Madrid Parque del Oeste Running Route

Click here for route map 
Length: 5.7 km (3.5 miles), terrain gently hilly with 70 meter climb

Madrid running routes:
Madrid Old Town Sights route
Madrid Parque del Oeste route 
Madrid Parque del Retiro route
Madrid Casa de Campo trail run 
Madrid Rio Manzanares route
Madrid Cañadas trail run
For more running routes, see Route List.

Pictures from the creative people at Flickr Creative Commons. Thanks!

If you're staying in central Madrid, after a while you'll have had enough of the hustle and bustle of the endless traffic and the maze of streets. A good run in the extensive Parque del Oeste (Park of the West) is just the cure.

Hilly landscape in the Parque del Oeste, photo by Keith Hauser

NOTE: see the Destinations Tips page for tips about spending your free time in this great town!
 
This run will begin in one of the town's main hangouts, the Plaza de España. It then heads through the twin parks Parque de la Montana and Parque del Oeste before heading back through the quiet neighborhood to the east to loop back to the Plaza de España. And there are a lot of interesting sights along the way.

The Plaza de España, photo by Asten

The Plaza de España is located just north of the town center, on the side of the ridge sloping down towards the scrublands of the Casa de Campo to the west. The great avenues, Gran Via and Calle de la Princesa come together here.

The square is lively, often filled with events and and markets, people relaxing on the benches, enjoying the day. The big monument to Spain's great writer, Cervantes, dominates the square.

Don Quijote, photo by Helga

Run straight through the square, downhill towards the western edge. Cross the busy Calle de Ferrez and head into the park towards the right. This is the Parque de la Montana.

Stay close to Calle de Ferrez, heading north. You will run right towards the first surprise of the run: an Egyptian temple, the Temple of Debod. It was given as a present to Spain for the country's help in preserving the antiquities from the Aswan Dam flooding. The temple and its entrance archways sit like relics from another world on the hilltop.

Temple of Debod, photo by leoncito

Run straight back along the side of the temple and then turn right to run past the little bandstand on one of the paths until it runs into the main path, where you turn left to continue northwards.There are some great vistas from this hilltop.

View of palace and Almudena from park, by Marco S. at www.pixelio.de

The path soon comes to the aerial tram, the teleferico, which lifts people out to the Casa de Campo. Take the path to the right here, and run the 50 meters to the Rosaleda, Madrid's big formal rose garden.

In the Rosaleda, photo by Keith Hauser

Run a loop through the garden and then head back out at the north end. You will run past the parking lot for the park visitors.

Turn right at the first path, at the old factory ruins, and run north again. You are now running parallel to the car road, that runs north/south through the Parque del Oeste.

Parque del Oeste lawn, by Roberto Lazo

Eventually, the path will run into the road when the road curves off to the northwest.

Cross the street and take the path uphill, northwards from there.

The path will curve towards the right, heading eastwards through the rolling parkland. Just keep running east through the maze of paths, and you'll eventually come to the park's northeast corner.

Path through Oeste's rolling hills, photo by Roberto Barcia Fadon

Now turn right to run along the eastern edge of the park, parallel to the Avenue del Arco de la Victoria, with its (predictable) victory arch. You'll see the telecom tower, the Faro de Moncloa, across the street, in front of the Museum of the Americas.

Sunset at the park, photo by leoncito

The park ends across from a formidable-looking building, the Spanish air-force headquarters in its gothic-looking building.

Run straight south along the Calle de la Princesa. It's a busy street, to we'd best turn off it at a good opportunity.

That will happen just one block past the air-force building, at the Calle de Benito Gutierrez. Turn right here.

After 2 blocks, turn left on the Calle de Martin de los Heros. This fairly quiet side-street will take you all the way back to the Plaza de España.