Navacerrada Pass and Cercedilla, Madrid's snow an hour away.

The Navacerrada Pass is the snow closest to Madrid: at 1,858 metres, on the border with Segovia, about 60 km from the Puerta del Sol. Around it you have two ski resorts, the Cotos pass with Peñalara, the pine forests of the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park and, below, Cercedilla, the train village, from which you walk up to the Fuenfría valley.

Where do you ski?

At two resorts. Valdesquí, next to Cotos, is the big one: 29 pistes and 22 km between 1,860 and 2,265 metres, 15 lifts, a school, rental and a snowpark. In the 2026-2027 season the adult day lift pass costs €47 when more than 11 km are open, and €26 for Pradera only, the beginners' area.

The Navacerrada Pass resort, the oldest, now opens its lower area, in Madrid: the Bosque piste and three easy pistes, with a lift pass from €28 on weekdays. Its upper area, in Segovia, is under a final dismantling order since the Supreme Court rejected the last appeals in March 2026. If you want variety of pistes, Valdesquí; if it is your first day or your children's, either will do.

And if you don't ski?

With snow, snowshoes: the Navacerrada Spanish Ski School organises guided routes from the pass, and at Valdesquí snowshoes can be hired for €12.50. Without snow, or with little, the pass is the starting point for classic routes: the Camino Schmid and Siete Picos, an 11.2 km circuit, and below, from Cercedilla, the Roman road of the Fuenfría. From Cotos leaves the route to the Laguna Grande de Peñalara, which we cover in the Lozoya valley.

In the National Park there are no sledging areas, and sliding down the slopes is discouraged by the rangers. If you are with children who want snow without skiing, snowshoes are the option.

How do you get there from Madrid?

By car, along the A-6 to Collado Villalba and the M-601 to the pass: about 60 km, an hour without traffic jams. Valdesquí and Cotos are a few minutes further along the SG-615. From Segovia you go up along the CL-601 in a little over half an hour.

Without a car, the Cercanías C-8 takes you to Cercedilla. The C-9 rack railway, which used to climb to the pass and Cotos, has been closed for works since May 2024, and Renfe replaces it with a bus that stops at the pass and does not run on days of heavy snow. Bus 691 leaves from Moncloa and reaches the Valdesquí car park, and from Cotos there is a free shuttle to the resort for skiers.

Where do you park?

It is the question of every snowy Sunday. At Valdesquí, reserve your space on its website: it is free. At Cotos there is a free 250-space car park, open 24 hours, which fills before 8:00 when there is snow. In the Fuenfría valley, the Las Dehesas car park has 240 spaces and can only be entered with a reservation and a fee from Cercedilla Town Council. When the car parks fill up, the road signs say so: don't drive up to circle around.

What happens on the road when it snows?

With snow, the M-601 and the SG-615 may require chains or winter tyres, ban lorries or close. Check the state of the accesses on the DGT (website or phone 011) before setting out and carry chains even if it isn't snowing in Madrid: up there the weather is different.

How much time and when?

A day is enough: the morning on the pistes or on snowshoes and lunch at Cotos or Cercedilla. If you want to combine skiing and a hike, sleep in Cercedilla. Snow usually arrives in December and lasts until March, but it varies a lot each winter: check the resorts' reports before going. In autumn, the Fuenfría valley and its oak trees are the best plan.

Where to eat and sleep?

At Cotos, the Venta Marcelino has been serving judiones (large beans) and tripe since 1924, is open every day and does not take bookings. In Cercedilla, La Maya is open from midday to night, with a holm-oak grill at the weekend, and the restaurant of the hotel Luces del Poniente welcomes non-guests, by reservation. To sleep, Luces del Poniente and La Maya in the village and Las Rozuelas, a stone house in the Fuenfría valley.