Bustarviejo, Torrelaguna, Buitrago de Lozoya and La Hiruela

The first suggested stop is in Bustarviejo. If you are travelling on a weekday it is easier to park, but if you are travelling on the weekend, you can look for a place in the streets further away from the centre. There is only one public car park and it is small.

The first gastronomic stop is at one of the village's cafés for a sweet breakfast. Among the local sweets are mil hojas (layers of puff pastry and cream), torrijas, rosquillas, buñuelos, chocolate hedgehogs and puches (sweet porridge).
Another option is to stop by a bakery, get a takeaway there, and walk around the town with sweets in hand. One such bakery is Mondalino Pan Artesano (only open from Friday to Sunday).
You can also buy some sweets, bread or sandwiches to have on the way or to bring with you on the hike suggested below.

Bustarviejo had its origins in agriculture and livestock farming, until the mining of the silver deposits that were found nearby became more important.
As in almost all villages, the main attraction is to walk through its streets and see some of the most important buildings. In this case, you can take a stroll around the Plaza de la Constitución, where you will find the Town Hall and the Church of the Immaculate Conception.
As you walk through the streets of Bustarviejo, you will begin to see the typical buildings of the sierras: the houses made of stone.

The next stop of the day is the village of Torrelaguna, a little bigger than Bustarviejo and more touristic. It was declared a National Historic-Artistic Site in 1974.
You can leave your car in the municipal car park (although it is small) or look for a parking space in the streets away from the centre.

Get ready for a walk through the old town before finding a good place for lunch. The first place to go is the Plaza Mayor, the heart of the village.
Here you'll find several bars, the tourist office and some of Torrelaguna's most important buildings, like the town hall.
You will also see the Cross of Cisneros, which was built in 1802 in the place where Gonzalo Jiménez de Cisneros was born, as a tribute to all he did for his hometown. His roles included the royal confessor, archbishop of Toledo, Inquisitor General of Castile and regent of Spain on the death of King Ferdinand the Catholic. In his various roles he contributed to the growth of Torrelaguna and that is why you will see many places named in his honour.

The monument that will surely surprise you the most is the Church of Santa María Magdalena. It is a huge church, built in stone, with Gothic and Renaissance architectural elements.
If you want to visit the inside, you can only do so on weekends. A guided tour should be booked in advance.

For lunch you can choose a place where they sell traditional dishes from the sierra. One of them is Casa Moraleda, which is located in one of the most beautiful streets for a stroll: Calle del Cardenal Cisneros.
You can take a stroll along this street and stop at Casa Moraleda or Antigua Casa Patata, located very close to each other.
In both places, you can order food from the sierras including cocidos (stews with vegetables, legumes and meats), roast lamb or sirloin steak and salads. For a dessert, you can order cheesecake or apple pie or a sweet with cream. At weekends there is usually more variety of food.

After lunch, the route continues to La Hiruela: one of the most charming villages in the Sierra Norte de Madrid.
There is a car park at the entrance to the village. If you travel at weekends, you can't enter the village with your car, so there are more parking spaces available.

The most beautiful thing about this small town is strolling through its cobbled streets with no fixed direction. You will pass by the Town Hall, the church San Miguel de Arcángel and see several traditional houses.
It is one of the villages that best preserves the traditional architecture, with buildings made of stone, slate, adobe and wood. The stone and slate gives a dark tone to many of the buildings. It won't take you more than half an hour to walk around and take some beautiful pictures.

If the day permits, the itinerary suggests a nice short walk called de molino en molino. The route takes a little over an hour and the starting point is in the village itself. Do not forget to bring water and some snack.
After the walk, you can return to pick up the car and stop in another village for dinner on the way back home.

The proposal is to make a stop in Buitrago de Lozoya to see the castle from the outside, the medieval wall and to look for a place to have dinner. The castle can only be visited early in the day, so if you want to visit it, you will have to change the order of the villages visited.
You can leave the car in this car park.

Take a short walk around the castle and the historic centre. The old town is located within the city walls and is entered through the gate where the Clock Tower is located, in the Plaza de la Constitución. You will also be surprised by the fact that part of the Coracha (wall) goes into the water of the river.
The present castle or Alcazaba dates from the 15th century and is considered a model of medieval military architecture.

Traditional food in Buitrago de Lozoya includes judiones (large beans with chorizo, black pudding and vegetables) and roast meats, such as chuletón, or baked suckling pig.
One of the places where you can eat is El Espolón, where they specialize in meat and judiones.
After dinner, it is time to get back home after a beautiful day of travelling.