Las Rozas

Las Rozas is in Community of Madrid. It is a thriving feeder town for the capital city, and home to about 100,000 relatively wealthy, middle-class souls. It has excellent modern cultural, shopping and leisure facilities, but is not really a visitor centre, so you can see how ordinary Spaniards live the good life, and enjoy prices without paying a tourist premium.

Understand

Las Rozas was, in the 1970s a small rural village of some 6000 inhabitants. It is still formally a comarca or rural district policed by Guardia Civil rather than national police - but it has a municipal police force, and a well-equipped Regional fire department with helicopters and landing pads to fight bush-fires.

Get in

By air

The main passenger terminal is w:Madrid–Barajas Airport, to the west of the capital city, which links via a toll-road to the three concentric peripheral routes M-50 (outer) M-40 and M-30 (inner) autovías. There are also direct rail and metro services from Terminal 4.

By car

Use either M-50, M-40, or M-30 peripheral major roads around Madrid which connect to A-6 (Autovia A Coroña) Las Rozas is at Km 23. There are no traffic lights in the town, but some glorious landscaped and schemed roundabouts to enjoy. The M-50 ring road ends here - but it is planned to close the circle to make the airport more accessible.

Get around

The town has four main zones

Casco Antiguo is the old town around the city hall
Parque Paris is a large residential zone along the M-505 road to El Escorial
El Cantizal - a huge residential zone and Football City, Las Rozas Village etc.
Las Matas A-4 at Km 27 began as a road-builders' camp and then a major railway depot, now home to Madrid's Railway museum and RENFE Applied magnetics laboratory and Talgo train factory.

See

Town centre, pedestrian Calle Real & town hall square with several cafés
- El Jamoncito, in the Burgo Centro II Shopping Centre (C/ Comunidad Castilla la Mancha). It is a typical restaurant and gourmet shop trade. Specializing in Iberian ham and Spanish gourmet products. Don't forget to ask for the "Huevos estrellados con Jamón Ibérico" (fried eggs with ham)^{[dead link]}
- Los Amigos
- El Largo (central restaurant)
- La Trucha III
- Tu Casa (restaurant)
Parque Paris - landscaped ornamental lake, children's zones two cafés
- La Caña
- El Largo (not same business as town centre café of same name)

Do

Visit Fiesta del patron del pueblo: San Miguel - One week around 29th September - funfair, concerts street parades etc.
w:Compositores de España International Piano Competition in mid November
A great base to explore Madrid (Cercanias: Pinar station is near Campanile hotel)
A stop-over en route to El Escorial
Trek or cycle in nature parks near Football City, around the sports stadium (A-6 Km 23) or along Rio Guardarama (car park off roundabout M-505 at Km 7)
Stylish shopping at reasonable prices
Visit Railway Museum at Las Matas (A-4 Km 27)
Visit Real Federación Espaañola de Fútbal national football team ground and museum at Cuidad de Fútbal (Parque Empresarial)
40.507171-3.8891051 Madrid Fly, Avda Nuestra Señora del Retamar, 16. Madrid's first indoor skydiving facility. Perfect fun adventure for the entire family.

Buy

40.51841-3.900771 Las Rozas Village, C/ Juan Ramón Jiménez, 3, ☏ +34 916 404 900. Su-F 10:00-21:00, Sa 10:00-22:00. Fantastic outlet in the suburbs of Madrid with villa-like shops, part of a large Europe-wide chain. It offers up to 60% off in over 100 luxury brands, ans also has some coffee places like Starbucks and a few bars.
Factory is also a retail outlet bargain basement for major retailers, not far from Las Rozas Village
Plaza II is newly built on the M50 at Km 80 and a truly huge commercial centre par excellence based around El Campo (Auchun in France) Under-ground parking, and possibly creche facilities

Eat

Breakfast Cala Melor bakery in Avda. Camilo José Cela, Nr. 9 (Parque Empresarial) has a truly yukky site but yummy bread, cakes, pies and chocolates to die for!
Steak La Vaca Argentina - near Las Rozas rail station - A-4 to La Coruna at Km.18
Lunch NH Hotel complex^{[dead link]} main restaurant or family fast good unit M505 about Km 5

Drink

Parque Paris - landscaped ornamental lake, children's zones two cafés
- La Caña (beer)
- El Largo (not same business as town centre café of same name)
Parque Empresarial
- La Puerta (traditional)
- La Buen Gamba (sea-food & shell-fish)

Sleep

Hotel Gran Hotel Las Rozas Hoteles C/ Chile, Nr 2 (A-6 south of Las Matas exit, near Hypercor supermarket)
Hotel Campanile Via de Servicio A6 Pinar Exit near Pinar Railway station

Connect

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