Ajalvir between Steppes, Trails and Festivals

Nature

Part of the municipality of Ajalvir is protected as ZEPA No. 139 “Cereal Steppes of the Jarama and Henares Rivers” – a special protection area for birds. The protected steppe area is of great importance for the protection of birds such as the great bustard, little bustard and lesser kestrel. Wetlands connected to the Torote River are home to populations of overwintering birds.

The steppe landscape and wetlands can be assigned different weights as separate nature themes when planning your trip personally. When comparing holiday accommodation in Ajalvir, you can compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies on the respective listing page. Alongside your preferred nature, culture and event themes, this information can be used as personal selection criteria.

Trails and Observation

The Camino de La Huelga is a 6.3-kilometre circular route on an unpaved trail with a low difficulty level. It is suitable for mountain biking and is recommended for families and birdwatching. The Camino del Calvario passes through cereal fields with areas of olive trees; visitors may spot rabbits, Montagu’s harriers and, with a little luck, cinereous vultures there.

The information on route shape, surface, difficulty level and landscape features provides different points of comparison if you want to organise walking and observation according to your own daily rhythm.

Culture

The Church of Purísima Concepción is an 18th-century temple built over an earlier church building. The building has three naves, an exterior arcade with eight arches and a four-storey tower; it also has a raised transept accentuated by a dome and a rectangular chancel.

The Ermita de la Soledad is located in the cemetery. The Ermita de San Roque is an example of Ajalvir’s religious architecture. Those who prefer architectural details can distinguish between the age of the buildings, floor plan, exterior structure and the location of individual religious buildings.

Festivals and Gastronomy

The San Blas festival includes bullfights as well as traditional popular festivities and the running of bulls through the streets. The festivities in honour of the Virgen de la Candelaria begin on the day before the San Blas festival with the festival proclamation, the blessing of the candles for the children born in the respective year and a procession with the Virgin.

The Ruta de las Tapas y Cañas is a gastronomic event in Ajalvir in which local food and drink establishments offer culinary specialities over a weekend; a train stops at the participating bars and restaurants. For chronological and thematic classification, you can distinguish between a procession, popular festival, street event and gastronomic weekend.

Special Stop

Finca El Cubilete in Ajalvir is listed as a stop on a tourist route to breeding farms for fighting bulls in the Madrid region. Visits to Finca El Cubilete were planned on foot, by off-road vehicle and by trailer. Finca El Cubilete included a multimedia introductory tour of bullfighting.

Other Places

Other places: Las Herreras, Manzanares El Real, Aravaca, Villamanrique de Tajo, Villarejo De Salvanés, Navacerrada, El Molar, Guadalix de la Sierra

To the higher-level travel overview: Madrid.