Patones de Arriba is a charming village full of stone and black-slate houses north of Madrid. Surrounded by Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range, it is a haven 45 minutes away from the concrete jungle. Patones has preserved the architectural tradition of slate construction, is known for great gastronomy options and offers several hiking routes. It’s the perfect day trip from Madrid.
The first thing to do is to take a breath of fresh air as soon as you arrive. Then, wander the beautiful narrow streets and explore every single corner of Patones de Arriba. Alluring stone houses, many of which are covered in ivy, will make you want to move here and leave the stress of big cities behind.
Patones is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Madrid and as we have seen, it is an ideal destination to disconnect for a day. Unfortunately, there is a downside. The place is very popular and it’s packed on weekends, especially in spring and summer. On this post I’m going to help you plan your visit to Patones so that you don’t make the same mistakes as we did.
A BIT OF HISTORY
Nowadays Patones is all about tourism but once upon a time it was an agricultural-based village. Rumor has it that Patones even had its own monarch until the 18th century. If you love history, I have good news for you: Patones is surrounded by archaeological ruins. There are ancient caves from even before the Romans settled there and that were used by shepherds afterwards.
BEST TIME TO GO
Half a day is enough to see Patones so go very early in the morning -before 11:00- or before sunset. Lunch time is the busiest period. Many Madrileños go to this tiny village so it can get too crowded in summer, better to go in spring or fall.
WHERE TO EAT
Most of the buildings in Patones are restaurants so there are many options. All of them serve typical food of Madrid and their main dishes consist mostly of meat. Despite the amount of eateries, I advice you to make reservations before you go.
We had reservations at El Rincon de Patones. The food and service were great but the prices on the menu are misleading because they don’t include taxes so dishes ended up being much more expensive than we expected. A piece of advice: if you don’t want bread, tell them because they won’t ask and they will charge you for it. If you book through The Fork, you get a 30% discount.
The #1 restaurant in TripAdvisor is El Rey Patones, even though we didn’t try it, it looked like the best restaurant in the village from outside. If I were to go to Patones again, I’d surely eat there.
HOW TO GET THERE
- You can go by car but there are parking restrictions. From Madrid take motorway A-1 and exit 50. Google Maps
- If you prefer public transport, buses also get there. You can take 197 from Plaza Castilla. Google Maps
PARKING
If you go by car, the best thing is to park at Patones de Abajo and walk the 800m (10 minutes) to the village. Bear in mind that it’s a steep path that you have to climb up.
Parking in Patones de Arriba is not allowed unless you have a restaurant reservation and that will cost you 5€.
MORE DAY TRIPS FROM MADRID
One of the most beautiful villages in Spain: Chinchon
A town full of history: Alcala de Henares
The Royal town of Aranjuez
WHAT TO WEAR
Patones is all hills and cobblestones so wear comfy shoes. If you want to blend in with the crowd, Madrileños wear sneakers, jeans and sweaters or hoodies.
You can find my Lacoste sneakers here.
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Love the beauty of these pictures. makes me want to travel to Madrid!
Wow this looks so incredible!!
What an absolutely gorgeous place to visit!
Thank you for sharing these photos at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2019/04/beautiful-springtime.html
it's so gorgeous there.
xo
Pinksole
Patones de Arriba looks like a delightful place to spend a day.
So charming. And delectable. I look forward to visiting Spain someday. And I'm so glad to receive a visit from a fellow travel blogger!
That food looks DELICIOUS. I already want to go to Spain so badly and this is making it worse!
Great post! Since you have lived in California, you know what it is to have to reserve to get a seat in a restaurant so you don't have to wait forever:):) Such a romantic spot you have been to! Only have stayed in Malaga for my honeymoon, many moons ago, but really would like to go next time to Barcelona to see the work of Gaudi. Welcome to All Seasons, also for little every day experiences in your season!
PS By the way, what did you study at the university?
Such a charming place!
Oh, I definitely don't want to go while it's packed. Your recommendations will make my visit so much more enjoyable!
Wow this looks like an absolutely incredible trip! So jealous – beautiful photos!
-Emily | http://www.TheEmilyEdition.com
Patones de Arriba looks like a lovely and charming village. I'm adding it to my list of must-see places in Spain.
My post features a hike in the “Issaquah Alps,” Washington State, USA.
Oh my gosh! So beautiful! What an amazing life you lead.
So many colors of beauty — including the blue sky and your pink shoes!
Thank you for sharing your trip with us! It looks like a charming place. I'm so glad you joined me at My Corner of the World this week!
Lovely and the food looks incredible! Have a great week.
What a picturesque village Patones de Arriba is. I have visited Salamanca, Avila and Segovia but missed Patones. Looks like I need to stop on my next trip over there!
What a beautiful place! I am counting down the days till our trip to Spain and France! Just seeing these pictures gives me the itch to pack my bags!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Such a beautiful village indeed. I love the cobblestone streets and the vines climbing up the sides of the buildings.
I am really grateful for posts like this because someday I really want to go on a Spanish road trip!
Worth a Thousand Words
A charming village, I have traveled quite a bit around Spain and love all the foods I tried. I enjoyed the Canary Islands best
So glad to find you via Our World Tuesday! We have much in common – photography. traveling, teaching ESL, etc. I was in Barcelona over a year ago, and loved the city. Will be back to visit again and also Madrid, Oviedo, Costa Brava, etc.
Oh wow what a stunning village to visit! It looks amazing and the food so tasty! I like your casual outfit too 🙂
Thank you so much for joining the #weekdayWearLinkUp 🙂 The next weekday wear linkup is live on my blog, I'd love you to join!
Hope that you had having a lovely Easter 🙂
Away From The Blue
OH my, what an adorable village! Really love your vacation photos dear, these are absolutely beautiful places!
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
What a great place to visit!! Such a cute village!
Thanks for your lovely words, Emily!
I hope you can come soon, Megan!
Madrid is worth visiting, I hope you can come some day!
Thanks, Asia!
Thank you for hosting!
It really is 🙂
It really was, Carol!
So glad you like it, Sharon. I hope you can come to Spain some day!
Yes, definitely! Thanks again.
Thanks a lot, Jess!
The Canary Islands are amazing. I've only been to Lanzarote but absolutely loved it
So glad to find you too, Eileen! When are you coming back to Spain?
It really is!
So glad this was useful, Tami!
I'm a huge fan of Gaudi! His work will never cease to amaze me.
I studied English at University.
I'm glad you like it too! Thanks for stopping by, Mary
Yay! I hoe you get to come soon!