Buitrago del Lozoya

Buitrago sits in a loop of the Lozoya river, and its walls, built from the eleventh century on Roman and Islamic foundations and extended later, are the most complete medieval enceinte in the Madrid region: about eight hundred metres of circuit with towers, a castle at one corner and a walkway along a section. Inside are the church of Santa Maria del Castillo with a Mudejar tower and apse, and a small museum holding around sixty works by Picasso, drawings, ceramics and prints given by Eugenio Arias, a barber from the village who was exiled to France and became Picasso's barber and friend over more than twenty years. The collection is free to enter and among the more unexpected museums in Spain.

What you actually see

• The complete walls - about eight hundred metres of circuit with towers.
• The Picasso collection - around sixty works given by the artist's barber.
• Santa Maria del Castillo - a church with a Mudejar tower and apse.
• The river loop - the Lozoya wrapping the village on three sides.

When to go

April to June and September to November; the reservoir below and the sierra behind are at their best then. The Picasso museum closes on Mondays and keeps a midday break, and the wall walk is short.

Honest expectations

The village is very small and takes two hours including the museum. The wall walkway is a limited section rather than the whole circuit. Buitrago is a stop on the road north rather than a destination in itself.

Nearby

The Lozoya reservoir is below; El Paular and the Guadarrama park lie west.