La Pedriza Visitor Centre

The La Pedriza Visitor Centre is the information gateway to the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park in Manzanares el Real. It is about 2 km from the village, next to the tarmac road that climbs to Canto Cochino, and opens every day from 9:00 to 15:00, except 1 and 6 January and 24, 25 and 31 December. You reach it from the M-608 by the turn-off at kilometre point 25.7, about 200 metres before the barrier.

What there is

In the main building there is reception and information, a library, a conference room, rooms for temporary exhibitions and the permanent exhibition "Journey to the Sierra de Guadarrama". Outside, a fenced garden of about two hectares brings together themed areas: geology, with the Pequeña Pedriza and the Rock Garden; botany, with the arboretum, the Aromatic Garden and the Ecological Garden; and fauna, with a bird observatory, an aquarium and a herpetofauna centre. Everything is visited independently and it is a good stop with children before or after the walk. There is more detail on the page about the visit to the centre.

Accessibility and groups

The centre is accessible for people with reduced mobility and has an adapted path for people with visual impairment. It lends two joëlette chairs, with prior booking and operated by qualified people. Groups must book the visit; for guided group activities the telephone is 91 853 99 78. Activities for individuals are published in the organised activities section of the Park's website.

What they sort out for you here

It is the place to ask about routes, rules and the state of the Canto Cochino quota. It is worth knowing the basics before entering:

• The Canto Cochino car park has a quota of 270 cars; at weekends and public holidays it usually fills between 8:30 and 9:00. The centre does not manage it.
• Dogs must always be on a lead and stay on the paths.
• Camping is not allowed, and swimming in the River Manzanares is not permitted.
• Bivouacking is only allowed at Las Torres, El Laberinto and El Yelmo, without a tent.
• Climbing is regulated; check the rules before going.

Further up, the Canto Cochino information point opens from November to March at weekends and public holidays from 9:00 to 16:30, and from April to October from 9:00 to 16:30 on weekdays and from 9:00 to 19:00 at weekends.

Getting there without a car

The 724 bus reaches Manzanares el Real from Plaza de Castilla; from the stop by the church or the one at the Montañero roundabout it is about 15 minutes on foot along the path parallel to the track. From the centre's car park starts the Camorza gorge, which climbs beside the river to Canto Cochino: the way into La Pedriza when the car quota is full.