Valdemoro: Culture and Nature Routes
Accommodation in Valdemoro
Valdemoro offers visitors distinct highlights in architectural and art history, as well as signposted nature routes. When choosing a hotel in Valdemoro, it helps to decide in advance what you want from your trip: buildings, outdoor activities and a festival date appeal to different interests. The town’s history can be traced through its monastery, churches, fountains and washhouse; for outdoor activities, there are routes of varying lengths and difficulty levels to choose from.
Monastery, Fountains and Religious Buildings
An important historical landmark is the monastery of the Clarisas Franciscanas de la Encarnación. By decree 105/2016 of 8 November 2016, the Regional Government of Madrid designated it a Bien de Interés Cultural (Asset of Cultural Interest). After construction was completed, the community moved into the new monastery on 19 May 1616 amid great celebrations and a solemn Mass. The move and the monastery’s later protected status thus mark different stages in its history.
The monastery church has a Latin cross plan, with a three-part nave, a transept and a large upper choir. The Latin cross plan describes the overall shape; the nave, transept and upper choir identify the church’s sections. This makes it possible to distinguish the architectural form from its individual components.
The Fuente de la Villa was built in 1605 by the Valdemoro council using stone from Colmenar de Oreja. The parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción also offers a tangible link to the town’s history: it was declared a historic-artistic monument in 1981. The frescoes in the central nave are by Madrid-based artist Van Der Pere.
The Ermita del SantĂsimo Cristo de la Salud is an 18th-century Baroque building, originally built as a 17th-century wayside chapel along the former Camino Real to Toledo. Its Baroque altarpiece is decorated with Solomonic columns, acanthus leaves and grape motifs. A different type of building is the municipal washhouse, made of exposed brick with masonry infill. Together, these buildings offer different points of interest for a culturally focused stay.
Nature Routes and Landscape
Valdemoro’s four signposted nature routes are circular trails: Bolitas del Airón, Canteras de Yeso, Entrecerros and Cerro de la Mira. They can be completed on foot, by bicycle or on horseback. Specific route details make it easier to compare three of them: Canteras de Yeso is an easy 8.29-kilometre loop, while Bolitas del Airón is an easy 12.19-kilometre loop. Entrecerros is 15.60 kilometres long and of moderate difficulty. Canteras de Yeso is therefore 3.90 kilometres shorter than the easy Bolitas del Airón loop; Entrecerros is longer than both and is of moderate difficulty.
The Bolitas del Airón natural area covers 44 hectares and is home to the region’s largest reserve of Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia). A circular route there is more than 3,200 metres long and consists of a loop path and several connecting paths. It is suitable for walking, jogging and cycling. A visitor car park has space for 200 vehicles; capacity may change during operation. Check the latest information before your visit if you rely on the car park.
Festival Date and Getting There
The San Marcos festival is celebrated on 25 April in the Bolitas del AirĂłn nature park. Its tradition is linked to farming communities and dates back to the 17th century; the festival includes public leisure and entertainment activities. The programme may vary from year to year. If you would like to plan your trip around this date, check the date and programme for that year in advance.
The municipal tourism guide contains information on getting to Valdemoro by various means of transport.
Discover more destinations: Coslada, Brunete, San AgustĂn Del Guadalix, Lozoya, Guadarrama, Nuevo Baztán, El Escorial, ManjirĂłn.
For the broader travel overview: Madrid.
