Seven places to escape the heat in Madrid
The summer heat is coming, and if you find yourself in the Spanish capital, you'll want to take every opportunity you can to get yourself to cooler climes. Here are seven places where you can keep cool when it's scorching in Madrid.
Madrid is famous for a lot of things. Its culinary and cultural offerings, for one, and its many parks and public spaces, as well as its metropolitan people and the hustle and bustle of big city living.
Speak to any Madrileño about the city, however, and they'll likely remind you of a drawback: the summer heat. As anyone who’s lived in a major city before knows, high temperatures hit differently in capitals and summers in Madrid can be especially suffocating.
That’s why there’s usually a big exodus from the landlocked capital every summer, especially in August, when locals head to the costas in the south-east of the country in areas such as Valencia and Alicante.
However, that’s not possible for everyone and some are stuck in city all summer.
Fortunately, both the capital and the wider Madrid region is home to several places – whether separate pueblos, parks or specific spots in town — where you can escape the summer heat, for a while at least.
We can't guarantee that it won't still be hot during a heatwave, but they're still likely provide a cooldown or some respite as temperatures drop at night.
Cooler places in Madrid region
Rascafría
The clue’s in the name - Rascafría, a small town of cobbled streets and panoramic views of nearby mountains - is a welcome escape from the city with cool summer temperatures.
With average July temperatures of between 26C - 16C, the heat in Rascafría (seen in photo above) is significantly lower than in Madrid and makes a perfect a summer retreat that can be reached by public transport from Madrid.
Navacerrada
Described in Spanish media as Madrid’s “quintessential mountain village”, Navacerrada, in the north of the region, is one of the coolest places you’ll find. That’s why it has a population of roughly 2,500 during the winter but balloons to 12,000 over summer, mostly Madrileños escaping the sweltering city heat.
Nestled in the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range, the average maximum temperature in the summer months stays around 22 degrees.
Cuenca Alta del Manzanares park
The Cuenca Alta del Manzanares park, just north of the city, is a protected natural area.
Swimming in the river is banned, so you can't take a dip, sadly, but the park his hidden in the mountains and with the nearby water, temperatures are generally lower up there with average August highs of around 30C, which isn’t so bad compared to the sweltering city at that time of year.
Somosierra
Somosierra is particularly desirable in summer as it’s the highest village in the Madrid region (1,433 metres above sea level) and a place where average temperatures are a little lower than in the capital, with averages of 21.2C.
Another picturesque pueblo, Somosierra is a little over an hour’s drive from the capital. Public transport takes roughly two hours and, crucially, the area is surrounded by stunning hiking routes and scenery where you can get out the city and enjoy some fresh air.
Sierra del Rincón
The Sierra del Rincón mountain range is another protected area with average annual temperatures of between 9 and 12 degrees, making it a perfect destination to take shelter from the heat even in summer. Looking at weather data, summer averages are roughly 8-10C lower than in the capital, and the hundreds of different tree types there provide ample shade.
Sierra del Rincón includes the municipalities of La Hiruela, Horcajuelo de la Sierra, Montejo de la Sierra, Prádena del Rincón and Puebla de la Sierra, so it’s worth a day out to explores new towns and is just over an hour from Madrid.
Cool spaces in city
For those braving the August temperatures and staying in town over summer, Madrid capital is also home to a few places where you can escape the heat, momentarily at least.
Salón de Baile - Círculo de Bellas Artes
The Salón de Baile, an iconic room at the Círculo de Bellas Artes, opens its doors to the public over summer and is transformed into a space designed to combat the “heat island” effect, which often occurs in big urban centres such as Madrid.
Reopened as a ‘Climate Refuge’, it becomes a large green square full of plants, with free entry, and will be open from 11am to 9pm from July 11th to September 8th.
The Círculo de Bellas Artes also has a great terrace, too, which is great for cooling down in the evenings while enjoying views of the city.
The Jardín Botánico
Madrid’s lush botanical garden makes the heat easier to bear. Not only because of the shaded areas and more pleasant temperatures, which tend to be a little lower than out on the street, but because the gardens themselves are worth a visit and a nice distraction from the heat (adult tickets cost €4).
It's situated right next to the city's iconic Retiro Park, which is where the a large number of madrileños go in search of some greenery and shade during summer.
Other climate refuges (refugios climáticos) in Madrid that you might want to visit when it gets very hot are Fundación Canal, Serrería Belga, Casa del Lector at El Matadero, Museo ABC, CaixaForum Madrid, Espacio Abierto and CentroCentro.
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