Tres Cantos
Camino de Madrid
Tres Cantos is a modern planned city about 25 km from central Madrid. It's functional rather than charming — clean streets, supermarkets, and a cercanías station. If you're walking from the centre, this is a natural first overnight stop. If you're taking the train out of Madrid, it's the first stop that puts you properly on the Camino. The yellow arrows pick up clearly behind the railway station.
Services are plentiful here — everything a city of 50,000 people provides.
When leaving Tres Cantos, pay close attention to the waymarking. There's a fork shortly after town where arrows point both left and right — the correct Camino path bears right. Pilgrims who've gone left have ended up adding kilometres through the heathland before finding their way back.
The path out of Tres Cantos follows the bike path briefly before descending into a shallow valley. You'll cross the Arroyo Tejada stream multiple times as you head toward Colmenar Viejo. The terrain is gentle, with open fields giving way to scattered groves. On clear days, you'll catch your first glimpse of the Sierra de Guadarrama on the horizon — a preview of what's to come.
Accommodation in Tres Cantos.
| Acogida municipal de Tres Cantos |