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Madrid summers are no joke, with temperatures reaching up to 40, sometimes 50 degrees in July and August. Luckily, locals are able to endure this blistering heat by escaping to one of Spain’s islands or by visiting all the many public pools and rooftop pools that the city has to offer. But despite the popularity of these amazing locations, there are still a lot of people out there wondering, Are there any beaches near Madrid?
Well, the city of Madrid is landlocked with no direct access to any ocean coastline. However, if you’re willing to look a bit further, you’ll find that there are actually some very nice beaches near Madrid that you can visit to escape from the city heat! In this article, we have listed our favourite beaches near Madrid, ones located just one or two hours outside of the city!
1. Pantano de San Juan
Often referred to as Madrid’s very own beach, Pantano de San Juan is the only officially approved inland beach in the Madrid region for both swimming and motorised water sports. Located about an hour from the city, this massive reservoir has multiple beach areas, including the popular Playa Virgen de la Nueva, which has earned a Blue Flag for its cleanliness and safety, a rare award for non-coastal beaches.
2. La Lancha del Yelmo
In that same area, but slightly more remote, lies the Lancha del Yelmo. A reservoir in the middle of nothing but nature. People come here to swim, sail, canoe, fish, bike and hike. It’s the perfect escape for a weekend or even a day outside of the city. The body of water itself is the Pantano de San Juan, a river that runs through much of the region. And where you can find several other swimming spots along the river banks.
3. Alberche Beach
Alberche Beach is a beautiful riverside beach in the region of Madrid. People flock to the sandy beach on weekends where they can swim, rent boats and have picnics at the many tables around the beach. Though it might not have the atmosphere of a tropical beach, it’s only an hour away from Madrid. The perfect location for a spontaneous day trip out of the city!
4. Embalse de Picadas
This lake is surrounded by a beautiful pine forest, allowing you to be completely cut off from the city. The Embalse de Picadas swimming area is also located on the Alberche River, but closer to the reservoir and the man-made dam. The recreation areas offer a lot of space, as well as shade to enjoy the day. You can prepare a picnic or a BBQ. The water is fresh and the surrounding area is beautiful, so we recommend visiting this beach near Madrid!
5. Madrid’s Urban Beach
The Urban Beach in Madrid is one of the amazing developments that came with the city’s Madrid Rio Project. This location is a strange combination of a beach and a pool, but nonetheless, it totally qualifies for this list. At the Madrid Rio Park, there are three oval-shaped wading pools – water no higher than your knees – surrounded by grass, picnic tables and of course, along the river itself. This becoming a prime location to cool off, especially with all of the other activities available to everyone at the Park.
6. Warner Beach at Parque Warner
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Ok, we know that this has more in common with a pool than a beach, but it’s called a beach, so we’ve included it! Parque Warner is a wonderful theme park in Madrid that also features an incredibly cool water park known as Warner Beach. The park is fully equipped with water slides, a man-made beach and adventure zones for all ages to enjoy. The best part about it is that it’s only a thirty-minute drive from the city centre!
7. Maravillosa Beach in Valencia
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Valencia is perfect for a quick weekend getaway to the coast, and it is only about 3 hours by car and 1 hour and 40 minutes by train. If travelling by train, you can easily go for a day trip! Valencia’s beach is large, clean, and its generally calm waters make it great for those who want to have a dip in the ocean. The beach is surrounded by great restaurants serving the city’s traditional Paella! If you decide to spend a full weekend in the city, be sure to check out the Centre of Arts and Science near the beach. Here you can enjoy Europe’s largest aquarium and art gallery, and a science museum!
More Articles About Beaches & Pools in Madrid & Spain:
Leah Warner
Leah has been living in and exploring Madrid since 2013 when she moved to the city for a simple summer abroad. She started the Citylife Blog in 2014 with the goal to share everything there is to know about her favourite place on earth!
5 Comments. Leave new
Valencia is 3h 45mins by train.
Would suggest looking at google before writing this wrong information.
Hi there AC, If you take a gander at the Renfe website you’ll notice there are most definitely trains that can take you to Valencia in roughly 1.4 hours. As always, there are various trains of various speeds with various stops. If people wish to look at all the train options then they only need to look it up themselves as that is not the purpose of this article!
Thank you very much for your contribution.
Valencia is 1hr 48 minutes on AVE train. There are lots of these each day. Perhaps try being less judgemental and more helpful with your comments
By train less than 3h45 min
Hi im in city centre is it easy to get to a beach or just a pool by train or bus I have 2 teenage gransons that want to go swimmimg