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.

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)
 * 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)

Buy

 * 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
 * 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 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

Go next

 * Madrid
 * El Escorial