La Region of Madrid It has wonderful corners, ideal for enjoy a getaway in a motorhome. Natural areas, charming towns, towns full of history, ideal places to practice sports and others where you can taste the best gastronomy. Whatever your travel preferences, in this Autonomous Community you will find the perfect destination. We propose 10 of them, so you can choose.
Nature destinations
- Sierra del Rincón
The Sierra del Rincón, located to the northeast of the Community of Madrid, has incredible natural spaces, including the core areas of the Biosphere Reserve, Dehesa Boyal de Puebla and Hayedo de Montejo (the jewel in the crown of the area). It has an enormous landscape wealth and the representativeness of its Mediterranean ecosystems and its model of biodiversity conservation led it in 2005 to become part of the Network of Biosphere Reserves.
If you dare to visit this area, you must take into account several things. First of all, both the roads and the streets of the towns in the area are narrow, so you must drive carefully, especially if you go in a large vehicle. And it is always better to leave vehicles outside. Second, to visit the Hayedo de Montejo you have to request appointment on the website because access is limited.
Remember also that You cannot spend the night in protected areas. In the villages you will find parking areas where overnight stays are allowed, although you can also choose Gascones motorhome area or one of the nearby campsites, such as Monte Holiday, located in Gargantilla del Lozoya.
- South East Regional Park
The second nature destination that we propose is a little further south and is especially recommended for animal lovers, since its great diversity of habitats translates into a interesting fauna community, especially birds.
In this area you will find beautiful walks along the Jarama and Manzanares rivers, lagoons and the Henares river dam, the area of Vegas, wetlands y cut, all of them ideal to enjoy spring. In addition, both in Rivas and in San Fernando de Henares you can visit two Environmental Education centers to learn more about the natural values of this space.
In the area you will find several recreative areas (Be careful, some are within protected areas), but you can also spend the night in some towns, such as Titulcia or Velilla de San Antonio, as well as in the Arganda del Rey motorhome area.
Cultural destinations
- Aranjuez
Aranjuez is declared Cultural Landscape Heritage so, if you are looking to soak up history, it is an excellent destination. It offers a wide cultural offer such as the Royal Palace, La Casa del Labrador, the Faluas Museum and the Bullfighting Museum, with its bicentennial square. In addition, you can visit the interiors of important churches such as that of San Antonio or the popular Church of Alpajés.
Do not stop walking through the Royal Site gardens and to enjoy the landscapes and the calm, just as the different members of the royalty that passed by did in their day, like Isabel II, who was born precisely in this Palace. And the aforementioned Museum of Faluas is very curious, which the kings used to navigate the Tagus River in their leisure moments.
In addition to the different car parks where you can spend the night, in the area you will find the Aranjuez Campsite.
- San Lorenzo de El Escorial
And continuing with the cultural destinations, we get to San Lorenzo de El Escorial, a Historic-Artistic Complex where we will find such monumental spaces as the Royal Monastery, declared UNESCO World Heritage. Inside, the Courtyard of the Kings, the Basilica, the Library, the Pantheon of Kings, the Pantheon of Infants, the Palaces, and the Chapter Rooms, among other spaces, stand out. And a must-see are the Pinacoteca and the Museum of Architecture.
You can enjoy the outdoors on the artificial terraces that line the southern and eastern facades of the Royal Monastery, where the Jardines de los Frailes and the Jardines del Rey y de la Reina are located. In addition, you can come to visit the Luis Ceballos Arboretum, located on Mount Abantos, a living museum of forest species.
To spend the night, there are different car parks in the area and, if you prefer a campsite, you have the Camping Resort El Escorial.
Charming villages
- Chinchón
Included in the list of "Most beautiful towns in Spain", Chinchón preserves the uniqueness of its constructions, which led to it being declared in 1974 Historical-Artistic Set. On Plaza Mayor is one of the 7 wonders of the Material Cultural Heritage of the Community of Madrid and in it you will find multiple restaurants and terraces to enjoy gastronomy.
In addition, you can visit the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, whose main altar is presided over by a canvas by the painter Francisco de Goya, the Clock Tower, the “Lope de Vega” Theater, the Augustinian Monastery (Parador de Turismo), the Monastery of the MM Clarisas, different hermitages, the Castle of the Counts.
In the village itself, there is a private overnight area with all services.
- Rascafría
Located to the northwest of the Community of Madrid, in the wonderful place of the Lozoya Valley, Rascafría it is one of the most beautiful villas in the sierra. It stands out, since its foundation, for the imposing Monastery of Santa María del Paular, which integrates perfectly in the middle of the landscape, surrounded by nature.
Do not forget to take a pleasant walk through its streets to discover jewels such as the City Hall, in neo-Mudejar style, or Parish of San Andrés Apóstol. As a curiosity, during the civil war, its spire was hit by a shell and the bells also disappeared during the war. The new ones were built from the metal of two planes that crashed in the mid-XNUMXth century.
In the area, there are car parks without services where you can spend the night.
Destinations for sports
- Greenways by bike
Motorhome and bicycle form a perfect tandem, especially when traveling as a family. So, if you have decided to put yours in the trunk, you should know that in Madrid there are three Greenways, old railway lines, now in disuse, which have been enabled as non-motorized routes.
The first one is the Greenway of the Guadarrama River, which departs from Móstoles and enters the Regional Park of the Middle Course of the Guadarrama River, beautiful especially in spring. The second is the Greenway of the 40-day train, between Carabaña and Estremera. And the third, the Via Verde del Tajuña, which departs from Arganda del Rey and reaches Ambite.
- Hiking in the Picadas reservoir
If yours are not two wheels and you prefer to walk, we propose one route through the Picadas Reservoir, very close to the well-known San Juan Swamp, in the Pelayos de la Presa area.
The route runs along an old train track, parallel to the margin of the Alberche river and it has hardly any unevenness, so it is ideal to do it with the family. Of course, we recommend doing it in spring, since there is not too much shade. And if you have a hot day, you can always take a dip in one of the authorized bathing areas.
Application wikiloc It is very useful if you want to look for other hiking routes, either in this area or another.
To spend the night, you can stay in one of the nearby campsites or in the parking lots in the area.
Gastronomic destinations
- Guadarrama
Carnivores can move to the municipality of Guadarrama, located in the mountains of the same name, to taste the meats protected under the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) "Carne de Guadarrama", from beef that has been raised in this privileged environment of the mountains and has been fed naturally.
You can also opt for other spoon dishes and those cooked in a wood oven. And for those with a sweet tooth, there are Francisquitos of Guadarrama, a dessert made with puff pastry, cream, chocolate and pastry cream that will put the perfect finishing touch on this gastronomic getaway.
You can spend the night in the town, at the El Escorial campsite or go to the El Boalo motorhome area.
- Madrid Wine Route
Finally, we go wine. In the Community of Madrid there are 12.000 hectares dedicated to the cultivation of wine grapes, 8.900 under the DO Wines of Madrid, so lovers of this drink can organize a route through some of the more than 50 wineries where they occur. Of course, remember ... if you drink, park your motorhome and don't drive!
Aldea del Fresno, Brunete, Colmenar de Oreja, Morata de Tajuña, Navalcarnero, Nuevo Baztán, San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Tielmes, Valdelaguna, Valdilecha, Villa del Prado and Villarejo de Salvanés are some of the towns on this Wine Route that you can visit . Some of the wineries are also in full Vega del Tajuña, so you can also taste the products of the garden that are grown in this area.