Manzanares el Real

Manzanares el Real is a small town at the heart of Parque Regional de la Cuenca Alta del Manzanares.

The picturesque town is located at the foot of Sierra de Guadarrama,-the mountain range close to Madrid and at the shore of Santillana lake.

We reach the town from Madrid and the travel takes about one hour. Manzanares is famous with its medieval castle, one of the best preserved and most important in Spain and the splendid nature, represented by the stone granite complex- La Pedriza.

The castle built by Pedro Gonzalez de Mendoza in 1383, is in Romanesque-Mudejar style. Here lived during centuries the reach Mendoza family.

The superb castle is declared as a National Monument in Spain.

Inner court with columns.

The castle is like a labyrinth, we just kept climbing up stairs and end up finding a new floor or entrance to another room or a tower.

The salons are furnished with beautiful tapestries and paintings.

The bedroom.

A beautiful set of large windows arches.

The castle has four columns decorated with balls.

Some nice views of the top of the castle, the mountain and the countryside around.

Enjoyable views of the lake Santillana reservoir, an important part of the water supply of Madrid and its surroundings.

Manzanares el Real is one of the most exceptional places located close to Madrid, a perfect choice for one unforgettable trip. The eye-catching landscape is also impressive by the unusual and enormous rock formation of la Pedriza.