{"id":2859,"date":"2014-11-12T19:29:56","date_gmt":"2014-11-12T19:29:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.spainexchange.com\/?p=2859"},"modified":"2026-10-09T14:21:41","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T14:21:41","slug":"manzanares-el-real-madrid-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spainexchange.com\/articles\/manzanares-el-real-madrid-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"Manzanares el Real, Madrid, Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"

Manzanares el Real is a small town in the north of the Madrid region, at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama and on the shore of the Santillana reservoir. Madrid’s tourist board places it less than 50 km from the capital by road. People come for two things: the 15th-century Mendoza castle and the granite landscape of La Pedriza. This post covers what there is to see, the current situation of the castle, the rules for walking in La Pedriza and how to get there by bus.<\/p>\n

Where it is<\/h2>\n

The town lies inside the Parque Regional de la Cuenca Alta del Manzanares, a protected area created by a Madrid regional law of 1985. According to Spain’s official tourism site, the park was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1993. Manzanares el Real is also one of the gateways to the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, of which La Pedriza forms part. The river Manzanares, which later runs through the city of Madrid, comes down from these mountains and fills the reservoir beside the town. More on the mountains is in the post on the Sierra de Guadarrama<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Mendoza castle<\/h2>\n

The castle of Manzanares el Real dates from the 15th century and is described by the national and Madrid tourist boards as one of the best preserved castles in the region. It was first a fortress and later a residence of the Mendoza family. The building has a square floor plan, round towers at the corners and a polygonal keep. Inside there is a courtyard, a basement and six floors, and the first floor has a Gothic gallery. It stands on the site of an earlier Romanesque and Mudejar hermitage, and remains of that building are preserved inside. A barbican surrounds the castle; its arrow slits carry the carved cross of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

The castle cannot be visited at present.<\/strong> Madrid’s official tourism site states in 2026 that visits to the castle are not open to the public. It can still be seen from outside, with La Pedriza behind it and the reservoir in front. Check the Madrid tourism page for Manzanares el Real<\/a> before planning a trip around an interior visit.<\/p>\n

Other sights in the town<\/h2>\n