An official route of the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, ideal for families and as a first taste of the El Paular Valley. It links the Monastery of El Paular, the historic Puente del Perdón bridge, the poplar grove and the Finnish Forest (Bosque de Finlandia) in a short, pleasant loop.

Key facts

• Difficulty: easy (family-friendly)
• Distance: 4.3 km
• Approximate time: about 55 minutes (without long stops)
• Type: circular · official PNSG route

Starting point

The area around the Monastery of El Paular / Puente del Perdón, a few minutes from Rascafría.

The route

The route follows level paths along the River Lozoya through meadows and woodland. It is the perfect walk for enjoying the valley’s cultural landscape: the Carthusian monastery, the stone bridge and the riverbank. In autumn, the colours of the poplar grove and the Finnish Forest are especially photogenic.

No technical equipment is needed; comfortable footwear and water are enough in normal conditions.

Official route

National Park route page (in Spanish): PNSG-029 El Paular y Los Batanes.

Tips

Combine it with a visit to the monastery or lunch in Rascafría. In high season the nearby car park fills up: consider coming by public transport or arriving early to park.

The mill in augmented reality

Would you like to see what the Los Batanes paper mill looked like? Point your phone and bring it back to life in augmented reality: see the mill in augmented reality.

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