The city of Madrid, Spain offers a wealth of wonderful sights and attractions to visit, but there are also plenty of things to do and see outside of the city limits, in the towns and villages that surround the Spanish capital. One of these towns is Boadilla del Monte—a town rich in history located just a short hop from Madrid’s city center. To help you become more familiar with this little-known Spanish town, below we have provided a brief overview, including some information regarding its location, points of interest and festivals.
Boadilla del Monte: Overview
Boadilla del Monte is a town/municipality, situated approximately 18 kilometers (11 miles) west of Madrid, and a member city of the Autonomous Community of Madrid. It is separated from the Spanish capital only by the Casa de Campo to the west.
The town of Boadilla del Monte takes its name from the word Bobadilla, a diminutive form of the word Bobada, which means a “place where oxen (bueyes) graze.” The latter part of the name, “del Monte,” is Spanish for “of the Mount,” used here because the town sits at an elevation of over 2,200 feet above sea level.
With its rich farm land, Boadilla del Monte was long considered solely an agricultural region, but in more recent years, an increasing number of single-family residences have been built to accommodate the demand for housing. Its proximity to Madrid makes it an excellent place to live for people who work in and around the capital—people who prefer to commute to work rather than live amongst the crowds and noise of Madrid. Today the population of Boadilla del Monte has swelled to just over 41,000.
There are many things to do and see when visiting Boadilla del Monte. Nature lovers will be happy to know that the municipality forms part of the regional park of the River Guadarrama and its surrounding area; a region with plenty of hiking trails that wind through the natural, and in some cases, untouched flora and fauna that is native to the region.
The most celebrated site in Boadilla del Monte is the Palace of the Infante Don Luis de Borbon. Set up a hill some 16 meters above the city below, the palace and estate grounds measure approximately 67,000 square meters (219,816 square feet) in total area. The palace itself, located on the northwest portion of the grounds, stands the highest and boasts a total surface area of roughly 1,621 square meters (5,318 square feet). The palace was commissioned in 1763 by the Infant Luis Antonio de Borbon, who chose the renowned Ventura Rodriguez to design and oversee the project. Two years later, in 1765, the palace was completed and inaugurated by the Royal Family. It is built in the popular neoclassical style of the period, and features artwork from the famed Spanish artist Francisco Goya.
Other sites of interest in Boadilla del Monte include the Convent of La Encarnación, dating back to the latter half of the 17th century and declared a national monument in 1980; the San Cristobal Church, built just prior to the convent on the same grounds; and the bridge and fountain of Ventura Rodriguez, the former to be found on the road leading to Madrid and both very near the Palace of the Infante Don Luis de Borbon.
If you happen to be traveling to Boadilla del Monte in early October you can check out the Fiesta honoring the patron saint of the town, Nuestra Señora del Rosario, and take part in the festivities that include bullfights, entertainment and plenty of traditional fare on hand on which to sample.
