Manzanares el Real Castle

The Castillo de los Mendoza was begun in 1475 for the Duke of the Infantado on the site of an earlier fortress, and it was built at a point when castles were becoming residences rather than defences, so it combines heavy round corner towers and a keep with a gallery of Isabelline Gothic arcading along the upper level and decorative stonework more suited to a palace. Juan Guas, the architect of San Juan de los Reyes in Toledo, is credited with the design. It fell into ruin and was restored from the 1960s, and it is now furnished with tapestries and period pieces and open to visitors. It stands above a reservoir with the granite of La Pedriza rising directly behind.

What you actually see

• The Isabelline gallery - decorative arcading along the upper level.
• The corner towers - round bastions and a central keep.
• The furnished rooms - tapestries and period furniture from the restoration.
• The Pedriza backdrop - granite peaks rising behind the castle.

When to go

Spring and autumn for the sierra at its best; summer weekends bring crowds from Madrid to the reservoir and the mountains. The castle closes on Mondays and keeps a midday break in some seasons.

Honest expectations

Much of what stands is twentieth-century restoration rather than original fabric. The interior is compact and the visit takes an hour. Parking in the village fills on weekends.

Nearby

La Pedriza and the Guadarrama park are directly behind; Madrid lies fifty kilometres south.