# Chinchón

A Plaza Mayor of 234 balconies, Goya's Assumption, wine cellars from 1870 and wood-fired roasts, 45 minutes from Madrid.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/chinchon · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Chinchón is a town in the Las Vegas district, 45 km south-east of Madrid, among olive groves, vineyards and the Tajuña plain. People come for its Plaza Mayor, enclosed in 1683, with arcaded houses and 234 green wooden balconies, and stay to eat lamb from the wood-fired oven. It is a Historic-Artistic Site and can be seen in half a day; with lunch, a whole Sunday.

## How do you get there from Madrid?

By car, about 45 minutes. There are two ways: the A-3 as far as Arganda and the M-311 via Morata de Tajuña, with a twisty final stretch, or the A-4 as far as the M-404, via Ciempozuelos and Titulcia, which is straighter. Without a car, La Veloz's line 337 runs practically every hour; because of the works at Conde de Casal it starts from Pavones (Calle de la Fuente Carrantona) and, according to the town council, stops on Avenida del Mediterráneo, and then calls in the town. From Aranjuez, line 430 drops you here in a little over half an hour, so the two towns combine well in a weekend. From Toledo and Guadalajara it takes a little over an hour.

## Where to park?

The old town has narrow, steep streets, and the Plaza Mayor is not for cars. Leave the car at the entrance to the town as soon as you find a space and walk up: everything is less than ten minutes on foot. If you are staying overnight, the Parador has a paid garage and the Casa del Hortelano has private parking. On sunny Sundays the town fills up from midday, so arriving before 11:00 changes everything.

## What to see?

The Plaza Mayor first, with a walk under the arcades. Going up, the church of the Asunción, begun in 1534, which keeps on its high altar The Assumption of the Virgin that Goya painted in 1812 for his brother, the church's chaplain. Next to it, the Torre del Reloj, what remained of the town's oldest church; hence the saying of the tower without a church and the church without a tower. At the top, the castle of the Counts, of 1598, which can only be seen from outside. The Teatro Lope de Vega, of 1891, and the church are part of the municipal guided visit on Sunday mornings, from October to May.

## What is there to do besides walking?

Wine cellars, above all. The Bodega del Nero, founded in 1870 in the heart of the old town, shows its cellar and offers two Madrid wines with Chinchón cheese to taste at weekends at 12:00 and 13:00. Anise liqueur is the town's other product: you will see it in every shop. Outside the old town, the Laguna de San Juan is a 47-hectare wetland on the Tajuña plain, a bird refuge since 1991.

## How much time do you need?

Half a day for the town and lunch. With the cellar, the lagoon and an after-lunch coffee in the square, the whole day. For sleeping, the Parador occupies a 15th-century monastery a few metres from the square.

## When to go?

From October to May. In spring the countryside is green and in autumn the olive groves and vineyards change colour. In summer at midday it is very hot on the plain; go early or late. At Easter the town stages the Passion in the square and fills with people.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: Aranjuez (a 19.4 km), Alcalá de Henares: university, Cervantes and Complutum (a 38.5 km), Madrid (a 38.9 km), Toledo (a 59.9 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Plaza Mayor of Chinchón** (45 min · Everyone · Free): An irregular square of three-storey houses with arcades and green-painted wooden galleries, 234 balconies in all. It is the symbol of Chinchón and the reason almost everyone comes: the town centre was declared a Historic-Artistic Ensemble in 1974 and, in 2008, the square was voted the fourth wonder of the Community of Madrid.
How it was made
Before it was a square it was an open space where livestock drank and fairs were held. The council bought houses here in 1499 to meet in, and the town hall is still in the same place today. In 1502 Joanna the Mad and Philip the Handsome visited. Houses closed in around it until, in 1683, the square was completely enclosed, leaving gaps for processions and carts to pass.
Its irregular shape betrays that popular origin: it was not laid out at once, but completed gradually. The wooden balconies are called "claros" here. The square has served as a comedy theatre, for cane jousts, religious plays and bullfights. In the nineteenth century the Sociedad de Cosecheros remodelled it as a bullring, and it still serves as one at fiestas.
What to do in it
The best thing is to go all the way round the arcades, looking up, and then climb the steps towards the church of the Asunción: from above you see the whole square. In the square itself, in the former wash-house, is the tourist office, where guided tours are booked. To eat without moving, the Café de la Iberia is at number 17.
The town council suggests stopping for a tapa and a glass of the town's wine before lunch; local cooking revolves around wood-fired roasts, Chinchón garlic, anise and sweets such as pelotas de fraile. It is a free walk, with no hours, suitable for dogs on a lead.
Dates that change the square
Madrid Region Tourism highlights the Living Passion of Holy Saturday, declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest; a medieval market in February; the patron saint festivals in August, in honour of the Virgin of Gracia and Saint Roch; and a bullfighting festival in October. On those days there are many more people in the town. Outside those dates, on weekdays, you can walk it at leisure.
How to get there
Chinchón is about 45 km south-east of Madrid, by the A-3 and the M-311 and M-313 roads, or by the A-4 and the M-404. By bus, La Veloz's line 337 leaves almost hourly. The old town is covered on foot; there are park-and-walk car parks at the approaches and regulated zones.
- **Visit and Tasting at the Bodega del Nero** (1 h · Adults; under-18s with a soft drink · Desde 15 € per person): A winery founded in 1870 in the very heart of Chinchón, at Calle Don Ramiro Ortiz de Zárate 6. It has been run by the same family for five generations, and today the house is shown by Álvaro or Roberto, of the fifth. The building is more than 150 years old and, thanks to its thick walls and orientation, naturally maintains a stable temperature and humidity all year, which is what wine needs to keep and age.
What you see and what you taste
The visit tells the story of the winery and its anecdotes, and explains how they make their wines. Madrid Region Tourism presents it as the oldest winery in the region and one of the few in the area that still keeps its wines in clay tinajas. Its vineyards, about 40 hectares according to the winery, are dry-farmed and in the Tajuña plain, with centuries-old vines, organic cultivation and non-mechanised work; the varieties are tempranillo, tinto fino, airén and malvar. The wines fall within the Vinos de Madrid DO.
On the standard visit two are tasted: the young Neri and the Trapisondero, accompanied by Chinchón cheese. The winery also makes Neri white, Neri Cepas Viejas, Valdeliceda and Trajín, which can be bought there or in its online shop.
Types of visit and prices

Standard, €15: one hour, tasting of two wines and cheese. Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays at 12:00 and 13:00. Under-18s, €6, with a soft drink and cheese.
Premium, €20: the same plus the town's tourist train, an hour and a half. Same days and times. Under-18s, €11.
Different, €23: visit and tasting with a historical walk through Chinchón; an hour in the winery and another on the walk, some Saturdays at 13:00 according to the calendar.
Weekday, €18: for groups of at least 8 people, with four wines, cheese and organic oil, at a time to be agreed.

All prices include VAT. Book on the winery's website; if you have a gift box or a voucher from another platform, the code must be entered when booking and brought on the day of the visit. For questions and tailor-made visits write to reservas@bodegadelnero.com.
Who it is for and how to get there
It is an activity for adults, but under-18s can join with their soft drink, so it works on a family getaway. You don't need to know about wine: the explanation is for all audiences.
The winery is a few minutes' walk from the Plaza Mayor. If you come by car, park at the approaches to the town and walk in; by bus, line 337 runs from Madrid almost hourly. The Sunday tasting at 12:00 fits after the municipal guided tour, and to continue with wine, the Mesón Cuevas del Vino shows its caves and winepress at weekends.
- **Church of the Asunción and the Goya Painting** (20 min · Art): The church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción dominates the Plaza Mayor from above. It was begun in 1534 and not finished until 1626, almost a century of works, so it mixes Gothic, Plateresque, Renaissance and Baroque. Inside it holds the town's most valuable piece: The Assumption of the Virgin, the canvas that Goya painted in 1812 and that still hangs at the centre of the high altar.
The church without a tower
It is the other half of the local saying: Chinchón has "a tower without a church and a church without a tower". The tower without a church is the Clock Tower, all that remained of the parish of Gracia; this church, by contrast, has no tower of its own. For a time it was called Nuestra Señora de la Piedad.
The main chapel was completed thanks to the 3rd Count of Chinchón, who in 1586 paid for the works and brought masters who had worked at El Escorial. In return, the count reserved for himself and his successors a crypt under the high altar.
The Goya painting
The story of the canvas is a family affair. The Infante Don Luis, Goya's protector, arranged for Camilo, the painter's brother, to become chaplain of this church. When French troops ravaged Chinchón in December 1808, the church suffered damage to the roof and the ornaments, and Camilo asked his brother for a painting to make up for the destruction inside. Goya painted the Assumption in 1812. He spent long periods in the town and witnessed that siege: on the back of one of the drawings of the Disasters of War he wrote "El de Chinchón" (the one from Chinchón).
When to go in
There are no published visiting hours. It is a parish church in use: go in before or after Mass, in silence and without flash, and avoid services. The sure way to see it with an explanation is the Sunday guided tour, organised by the tourist office from October to May, which goes into the church as well as the Teatro Lope de Vega. Groups have their own packages through the same office.
How to get there and what to combine
From the Plaza Mayor you climb on foot up steps and short slopes; from the top you see the whole square. A step away are the Clock Tower and the theatre, and on the other side of the old town the Counts' Castle. If you are looking for somewhere to eat nearby, the Parador restaurant occupies the former Augustinian convent, a few minutes away.
- **Clock Tower** (10 min · Everyone · Free): It belonged to the church of Nuestra Señora de Gracia, the oldest in Chinchón: the town council has records of it as early as the fourteenth century. The church burned during the War of Independence and only the tower was left standing, hence the saying that Chinchón has "a tower without a church and a church without a tower". The other half of the saying is the church of the Asunción, which was left without its own. It is two minutes from the Plaza Mayor, high up in the town, and can be seen from almost any street in the old town.
A tower that survived the 1808 siege
The town council's history website tells how on 27 December 1808 four French soldiers died at the hands of Chinchón residents. Two days later French troops stormed the town and, during three days of siege, looted and burned several buildings: among them the church of Nuestra Señora de Gracia, with its archives and documents, the church of the San Agustín convent, today the hermitage of the Rosario, and the town hall. Eighty-six residents died. The old parish church was not rebuilt, but the tower remained standing.
Since then it has had several restorations. In the first, in the eighteenth century, the clock that gives it its name was added; the most important came in the nineteenth century. Behind that reconstruction was the Sociedad de Cosecheros, founded in 1845 by residents who produced wine, vinegar and spirits, the same one that built the Teatro Lope de Vega and adapted the Plaza Mayor as a bullring.
What you see
What you visit is the tower from outside and its surroundings. The route of traditions proposed by the town council climbs here after the square and recommends it for catching your breath while looking at the town: it is one of the best-known views of Chinchón, with the rooftops of the old town descending towards the square. There are no published hours for going up inside, so count only on the walk and the view.
Very close is the Teatro Lope de Vega, built in 1891 on the ruins of the counts' palace; at the exit there is a bust of the 4th Countess of Chinchón, vicereine of Peru, who is credited with introducing quinine to Europe. The cinchona tree is named in her honour.
How to get there and what to combine
From the Plaza Mayor you climb on foot up the steps and alleys that lead towards the church; the slope is short but noticeable. It is a free, unrestricted walk, suitable for dogs on a lead. If you want to understand what you are seeing, the Sunday guided tour takes in the tower, church, theatre and square in an hour and a half. For another view of the town from outside, continue to the Counts' Castle, on the other side of the old town.
- **Counts' Castle, from Outside** (30 min · Everyone · Free): The Counts' Castle rises on an embankment on the edge of the old town, on the opposite side from the Plaza Mayor. It is private property and cannot be visited inside, but it is worth the walk for two reasons: its history, which sums up that of Chinchón, and the view it gives of the town and its crops, which the town council itself counts among the finest in the town.
Three castles on the same spot
It stands on an earlier fortress, seat of the lordship of Chinchón, which had been in the hands of the Cabrera family since the time of Henry IV. In 1480 the Catholic Monarchs ceded the lordship to the Marquises of Moya, the marriage of the Cabreras with Beatriz de Bobadilla. The fifteenth-century building was demolished in a Comunero attack in 1520, in the middle of the War of the Communities.
The present castle was completed in 1598 by the 3rd Count of Chinchón, Diego Fernández de Cabrera y Bobadilla, in the service of Philip II, on the foundations of the previous one. It was well preserved until 1705, when it suffered the consequences of the War of the Spanish Succession. In 1808, during the three days of siege by French troops, it was plundered and burned. Afterwards, part of its stones were used to repair roads, fences and houses, and its last use was as a liquor factory. The municipal route reminds visitors that it is missing two blocks: what you see is what remained.
What you see from outside
You walk round it along Calle del Castillo as far as the moat. From here the town is seen from the side, with the square hidden among rooftops and the olive groves and crops around. There is no ticket desk, no opening hours and no visits inside, and it is best not to climb fences: it is a private estate. Wear comfortable shoes, because the streets that climb are steep and cobbled, and bring some water in summer, when there is no shade up here.
How it fits into the walk
The town council's route of traditions and customs begins right here. From the castle you go down Calle del Convento to the Casa de la Cadena, a Baroque house of the late seventeenth century where Philip V slept on the night of 25 February 1706; the chain hung in front of it, a sign that a king had spent the night there, gives it its name. From there you reach the Plaza Mayor and then climb to the Clock Tower and the church of the Asunción.
It is a free walk, suitable for dogs on a lead and for children who walk, although the slopes are hard going with a pushchair. If afterwards you want to try the town's wine, the Bodega del Nero holds tastings at weekends in the old town.
- **Sunday Guided Tour** (1 h 30 · Everyone · Desde 5 € per adult): The municipal tourist office organises a guided tour for individuals on Sundays at 10:00. It lasts around an hour and a half and, with a tourist guide, goes into the church of the Asunción and the Teatro Lope de Vega, and takes in the Clock Tower and the Plaza Mayor. It is the simplest way to see inside the two buildings that have no published hours of their own.
What you see
The church, begun in 1534 and finished in 1626, holds on its high altar The Assumption of the Virgin that Goya painted in 1812 at the request of his brother Camilo, chaplain of the parish. The Teatro Lope de Vega was built in 1891 by the Sociedad de Cosecheros on the ruins of the counts' palace; it bears the playwright's name because he wrote the comedy El Blasón de los Chaves de Villalba in that palace, and inside a curtain painted by Luis Muriel with views and allegories of the town stands out. The tower is what remained of the church of Gracia, burned in 1808, and the square, closed in 1683, is the centre of everything.
Dates, price and booking

When: every Sunday of the year at 10:00, except June, July, August and September.
Exception: it does not run on the first weekend of each month, which coincides with the open-door days.
Minimum: the website asks for a minimum of 20 people for the Sunday visit; if it isn't reached, it doesn't go ahead.
Price: €5 adults; €3 pensioners and children.

Book with the button on the guided tours page of the municipal tourism website. As it depends on the number of sign-ups, call the tourist office the day before to confirm it is going ahead. The meeting point does not appear on the website: ask when booking.
Groups and dramatised tours
Groups of at least 15 people on weekdays, or 20 at weekends and public holidays, have three packages. The shortest includes the square, the tower, the church and the theatre, for €5 per person in groups of fewer than 30. The others add the Poor Clares' convent, San Agustín, the interpretation centre and the hermitages of San Roque, the Rosario, the Misericordia and San Antón. You can add the Alcoholera de Chinchón, the La Posada Ethnological Museum or the exhibition Treasures of the Enclosure of the Poor Clares' monastery.
The dramatised tours "El Alma de Chinchón" (The Soul of Chinchón) are run by CulturArte Chinchón, on Saturdays and Sundays according to the calendar: dates and bookings on their website.
Who it is for
It is a walking tour, with no great slopes except the climb from the square to the church, suitable for families and first-time visitors. Afterwards it is a good time for the tasting at the Bodega del Nero, at 12:00 or 13:00.
- **Laguna de San Juan** (1 h · Birds and nature · Free): A wetland of about 47 hectares in the Tajuña plain, to the west of the Chinchón municipality: four hectares are open water and the rest is reeds, rushes and marsh vegetation that surrounds and protects it. It has been protected as a wildlife refuge by the Community of Madrid since 1991 for its value to waterbirds. It is about 8 km west of the town.
What you will see
The lagoon nestles at the foot of the gypsum hills that border the left bank of the river, so in a single walk you pass through three landscapes: the flooded area, the white hills and the farmland of the plain. According to the Community of Madrid, more than a hundred bird species use the wetland; it mentions among them the purple heron, the grey heron, the marsh harrier, the bittern and the purple swamphen. The municipal route adds swallows, martins and bee-eaters, which nest in the cliffs, and the cattle egret.
In 2022 the Community opened a bird observatory intended for monitoring and ringing, but also for the public to look without disturbing. Beforehand, reeds were cleared from the shore, channels were recovered and perches installed, and with that the waders have returned. Beside the refuge hut there is a panel explaining the place, and some signs help identify the birds according to the season.
How to get there
It is outside the old town and there is no public transport to the shore. The plain track that passes beside the lagoon, between crops and the Tajuña riverside wood, ends at the Titulcia road; confirm car access at the tourist office before setting out. The town council also proposes a long walk of about 19.5 km, which leaves from and returns to Villaconejos by the Valdezarza track and the Vereda de la Blanca, passes the refuge hut and the observatory and returns through the hills, with a high point of 650 metres. It has no shade, so it is only sensible on cool days.
No hours or admission are published for the refuge. Don't count on facilities at the shore and bring water.
Tips for the visit
Bring binoculars, go slowly and quietly, and don't leave the marked paths: it is a wildlife refuge. The season with most birds runs from autumn to spring; in high summer the heat of the plain is oppressive and there is less movement on the water.
It is a good outing for families with children who can stay still for a while, and to combine with a meal in the town: return to Chinchón and finish in the Plaza Mayor, or at the Bodega del Nero if it is the weekend.

## Dónde comer
- **Mesón Cuevas del Vino** (Restaurant, Chinchón, €€). Qué pedir: the mesón's grilled chorizo, pepper asadillo and wood-fired suckling lamb; or the cocido menu
- **Café de la Iberia** (Restaurant, Chinchón, €€€). Qué pedir: wood-fired roast lamb or grilled red meat, with a table by the balconies
- **El Convento Restaurant, at the Parador** (Restaurant, Chinchón, €€€). Qué pedir: a roast or a spoon dish; in autumn and winter, the cocido de taba at El Bodegón

## By car: By car, 45 minutes from Madrid
Chinchón is about 45 km from Madrid: take the A-3 to Arganda and the M-311 via Morata, with more bends at the end, or the A-4 and the M-404 via Titulcia, which is straighter. A car lets you reach the Laguna de San Juan and combine the day with Aranjuez.
Presupuesto orientativo: 50–130 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Parador de Chinchón** (Hotel, desde 119 € / night): The Paraíso monastery, steps from the square
The Parador de Chinchón occupies the former monastery of Nuestra Señora del Paraíso, founded by the first lords of Chinchón in the 15th century, right in the heart of the medieval town. It keeps the cloister, now glazed and home to a collection of religious art, the original staircase and the first chapel, which has been turned into a suite. It has had an eventful history: it was abandoned in 1626, served as a humanist training centre in the 18th and 19th centuries and, after the confiscation of church property in 1842, became a court and a prison. Among its guests was Archduke Charles of Austria, the claimant to the throne in the War of the Spanish Succession. Every morning the Parador runs a tour through the chapter house, the doctoral hall, the stables and the old washhouse.
Garden, orchard and a pool in the stables
It has spacious gardens and a convent orchard full of fruit trees, and the seasonal swimming pool sits in the monastery's old stables. Every area is accessible except the pool.
Rooms and prices
There are standard doubles, superior doubles, accessible doubles, junior suites and one suite, in the former chapel. They have air conditioning, a minibar, a safe big enough for a laptop, a hairdryer, a TV with Chromecast and free wifi; there is a lift and room service. In the November 2026 rate calendar, a room without breakfast started at €119 a night on most weekdays, and went above €160 on some Fridays and Saturdays.
Two dining rooms: El Convento and El Bodegón
The restaurant El Convento serves renewed traditional Madrid cooking, with Chinchón's garlic and aniseed much in evidence, roasts, soups and spoon-dish stews, game, farmyard meats and offal. El Bodegón is a separate space where, in autumn and winter, the only thing served is cocido de taba. For sweets, ask about the pelotas de fraile and tetas de novicia, which the Parador recommends trying in the town.
Getting there and parking
You get there by the M-311, from the A-3 or from the N-IV via the M-404; Paradores puts Madrid at 50 km, Aranjuez at 28 and Parque Warner at 29. There is a paid garage, which is useful because the centre fills up at weekends. Without a car, bus 337 drops you in the town.
From the door, the Plaza Mayor with its wooden balconies is a couple of steps away, and the church of the Assumption with its Goya painting rises above it. The Sunday of square, winery and roast can be done on foot from here.
- **Casa del Hortelano** (Country house): The house Pedro and María bought in 1957
Casa del Hortelano is a traditional Chinchón farmhouse bought in 1957 by Pedro "El Hortelano" and María. He was the third generation of market gardeners in his family; the greenhouses were opposite, where Calle de los Huertos now runs, and María sold the vegetables at the door of the house. The house keeps an inscription dated 1698, a room layout from the early twentieth century or earlier, and a cave-cellar with its original clay tinajas. The family still works the kitchen garden, vineyards, olive grove, flowers and esparto, and if you are interested you can try their seasonal produce.
It is about five minutes' walk from the Plaza Mayor, in a quiet area, and 45 km from Madrid by the M-404.
Rented whole, for ten
It is not rented by the room: it is the whole house, for up to ten people. It has three large bedrooms, one with a jacuzzi, two bathrooms, an equipped kitchen, a dining-living room with fireplace, terraces with views of the Counts' Castle and a Castilian patio that opens onto the parking. There is heating and wifi. It is a house for large families or groups of friends who want to sleep together in the town and spend time indoors.
The website does not publish prices, minimum stay or check-in and check-out times outside the booking form: ask on 600 672 708 or at info@casahortelano.es.
The car, inside the property
In Chinchón, parking near the square at weekends is difficult, and here you can leave your car inside the property, a few steps from the door, for €10 per car per night; when booking you say how many cars you are bringing. If you prefer not to pay, the free public car park of San Roque, at Carretera de Morata de Tajuña 4, is nearby.
With a dog or cat
It admits up to two pets per stay, dogs or cats, at €10 per pet per night, which covers extra cleaning. Dogs of potentially dangerous breeds must arrive with their licence and third-party liability insurance. They must be vaccinated; they may not go on beds or sofas (bring their bed or a blanket), may not be left alone in the house for more than two hours and on the patio and terrace must be on a short lead. There is enclosed outdoor space.
What is nearby
Five minutes away, the Plaza Mayor; the Counts' Castle can be seen from the terraces. To eat without cooking, the Mesón Cuevas del Vino is a short walk away.

## Car-free: Car-free, on the 337
La Veloz bus 337 leaves Pavones (temporary, because of roadworks) almost every hour and stops on avenida del Mediterráneo, next to Conde de Casal, and drops you in the town. Everything worth seeing is on foot from the Plaza Mayor.
Presupuesto orientativo: 45–120 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Parador de Chinchón** (Hotel, desde 119 € / night): The Paraíso monastery, steps from the square
The Parador de Chinchón occupies the former monastery of Nuestra Señora del Paraíso, founded by the first lords of Chinchón in the 15th century, right in the heart of the medieval town. It keeps the cloister, now glazed and home to a collection of religious art, the original staircase and the first chapel, which has been turned into a suite. It has had an eventful history: it was abandoned in 1626, served as a humanist training centre in the 18th and 19th centuries and, after the confiscation of church property in 1842, became a court and a prison. Among its guests was Archduke Charles of Austria, the claimant to the throne in the War of the Spanish Succession. Every morning the Parador runs a tour through the chapter house, the doctoral hall, the stables and the old washhouse.
Garden, orchard and a pool in the stables
It has spacious gardens and a convent orchard full of fruit trees, and the seasonal swimming pool sits in the monastery's old stables. Every area is accessible except the pool.
Rooms and prices
There are standard doubles, superior doubles, accessible doubles, junior suites and one suite, in the former chapel. They have air conditioning, a minibar, a safe big enough for a laptop, a hairdryer, a TV with Chromecast and free wifi; there is a lift and room service. In the November 2026 rate calendar, a room without breakfast started at €119 a night on most weekdays, and went above €160 on some Fridays and Saturdays.
Two dining rooms: El Convento and El Bodegón
The restaurant El Convento serves renewed traditional Madrid cooking, with Chinchón's garlic and aniseed much in evidence, roasts, soups and spoon-dish stews, game, farmyard meats and offal. El Bodegón is a separate space where, in autumn and winter, the only thing served is cocido de taba. For sweets, ask about the pelotas de fraile and tetas de novicia, which the Parador recommends trying in the town.
Getting there and parking
You get there by the M-311, from the A-3 or from the N-IV via the M-404; Paradores puts Madrid at 50 km, Aranjuez at 28 and Parque Warner at 29. There is a paid garage, which is useful because the centre fills up at weekends. Without a car, bus 337 drops you in the town.
From the door, the Plaza Mayor with its wooden balconies is a couple of steps away, and the church of the Assumption with its Goya painting rises above it. The Sunday of square, winery and roast can be done on foot from here.
- **Casa del Hortelano** (Country house): The house Pedro and María bought in 1957
Casa del Hortelano is a traditional Chinchón farmhouse bought in 1957 by Pedro "El Hortelano" and María. He was the third generation of market gardeners in his family; the greenhouses were opposite, where Calle de los Huertos now runs, and María sold the vegetables at the door of the house. The house keeps an inscription dated 1698, a room layout from the early twentieth century or earlier, and a cave-cellar with its original clay tinajas. The family still works the kitchen garden, vineyards, olive grove, flowers and esparto, and if you are interested you can try their seasonal produce.
It is about five minutes' walk from the Plaza Mayor, in a quiet area, and 45 km from Madrid by the M-404.
Rented whole, for ten
It is not rented by the room: it is the whole house, for up to ten people. It has three large bedrooms, one with a jacuzzi, two bathrooms, an equipped kitchen, a dining-living room with fireplace, terraces with views of the Counts' Castle and a Castilian patio that opens onto the parking. There is heating and wifi. It is a house for large families or groups of friends who want to sleep together in the town and spend time indoors.
The website does not publish prices, minimum stay or check-in and check-out times outside the booking form: ask on 600 672 708 or at info@casahortelano.es.
The car, inside the property
In Chinchón, parking near the square at weekends is difficult, and here you can leave your car inside the property, a few steps from the door, for €10 per car per night; when booking you say how many cars you are bringing. If you prefer not to pay, the free public car park of San Roque, at Carretera de Morata de Tajuña 4, is nearby.
With a dog or cat
It admits up to two pets per stay, dogs or cats, at €10 per pet per night, which covers extra cleaning. Dogs of potentially dangerous breeds must arrive with their licence and third-party liability insurance. They must be vaccinated; they may not go on beds or sofas (bring their bed or a blanket), may not be left alone in the house for more than two hours and on the patio and terrace must be on a short lead. There is enclosed outdoor space.
What is nearby
Five minutes away, the Plaza Mayor; the Counts' Castle can be seen from the terraces. To eat without cooking, the Mesón Cuevas del Vino is a short walk away.
### Servicios
- **Bus 337 from Pavones**: La Veloz, line 337 Madrid – Chinchón – Valdelaguna; because of roadworks at Conde de Casal it leaves from Pavones (calle de la Fuente Carrantona), with departures almost every hour

## As a family: A small town to visit with children

You can walk all of Chinchón on foot and the square is car-free, so children can run about freely. Half a day is enough for everything; after that, a long lunch and the journey home.

### What works best
The Plaza Mayor and its arcades, with the climb up the Clock Tower

The walk up to the Counts' Castle, to see it from outside

The Laguna de San Juan with binoculars, to watch birds

The Sunday guided tour, €3 for children

### Where to stay
Casa del Hortelano, a whole house with a patio, for large families

Parador de Chinchón, with a garden and a pool in summer

### Where to eat
Mesón Cuevas del Vino: the caves and the wood-fired oven keep them entertained

### Worth knowing
At the Bodega del Nero, under-18s pay €6 and get a soft drink and cheese

The streets are hilly and cobbled: a backpack is better than a pushchair

### Qué hacer as a family
- Plaza Mayor of Chinchón
- Clock Tower
- Counts' Castle, from Outside
- Sunday Guided Tour
- Laguna de San Juan

## Consejos

### Arrive before eleven
You park better and see the square empty. At midday on Sundays it fills up.

### Book lunch
The mesones in the square and around it fill up on Sundays. Ask for a table for 14:00.

### Combine the tasting with lunch
The Bodega del Nero visit at 12:00 ends in time for you to sit down to eat.

### Wear comfortable shoes
The streets are cobbled slopes.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take to get from Madrid to Chinchón?
About 45 minutes by car, along the A-3 and the M-311 or along the A-4 and the M-404. On bus 337, which because of roadworks leaves from Pavones and stops on Avenida del Mediterráneo, next to Conde de Casal.

### What is there to see in Chinchón in a day?
The Plaza Mayor, the church of the Asunción with Goya's painting, the Torre del Reloj, the castle from outside and a wine cellar. With lunch, the day is full.

### Can you visit the castle?
Not inside: it is private property. You can see it from outside on Calle del Castillo.

### Are there guided tours?
Yes, on Sundays at 10:00 from October to May, except the first weekend of the month, for €5. They are booked at the tourist office.

### Where can you eat on Sunday?
The Mesón Cuevas del Vino is open on Sundays from 12:00 to 17:00. In the square there is the Café de la Iberia; call ahead, because it does not publish its hours.

### What is typical of Chinchón?
Anise liqueur, garlic, Madrid wine and lamb roasts in wood-fired ovens.