castillo de los mendoza (castillo nuevo de manzanares el real)

This castle, the best conserved in Madrid region , just 30 minutes driving from the city, is one of the attractions of the Madrid region. For a 5€ ticket you can enjoy a nice tour inside and outside the castle, with an enjoyable view of the lake and the mountain.Inside there are some original pieces of the castle and a room , dining room, chapel among others.Recommended day out off the city.

Irina, our guide, recommended us to visit this castle and its surroundings so, we hit immediately the road ! The castle was renovated in 1974, to be opened to the public. The renewal of the architecture of the patios and walls was well achieved. The rooms maybe not so much. The narrow exit stairway is a real adventure for people with vertigo. The best, as written by other visitors, is to walk along the ramparts and battlements . The setting is idyllic. A lake, mountains, clean air, pristine nature, impossible to ask for more...

The castle is a great place to visit and is near Madrid. It is a historical site and has amazing views. Don't forget to visit the gardens

This historical site is an excellent choice if you are looking for a small getaway from Madrid. Only located an easy 40 minute bus ride from Madrid, Castillo de los Mendoza sits above the little town of Manzanres el Real and the Pedriza national park. It has the classic medieval castle look, with its tall towers and outer stone walls. The castle itself is excellently preserved inside and out. There is a visitor center located right next to the castle where entrance tickets are sold for about €10. The inside of the castle only held three or four rooms in which you could tour, however they were filled with a lot of interesting information. My favorite part was being able to walk around the outer part of the castle which was the surrounding walls. There were many nooks and small spaces in the protective walls that provided an excellent viewpoint of the lake and town below. If you are short on time I would pass on going inside the actual castle and instead snag a brochure from the visitors office and walk around the outside of the castle itself (which is completely free and provides glorious photos).

The castle is located in the beautiful town of Manzanares overlooking a very big lake (reservoir) and at the foot of the massif of the Pedriza (a national park).The castle has been well maintained and has a lot of information about its history and the history of the region. It is a bit like a labyrinth, you just keep climbing up stairs and end up finding a new floor or entrance to a tower. Impressive views from the top terraces and towers.In addition there are storks on the tops of towers and trees all around.The village, the castle and also the national park are well worth a visit.A wonderful place not well-known or discovered by many.

A big group of us (about 20) went. Kids were aged between 5 - 9 years old.We'd pre-booked a guided tour, which cost (I think) about 8€ for adults and 4€ for kids, although I really can't remember exactly.So, our tour guides arrived. They were 2 actors, in full costume, who gave a very informative, perfectly timed, and professional tour, in Spanish.They were excellent at addressing the children, very entertaining, and just really good at their job.A very enjoyable day out from Madrid.

I recommend Manzanares el Real for a one day trip with a walk in a nice countryside and mountains, started/finished with a visit at the castle. The walks to the lake and to the mountains take you 1-3 hours depending on the pace and how much you enjoy the countryside. There is not much to see inside the castle, apart from the amazing views from the towers! I liked that you don't go from one room to another, but you are literally getting lost inside :-) Take the bus no. 724 from Madrid - Plaza de Castilla or parking space right in front of the castle.

I guess i'm getting picky, because i've seen a lot of castles now. This is an absolutely magnificent building located in a very pretty area, but inside it's been renovated and is largely a replica of original structure. It was still worth the drive for me.

I'd recommend about an hour or so to get around this picture perfect castle. There is parking right outside and the cost of the ticket a 5 euro per adult (no credit cards) was good value. Although there is not of English in the displays, there is still plenty to look at and children will enjoy something that conforms to their concept of a castle. 10 minutes walk into the town and there are plenty of restaurants to choose from.

The first time we went here, it was a Monday and we couldn't get in. We made a special trip on a Saturday afternoon. It wasn't busy at all. We caught the bus from Principe Pio Station. It took about 50 minutes. The bus stops right at the castle basically. The displays were excellent as they told the history of the castle and the reconstruction. The views of the mountains and the reservoir are beautiful. Plan to spend 60-90 minutes here and then visit the rest of the town, especially the main plaza. The gardens are not impressive. No privacy in the bathrooms. Don't miss going down or up the stone circular staircase. The wooden circular staircase is very well done.

First of all this town is a real treat. We made a day trip & walked the circular route. It was a fabulous day. Up & down the mountains, glorious mountain views and we even stopped for a foot dunk down in the river. Sadly the Castle was closed on Mondays so we never got inside. But it was so cool from the outside. You must make a day trip to this town and walk the circular route. It is a real treat. But bring plenty of water as in one gallon per person or you will run out and be sorry!The mountains are so beautiful they are stunning. And the buses from Madrid run every 25-30 minutes, each way, all day. If you love the outdoors and are looking for something DIFFERENT to do in Madrid visit the town of Manzanares El Real. You won't regret it. And don't forget to take a dunk down in the River!

The guided visits are quite exhaustive and well paced.Fee not required just to have a walk around outside gardens. Nice.

We visited the castle during the week (Thursday) as an opportunity to see some of medieval Spain. Our understanding is that on weekends there is a different tour with actors. During the week you are pretty much on your own.We used the bus service out of Madrid (40 minutes from station Plaza de Castilla, down on basement level 3, look for Isla 2, line 724 - ask the EMT staff in brown to find, cost about Euro 4 payable to driver, each each way, make sure and tell him/her where your final destination is).Getting to the castle when you arrive in the village of Manzanares El Real is simple and requires no further travel as it is part of the village. You can drop off either at the bus stop after the gas station, which allows you to walk up to the castle through a visitor car park, or in front of a supermarket, after which you can stroll through the village. You can pop into the vilage hall if the Tourism Information Office is closed to get a map. Villagers were not around much and no one seemed to pay any attention to an obvious bunch of tourists strolling the streets on a weekday. That was really a change from Madrid.Entrance to the castle grounds is where you buy the tour tickets (take note) and also doubles as the souvenir shop. Not much to buy or again any attempt to hard sell, but you can get a t-shirt or a model replica. There is a log book of visitors, so be sure to tell them which country you are from.If you are visiting because you love castles (most of the other visitors that day appeared to be castle lovers themselves) you can start snapping away from the time you start up the gravel pathway to the main gate.As this appears to be off the beaten path during the weekdays (we did meet lots of kids at the start when we arrived at about 1245 pm - two schools were there but these tours ended around 1 pm or the start of lunchtime, kids left and things got a lot quieter) you can be quite free to explore the castle without a crowd. Comes in handy as there are only two single toilets for men/women (above the entrance hall).There is a "path" or route to follow, listen to the kind guides, there is a good reason they want you to visit such and such room first. If you follow their suggestion you get to see the entire castle, bottom to top, and end up right back at the beginning point.The castle is partially reconstructed. In some parts you can see the contemporary repairs (pieces of concrete used as filler, in one case you can look up and see foam sealant). But there is a sense of pride by the locals in presenting their castle which you can appreciate.There is decent collection of armour, some tapestries (that are faded), some furniture (difficult to tell what were replicas or real) and paintings. But not much else. So go there really to see the building. Great views of village and lake as well from high point on castle walls.Not all of the castle is open, some parts are sealed off and there was some reconstruction work still going on. However, what you are permitted to visit gives you a very good sense as if you lived there either as a Lord or a Guard.Safety note - the last stairwell on the prescribed route is a narrow spiral staircase. It is about one person wide. If you are no fan of steep stair cases, ask/look for an alternate exit route.This is a great half day visit which you can do efficiently using Madrid bus service especially if you want an opportunity while in Madrid to see a medieval castle.

Sólo por la historia de este castillo y por su estado de conservación ya merece la pena.Pero si además ,unimos el entorno natural donde se encuentra , se convierte en una visita obligada para todo tipo de público y en cualquier época del año

Uno de los castillos mejor cuidados y mantenidos que conozco, con impresionantes vistas de La Pedriza y del Embalse de Santillana. Muy buena la visita teatralidad.