Buitrago del Lozoya, Madrid, Spain
Buitrago del Lozoya is a small walled town in the Sierra Norte of the Community of Madrid, about 75 km north of the capital. The old quarter sits inside a bend of the River Lozoya and keeps its medieval wall, a castle, a church with a tower that can be climbed and a small museum of works by Picasso. This post describes what there is to see and gives the opening hours, prices and transport details published by the town in 2026.
The town and its setting
Buitrago lies in the middle valley of the Lozoya. According to the Community of Madrid’s municipal data it had 2,026 registered inhabitants in 2025. The town has been a Historic-Artistic Site and a Property of Cultural Interest (Bien de Interés Cultural) since 1993, and its walled enclosure has been a national monument since 1931.
The official tourism website describes the wall as the best-preserved fortified enclosure in the Community of Madrid. The original rammed-earth wall is thought to have been built by the Muslims or in the first years after the Christian conquest, between the 11th and 12th centuries.
What to see
The wall
The wall runs for about 800 metres and has two parts that are visited separately:
- The south or high wall, with the clock tower and an exhibition of siege weapons. Access is from Plaza de Angelines Paino, next to the church. Tickets are sold at the tourist information point by the stairs: €5 general and €4 reduced (over-65s, holders of the Carnet Joven youth card and people with a disability card). Children under 10 do not pay.
- The low or river wall, reached by stairs in Calle Hospitalillo and in the Medieval Garden at the north end of the enclosure. It is always open and free.
The high wall is open from Tuesday to Friday from 11:30 to 13:45 and from 16:15 to 17:45, and on Sundays and public holidays from 11:30 to 13:45. On Saturdays it opens from 11:30 to 13:45 and again in the afternoon: from 16:30 to 18:45 between 1 April and 31 October, and from 16:15 to 17:45 between 1 November and 31 March. It is closed on Mondays, and entry stops 15 minutes before closing.
Castle of the Mendoza family
The Castillo de los Mendoza (14th to 15th century) stands at the south-east corner of the enclosure. It is a Mudejar building of brick and masonry, almost square, that was defended by seven towers. It was the residence of the Marquis of Santillana and his family. The castle is temporarily closed to the public in 2026, so it can only be seen from outside.
Church of Santa María del Castillo
The church was completed at the beginning of the 14th century, possibly on the site of a mosque. A fire in 1936 destroyed the Gothic roof, which was rebuilt in neo-Mudejar style. Inside, the church displays a Renaissance processional cross dated 1574.
The church is open from Monday to Friday from 10:30 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 19:00, on Saturdays from 10:30 to 19:00 and on Sundays from 10:30 to 14:00, except during services. The bell tower is 35 metres high and is climbed by 115 steps. Access is through a turnstile that takes €1 per person.
Puente del Arrabal
The Puente del Arrabal, also called the Puente Viejo (Old Bridge), is on the north side of the medieval town. It is built entirely of granite and crosses the Lozoya on a single round arch.
Picasso Museum – Eugenio Arias Collection
The Museo Picasso – Colección Eugenio Arias is on the ground floor of the town hall at Plaza de Picasso, 1. It opened on 5 March 1985 with the works that Eugenio Arias, Picasso’s barber and friend, collected over 26 years. Arias was born in Buitrago in 1909 and worked there as a hairdresser until the Civil War. After his exile in France he settled in Vallauris around 1946, where he met Picasso.
The collection is small, 60 works, but varied: ceramics, lithographs, posters, drawings, washes and pyrographs.
The museum is open from Tuesday to Friday from 11:00 to 13:45 and from 16:00 to 18:00, on Saturdays from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00, and on Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 14:00. It is closed on Mondays.
Walks around the town
The tourism website describes several walks that start in the town, most of them suitable for walking or cycling. The Riosequillo reservoir path is an easy route of 2.5 or 7.5 km that takes about two hours and leads to the Riosequillo recreation area.
Getting there and practical details
- By bus: interurban line 191, run by ALSA, links the underground interchange at Plaza de Castilla in Madrid with Buitrago del Lozoya. Tickets are sold on the bus.
- By car: take the A-1 motorway from Madrid to exit 74. Parking is public and free, but non-residents may not drive or park inside the walled enclosure.
- Tourist office: Plaza Angelines Paino, open Monday to Friday from 10:30 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 18:30, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 to 19:00.
For students
Buitrago is an easy day trip for anyone studying in Madrid, and the youth card gives the reduced price on the wall. For classes, the town runs a guided monumental visit of about an hour and a half from Tuesday to Friday mornings. It costs €8 per person, or €6 for groups of students under 25, with minimum group sizes, and must be booked at least 15 days ahead. Other mountain destinations nearby are covered in the posts on the Sierra de Guadarrama and Rascafría.
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