Parks in Valdebebas: enjoying the outdoors in Madrid

With the arrival of the good weather, there is nothing like spending a day out in the fresh air with your family, doing a little sport or taking a walk to recharge your batteries. Today, we are inviting you to discover three great parks in the Valdebebas area with us. Just a few minutes from Madrid, there are three expanses of magnificent natural beauty in the area around our Isla de Pedrosa development. Let’s begin the itinerary!

Valdebebas Park: slides, zip wires and water games

This has to be among the top choices of Valdebebas parks if you are looking to entertain your children. It has three long slides accessed by ascending a slope with the aid of a row of vertical wooden posts and a rope climbing net. Opposite this “gymkhana” are a 50 metre zip wire and a natural maze. Everything you could wish for a great family day out!

Planted with over 310,000 trees and 317,000 shrubs, it has become Madrid’s newest green space, where you can take a walk and breathe in the fresh air or get some exercise by cycling along its 30 kilometre-long cycle path.

We also suggest getting to know the park and the species growing in it by taking a guided tour led by environmental instructors belonging to the “Habitat Madrid” programme.

Juan Carlos I Park: outdoor sports

Among the many attractions to be found in this large park, also in the north of Madrid, is an olive grove with over 2,000 trees from the former Hinojosa Olive grove, as well as a large lake and a collection of outdoor sculptures. An interesting fact about the park is that it was inaugurated to celebrate Madrid becoming the European capital of culture.

It is just a 15-minute bike ride from the Valdebebas park, and is a favourite among sports enthusiasts, with its large skating rink, a river where people are often seen canoeing, and a cycle track.

You can also visit its pretty botanical garden or go rowing on the lake. If visiting at the weekend, check the what’s on guide to see what educational workshops have been organised in the park for children.

El Capricho Park: a site of artistic-natural heritage in Madrid

Smaller than the other two parks, these lesser known grounds located in Alameda de Osuna have a statelier appearance, where visitors come to admire the various gardens fashioned in the styles of different countries of the world.

Created in 1784 by the Duke of Osuna and particularly by the Duchess, it is a natural haven that was favoured by the most eminent individuals of the day who came here to take a stroll and where prestigious artists and landscape gardeners came to work. Of the parks in the Valdebebas area, it is the richest in term of its botanical species and its number of sculptures and artworks. You can visit temples, shrines, fountains and the Duke’s palace (which, as from 2019, is to house a museum dedicated to the Duchess of Osuna and her era).

Don’t miss the landscaped gardens in three different styles; the English garden, the French ornamental garden and the Italian Giardino. One of the park’s major attractions is the maze, built for “romantic amusement” and to play hide and seek, it is made of laurel bushes and still maintains its original design. A delight worth discovering!