Manzanares el Real
Camino de Madrid
Manzanares el Real is where the Camino de Madrid starts to feel like a proper mountain pilgrimage. The town sits at the foot of La Pedriza, a dramatic landscape of weathered granite formations within the Sierra de Guadarrama national park. The Santillana reservoir glitters below a well-preserved 15th-century castle — one of the best castles in the Comunidad de Madrid, and it actually looks like a castle, not a ruin.
Storks nest on every available surface here. You'll hear them clacking from the rooftops as you arrive.
The town has shops, bars, and restaurants. Stock up here — the next reliable shops aren't until Navacerrada, about 14 km ahead.
The Romería de la Virgen de la Peña Sacra in September draws large crowds. Market days bring the town to life.
The castle — Castillo de los Mendoza — was built in the 15th century by the first Duke of Infantado. There are also ruins of an older castle (Castillo Viejo) on the edge of town, near where you'll see the milestone marking 626 km to Santiago.
You leave Manzanares el Real via Calle Real and the Puente de la Cañada Real Segoviana. The path skirts La Pedriza's dramatic granite formations — one of the most scenic stretches on the early Camino. You'll pass the Centro de Interpretación and follow a well-marked path climbing gently through robles, encinas, and pine forest toward the Collado de la Jarosa.
Accommodation in Manzanares el Real.
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