Ir is one of the most attractive towns of the Madrid province as it is situated in the truly privileged environment - it is one of the entrances to the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park. The visitors are in for a treat: the impressive Mendoza Castle, one of the best conserved castles in all Madrid. Manzanares El Real is a place where you can enjoy nature, history, outdoor sports less than 60 km from the city.
Mendoza Castle
This 15th century monument is one of the last examples of the Castilian military architecture. The entire castle is surrounded by a wall that is fully open to the public. Even though it was initially designed as a fortress, it ended up as a residence for the Mendoza family and on the inside you can see their furniture and tapestry dating from the 17th century,
Its beautiful silhouette with the La Pedriza mountains backdrop and surrounded by the Santillana lake is a perfect photo stop.
There is also a special way to visit the castle: a 45-minute dramatized tour with actors representing Don Íñigo López de Mendoza and his daughter Brianda that guide the visitors through the rooms of this medieval gem with great salons and a church with three naves. There is also an exotic garden, Jardín de los sentidos, with medicinal and other plants that have been selected according to the historic documents and that try to recreate the monk’s garden the duke used to have, a labyrinth and an arena that reminds of the place where the games and tournaments were held. On occasions you can see fencing tournaments, movie screenings, choral music...
Other interesting sites
Although the castle is the real “gem” of Manzanares El Real, there are other interesting sites that you can visit and that have appeared in the movies like “El Cid” and “Alexander the Great”. Going up to Ermita de Peña Sacra is worth the climb as you have an amazing view of the La Pedriza mountains. You should also visit the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de las Nieves (also from the 15th century), the Cañada Real Segoviana Bridge and the Ermitas fountain.
As an ending to a cultural day, we recommend a visit to the local Ethnological museum where you can see the archological remains and a reconstruction of the traditional house.