honor. The building was also to serve as a mausoleum for his parents, Charles V and Queen Isabel, and as a royal summer residence.
Built over the course of 21 years (1563 to 1584) by some 3,000 people, El Escorial comprises not only a monastery, a mausoleum, and a royal residence, but also a church, two palaces, a school, and one of the most Important libraries in Spain. An ambiguous structure, it manage to be both a grand repository of riches and a monument of great monastic importance.
The severe exterior of the church, for example, gives way to the.grandeur of the interior with its elaborate high altar, painted ceilings, and decorated side chapels. All the paintings are by Italian artists and depict events in the life of Christ except for one that portrays St. Lawrence being martyred.
There are statues here of Philip and three of his four wives. England's Mary Tudor is missing simply because she never vIsited Spain. One of the chapels contains a beautiful statue of ChrIst on th Cross, created by Benvenuto Cellini in 1562 from one piece of marble. Directly below the main altar is the Panteon de los Reyes (Royal Pantheon), reached by a marble and jasper stairway. Here, in black and brown gilded marble tombs, lie every Spanish monarch since the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (including Carlos I of Spain) except Felipe V, Fernando VI, and the present king. Also entombed are some of the country's queens, but only those who gave birth to a future king. Next door is the Panteon de los Infantes, where several princes and princesses are buried. Many sections of El Escorial were added by later monarchs, which explains the varied styles in the Palacios (Royal Apartments).
Elsewhere, the Biblioteca (Library), above the monastery entrance, has a marvelous Renaissance vaulted ceiling; among its treasures are the personal book collection of Philip II, unique Arab and Hebrew manuscripts, the 10th-century Codex Albedensis, St. Teresa of Avila's personal diary, and a Bible lettered entirely in gold. The Nuevos Museos (New Museums) contain works of art by Bosch, EI Greco, Ribera, Veron ese, Velazquez, Zurbaran, Titian, and many others.
Car hire Madrid Airport
If you are planning to travel around the Madrid region, the most economical and comfortable way to do it is to hire a car from Madrid Barajas Airport and take your time to explore the outlying towns and areas at your own pace. Madrid Barajas Airport car hire can be booked before you leave home, and most major car hire companies are represented at the airport, including Hertz, Helle Hollis and Avis, along with plenty of local car rentals companies.
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