Image | Catch it
Taking advantage of the fact that Madrid still enjoys warm temperatures and shining sun, A fantastic plan to do during the weekend is to visit the Enchanted Forest of San Martín de Valdeiglesias, in the western highlands of the Community of Madrid.
It is a place full of fantasy, art and fun, perfect to spend a day outdoors with children or friends in the last days of summer. Next, we go into this unique botanical garden in Europe to learn about the plant treasures it keeps.
The Enchanted Forest of San Martín de Valdeiglesias looks like a fairytale setting. A place where Eduardo Scissorhands would die to work. In fact, those responsible for this space could have been inspired by Tim Burton's famous film when shaping it, but also in the magical world of elves and fairies.
What is the Enchanted Forest of San Martín de Valdeiglesias?
With its 25.000 square meters, is a unique botanical garden on the continent made up of more than 300 living sculptures of different shapes and sizes and for more than 500 plant species from around the world.
An outdoor space to relax and lose yourself in its trails while we contemplate nature in all its splendor. Here we can observe labyrinths, cactus exhibitions, aromatic plants, bonsai, a natural waterfall in the western mountains of Madrid (Barbellido waterfall) and even the source of the Las Casetas stream.
Image | Vanitatis
What are the Enchanted Forest sculptures like?
The hundreds of plant sculptures scattered throughout the garden are the work of the best topiary artists in Europe. The art of topiary is a gardening practice that consists of giving artistic forms to plants by trimming with pruning shears.
To make the figures, first an iron structure is made that is later covered with the creeper plant, which must be shaped as it grows.
In the Enchanted Forest we can find fairies, goblins, dragons, dwarfs, animals….
Knowing the Enchanted Forest
The sculptures in this botanical garden are distributed by thematic areas so that during the walk, we will change the subject little by little (music, inventions, animals, stories, etc). In fact, we can approach the visit to the forest by doing small routes.
One of the coolest is the night, in which a funny character guides us through the Enchanted Forest with colored lanterns. However, this route is only available to clients of the "A Orillas del Lago" apartments next to the San Juan reservoir and only 9 minutes from the garden.
Completing the entire tour takes approximately two to three hours depending on the calm with which we make the visit. However, you can spend as much time inside as you want and even have an aperitif inside as they have a picnic area and a bar. Those who prefer to go out and eat in one of the restaurants in San Martín de Valdeiglesias, will be able to enter later and resume the visit without problems.
On the other hand, a curiosity of the Enchanted Forest is that it allows dogs but they must be tied and with a bag for excrement.
Image | Repsol Guide
What is the time and price of the entrance to the Enchanted Forest?
Schedule
The Enchanted Forest of San Martín de Valdeiglesias opens its doors all year round from Thursday to Sunday (including holidays and bridges) from 10:30 a.m. to dusk (in summer at 21:19 p.m., in spring and autumn at 30:18 p.m. and in winter at XNUMX:XNUMX p.m.)
Pricing
The entrance fee is € 11 for adults, € 9 for the unemployed, disabled, large family and youth card, and € 8 for children under 12 and over 65.
Where is the Enchanted Forest located?
The Enchanted Forest is located on Camino de Marañones nº 217, 28680 San Martín de Valdeiglesias, Madrid.
Address
The Enchanted Forest is accessed through the Pantanos M 501 highway, the last 22 km being a two-way road. When arriving at San Martín de Valdeiglesias, in front of the Romanesque hermitage and between the two roundabouts of its small ring road, there is the path that leads to this botanical garden. Parking is free.
However, the Enchanted Forest offers visitors a free minibus service that leaves every 15 minutes from the San Martín station.