# May long weekend from Madrid: getaways for 1 May and Dos de Mayo Four getaways with a night away and three day trips from Madrid for 1 May and Dos de Mayo, chosen for what spring brings: full lagoons, beech woods in new leaf, vultures nesting and the Strawberry Train. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/madrid/getaways/may-long-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-13 Origen: Madrid - [A weekend in Albarracín and the Rodeno, two hours from Valencia](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/aragon/albarracin/itineraries/albarracin-rodeno-weekend-from-valencia.md) (2 nights, Albarracín): In May the Rodeno pine woods no longer have snow, the days are long enough for the paintings and an afternoon on horseback, and the heat of Teruel has not yet set in. Albarracín fills up at midday on long weekends: sleep inside the old town and do the cathedral and the castle with a guide first thing. - [A weekend at the Lagunas de Ruidera, an hour and a half from Albacete and Ciudad Real](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castilla-la-mancha/lagunas-de-ruidera/itineraries/ruidera-lagoons-waterfalls-one-night.md) (1 night, Lagunas de Ruidera): In spring the lagoons carry more water and the falls linking them run strongly, which is when the waterfall route looks its best. The summer heat has not yet reached the paths and the park is not yet full of swimmers: book the kayak and the Cueva de Montesinos. - [A weekend in the Sierra Norte: Patones, the Hayedo de Montejo and Buitrago](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/sierra-norte/itineraries/sierra-norte-patones-beech-forest-buitrago.md) (1 night, Madrid's Sierra Norte: Patones, Buitrago and the Montejo Beech Forest): In May the Montejo Beech Wood puts on new leaves and the passes are less in demand than in autumn; the online draw opens on the 1st and 16th of each month. The Beech Wood is closed on Mondays, so go on the first day, and in Patones the rock is dry and mild for the introductory climbing session. - [A weekend in the Sierra de Gredos, two hours from Madrid](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/sierra-de-gredos/itineraries/gredos-weekend-from-madrid-laguna-grande.md) (2 nights, Sierra de Gredos): At the start of May the climb to the Laguna Grande may still have snow in the high areas: ask in Hoyos del Espino the night before. If there is, swap the route for the south face of the Puerto del Pico, lower and in full spring, with the Cuevas del Águila and Arenas. - [Aranjuez: palace, gardens and boat](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/aranjuez/itineraries/aranjuez-palace-gardens-and-tagus-boat-trip.md) (Day itinerary, Aranjuez): The Strawberry Train runs its spring season, which includes the May long weekend, from the Delicias Railway Museum to Aranjuez in wooden carriages. You arrive in time for the guided palace tour, the Isla gardens in bloom and the boat on the Tagus. - [La Pedriza: El Tolmo and the castle](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/la-pedriza/itineraries/el-tolmo-and-manzanares-castle.md) (Day itinerary, Manzanares el Real and La Pedriza): At weekends and on public holidays the Canto Cochino barrier stops cars in mid-morning, when the quota is full, so this plan starts before 10:30. In spring the La Pedriza streams run full and the granite does not yet burn. - [Duratón Gorges: canoe and San Frutos](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/duraton-gorges/itineraries/duraton-gorges-canoe-roast-lamb-and-san-frutos.md) (Day itinerary, Duratón River Gorges and Sepúlveda): In May the griffon vultures in the canyon have chicks in the nests, and from the canoe you can watch them going in and out of the walls. It is nesting season, with restricted areas from January to July: the Casa del Parque, in Sepúlveda, tells you which before you go up to San Frutos. ## One, two or four days? It depends on where the two dates fall. 1 May, Labour Day, is a holiday across Spain; Dos de Mayo, only in the Community of Madrid, and when it falls on a Sunday it is not always moved. In years when they join up with a weekend you get three or four days in a row, and then a two-night getaway is worth going far for. With three or four days, the two-night ones: Albarracín, a little over three hours away, or Gredos, two. With one or two, the Sierra Norte is an hour away and Ruidera under three. And if you only have the 1st or the 2nd free, Aranjuez, La Pedriza and the Duratón Gorges fit into a day. ## What does spring bring on these dates? Water and new leaves. May is the month when the Ruidera lagoons are at their fullest and the falls between them run, when the Montejo beech wood has a green that does not last and when the streams of La Pedriza come down strongly. It is also nesting season: on the Duratón and in the sierra there are chicks in the nests and closed areas. The other side is altitude. In Gredos and the Guadarrama there can still be snow above 2,000 metres, and the weather changes fast: a 1 May can dawn with frost on the Platform and end with a storm. Bring a warm layer and a waterproof even if it is hot in Madrid. ## And for those who stay in Madrid on Dos de Mayo? Dos de Mayo is the Community's holiday, and in Malasaña it is celebrated in the square that bears its name, where the Monteleón barracks stood: concerts, a street party and the neighbourhood out on the street. The Real Casa de Correos, in the Puerta del Sol, hosts the official events. If you spend one of the two days in the city, get out to the countryside on the other. For a holiday with children, the Strawberry Train is the perfect plan: it leaves from the Railway Museum, in Delicias, and its spring season includes the May long weekend. Tickets go on sale in advance and those for the long weekend fly. ## Limited places: kayak, canoe, pass and train First, beds where there are few: the old town of Albarracín, Hoyos del Espino and Villarreal de San Carlos fill up on spring long weekends. Then whatever has limited places: the Ruidera kayaks, the Cueva de Montesinos, the Duratón canoes, the Montejo Beech Wood pass and the Strawberry Train. Roast-meat lunches, in Sepúlveda and in Patones, are booked at the same time as the activity. The Beech Wood pass deserves a warning: the online draw opens on the 1st and 16th of each month, and if you are not picked there is the same-day in-person pass in Montejo de la Sierra, handed out in the morning. ## A spring long weekend with children In May almost everything works with children. The Strawberry Train and the Aranjuez boat for the little ones; the introductory climbing session in Patones, from age six; Duratón canoeing and Ruidera kayaking, for those who can already swim. The La Pedriza route to El Tolmo has a bit of a climb, but ends at the foot of a granite boulder that impresses at any age. For everyone: sun cream, because the May sun in the sierra burns. ## Why not go everywhere on the first day On the morning of 1 May everything fills at once: the Canto Cochino and Gredos Platform car parks, the Sierra Norte road along the A-1 and the exits to the south. If you have two or three days, leave the nearest places for the day when fewest people are leaving and go far on the first, early. The return is heavy on the last afternoon of the long weekend, on the A-1, A-3 and A-6. Leave after lunch or wait until night. And remember the closures: the Montejo Beech Wood is closed on Mondays, the Casa del Labrador in Aranjuez opens only Friday to Sunday and the Casa del Parque at the Duratón is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Is Dos de Mayo a holiday in Madrid? Yes, it is the holiday of the Community of Madrid and applies across the region. When it falls on a Sunday it is not always moved to the Monday: check that year's working calendar. ### Is there snow in the sierra over the May long weekend? There may be some on the peaks of Gredos and Guadarrama, especially on the climb to the Laguna Grande. Ask at the visitor centre before you go and have a plan below the snow line. ### Does the Strawberry Train run over the May long weekend? Yes, its spring season includes it. It leaves from the Madrid Railway Museum and the tickets for the long weekend sell out early. ### Which getaway avoids the exit traffic jams? The nearby ones, Aranjuez and the Sierra Norte, an hour or less away. For the distant ones, leave very early on the first day or the afternoon before.