Vive el invierno madrileño en todo su esplendor

Spanish writer Antonio Muñoz Molina wrote Winter in Lisbon, but the book could well have been set in the Spanish capital, which is also charming during this cold season. All you need to do in order to realise this is walk around El Retiro, near the Palacio de Cristal, a place that is now also hosting exhibitions of the Reina Sofía Museum.

It’s not just the city that has a special charm in winter but also its natural surroundings, such as the Guadarrama mountains. To get there, just get a Cercanías train from Atocha to Cercedilla, from where you can go on hiking routes and enjoy mountain activities. If it’s a nice day and you are an experienced hiker, there’s a route of the Way of St. James that connects this city with Segovia. The distance is approximately 20 miles, so we wish you the best of luck. At Aventura Amazonia they organise different activities, also in winter, albeit only on weekends.

However, the strongest point of these mountains is the ski resort at Puerto de Navacerrada, whose website should be checked to see the status of the slopes and whether there is enough snow to ski on. Day passes for adults cost 27€ and 22€ for children on weekdays, with a 5€ supplement on weekends. Click here for information on how to get there.

If you don’t want to sweat on the weather to see if you can ski or not, you can always go to the artificial ski slopes at Madrid Snowzone Xanadú. It’s a place that offers much more than just skiing, with other activities that include zip lining, minigolf and the so-called tobogganing. Prices vary subject to the time of the activity and start at 22 euros per person. It’s the only indoor ski slope in Spain and one of the biggest in the world, covering 4.5 acres of space that are enough to give you all the freedom you need. It’s not like being in the Alps but it comes close. They even have ski lifts! You can get here by bus from the Principe Pío bus station. Find out more information here.

Categories: Madrid Ocio