Buses from Madrid

You can reach the Lozoya valley without a car on three bus lines: the 194 from Plaza de Castilla to Rascafría, the 691 from Moncloa to Cotos and Valdesquí, and the 819, which at weekends links Rascafría with the Los Cotos pass. There are few departures, so you have to organise the day around them. The C-9 Cercanías from Cercedilla to Cotos has been closed for works since May 2024 and is replaced by a special bus. Check the Consorcio de Transportes Sunday timetables before setting out.

Line 194: Madrid – Rascafría

It is operated by ALSA from the Plaza de Castilla interchange and takes about two and a quarter hours to Rascafría, because it goes through the villages of the valley: it calls at San Sebastián de los Reyes, El Molar, La Cabrera, Lozoyuela, Garganta de los Montes, Lozoya, Pinilla del Valle, Alameda del Valle and Oteruelo del Valle. Some journeys go via Canencia.

• Departures from Madrid: Monday to Friday, at 10:00, 14:00 and 18:00; Saturdays, at 8:00 and 18:00; Sundays and public holidays, at 8:00 and 15:15.
• Departures from Rascafría: Monday to Friday, at 7:00, 13:45 and 17:15; Saturdays, at 10:45 and 20:30; Sundays and public holidays, at 10:45 and 18:45.

For a Sunday in the valley, the combination is out at 8:00 and back at 18:45. The 194A also links Buitrago del Lozoya with Rascafría.

Line 691: Moncloa – Cotos – Valdesquí

It is operated by Avanza and is the way to reach the upper part of the valley, the Los Cotos pass, where the Peñalara Visitor Centre and the start of the route to the Laguna Grande are. Not all buses go up: many end at the town of Navacerrada. At weekends, those that go up leave Moncloa every quarter of an hour between 8:00 and 9:45, and continue to Valdesquí if the resort is open or stay at Cotos if it is closed.

Line 819: Rascafría – Cotos

It runs on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, is operated by ALSA and takes about half an hour. It leaves from the plaza de los Abetos in Rascafría, stops next to the El Paular monastery and goes up to Cotos. Departures from Rascafría are at 7:30, 8:30, 9:30 and 10:35, and then every hour from 11:30 to 20:30. From Cotos it goes down at 8:00, 9:00 and 9:55, and every hour from 11:00 to 21:00. The Consorcio warns that the service period may vary depending on the weather. With it you can go up Peñalara from Rascafría and come back down in the afternoon, or connect with the 691.

Tips

• If you sleep in the valley, the 819 gets you to Cotos early without depending on the car park's quota of 250 cars.
• The Peñalara massif quota is 945 people a day; phone the visitor centre (918 52 08 57) at weekends.
• In Rascafría, the El Paular Visitor Centre is a short walk from the stop along the path beside the road.