What to do in Colmenar Viejo

Colmenar Viejo is a municipality in the northern highlands of Madrid that combines the character of a historic town with privileged access to the Regional Park of the Upper Manzanares Basin. This protected area, surrounding the Santillana reservoir, offers a landscape of dehesa parkland, holm oak woodland and granite formations that have made La Pedriza a national reference for rock climbing. Its more than eight hundred routes of varying grades and easy access from Madrid make this area one of the most visited climbing destinations in the region. Beyond climbing, the surroundings of Colmenar Viejo have marked trails crossing dehesa and pine forest where mountain biking is well developed. Horse-riding routes use the extensive network of rural tracks linking livestock farms and highland villages. The proximity to Madrid makes the municipality an ideal nature getaway for capital visitors seeking physical activities in well-preserved natural environments.