Patones tourist office

The Patones tourist office is in Patones de Arriba, on Plaza del Llano, inside the CITECO (Centre for Tourist, Educational, Cultural and Leisure Initiatives). It occupies the former church of San José, from 1653, which was a hermitage with a bell gable, became a church in 1753 and was abandoned in the 19th century, when the population moved to Patones de Abajo. It was rebuilt in the 1990s and today has, besides the office, an exhibition hall and a model of the village. Unlike the other houses, its walls are of limestone rather than slate, and it keeps a small chapel with the Virgen de las Candelas.

Hours and telephones

According to the municipal tourism website, it opens on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 9:00 to 15:00; at the foot of the same website 15:30 appears as the closing time, and the Sierra Norte office network has published other hours. Call first: weekdays, 91 843 20 26 (town hall, Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 14:00); Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 91 843 29 06.

How to get up to Patones de Arriba

Car access to Patones de Arriba is restricted to residents and authorised locals. A camera reads number plates and the town council fines anyone entering without authorisation, under the December 2021 ordinance. You have two options:

• On foot: leave the car at Patones de Abajo, in the free, unattended car park on Calle Arzobispo Baltasar Moscoso, and go up the Barranco Path, about 800 metres. It is not accessible for pushchairs or wheelchairs. Do not leave valuables in the car.
• By shuttle: a bus links the Patones de Abajo car park with Patones de Arriba at weekends. It is booked through the booking centre linked from the tourism website, where timetables and fares are.

People with reduced mobility with a blue card can ask the town council for a special authorisation to park in the spaces provided up top.

Guided visits and audio guide

The tourism website offers guided visits with a local guide, which are also booked through the booking centre. If you prefer to go on your own, the website has a downloadable audio guide to ten corners of the village: the wood-fired ovens, the wash-house and the 1908 Fuente Nueva, the threshing floors, the tinados and arrenes and the slate architecture, among others. The page on Patones de Arriba tells you what to see.

Getting there

Patones is about 60 km from Madrid. By car, take the A-1 to the km 50 exit, the N-320 towards Torrelaguna and the M-102 to Patones de Abajo. By bus, ALSA runs from Plaza de Castilla lines 197 (Madrid – Torrelaguna) and 197A (Torrelaguna – Uceda), stopping at Patones; ALSA's telephone is 91 177 99 51.

What to combine

Nearby you have the Pontón de la Oliva and the climbing walls of Patones. For lunch in the village, see El Rey de Patones, El Bodegón de Patones or Las Eras.