What to see and do in Patones in 1 day, beautiful town in Madrid

La Region of Madrid It has several places of great tourist interest, with towns with corners of great heritage value, such as El Escorial, Aranjuez o Alcalá de Henares.

But you can also find corners of country architecture with stone houses, most of them concentrated in the Sierra Norte of Madrid.

Now, it is near the capital, an hour by car, where you can visit a small village that is perhaps the best example of this type of architecture, and that in recent decades has become a very touristic place visited by Madrileños.

Is Patones de Arriba, a corner that in the 70s of the last century was an almost completely abandoned place, with all its houses demolished, and where on weekends a restaurant, The King of Patones, attracted some visitors on weekends.

It was at that time when I visited for the first time Patones, and it was not until recently that I returned to see the current Patones.

Indeed, today it is a place whose attractions and numerous restaurants attract hundreds of visitors on weekends, often to the point of collapse.

Patones hides on the side of a ravine known as the Olive Hill, a location that led to the legend of non-occupation by the French at the beginning of the 19th century.

Curiosities of the History of Patones

The history of this site dates back to about 30.000 years ago, when what is now known as Reguerillo Cave It was a refuge for the first settlers, as shown by the engravings they left as testimony.

Due to its location, this hill was used as a settlement until Roman times, but then it was abandoned.

With the arrival of the Visigoths in the 6th century it became a necropolis, as reflected in the tombs found.

But it was in the 16th century when the most current history of Patones, with the creation of a small farm by shepherds from the nearby town of Uceda.

History of the King of Patones

In fact, its name comes from the Paton family who founded it.

His feeling of abandonment by his neighbors Uceda led them to name the call King of Patones, a type of mayor who administered justice among his residents.

It was in August 1769 when, during the reign of Carlos III, Patones acquired the title of independent village of the town of Uceda, with which now being able to name mayor y Justice of the Peace, the aforementioned figure of the King of Patones.

Legend of the non-occupation of Patones by the French

During the subsequent War of independence the reputation was built that Patones It was not occupied by the French as it was hidden due to its special location.

But in reality it is a legend that does not reflect reality, since files have been found that show that at that time the residents of Patones made payments to the French troops stationed nearby Torrelaguna.

It was already during the 20th century when gradually the residents of Patones They descended from the location on the hill and settled in the new Bottom Patones, at the same time that the old farmhouse was being abandoned.

As an almost completely abandoned town, with most of its houses demolished, it is how I visited it at the beginning of the 70s, that is, when the aforementioned restaurant had already been installed. The King of Patones.

And the truth is that finding just one hour from Madrid a rural stone architecture corner How was it Patones, it was very surprising.

Now, after a great tourist boom that has led to the reconstruction of most of the houses and the installation of several restaurants, the census population is about 20 people.

This is the experience of visiting Patones de Arriba

For get to Patones de Arriba, if you visit on a weekday or in the low season, you can go up a two and a half kilometer road that starts at Bottom Patones, very narrow and with numerous curves in which barely two cars can pass each other.

You will arrive at an esplanade with very limited space, where you can leave the car, or on the side of a track that goes up to the top of the hill.

El Vehicle access to the town is limited to residents only and visitors who have made reservations at one of the restaurants that have private parking.

Now, if you visit during high season, spring or autumn, this road is closed to visitors, so you must use the deterrent parking enabled in Bottom Patones, at the beginning of the road going up to the town.

From there you will walk up the steep Barranco Path, about 800 meters long, which will take you half an hour to reach. Patones.

The first thing you will find as you enter the town center is the building of the old church of Saint Joseph, from 1653, which is now enabled as tourist office; There you can take the map of the town to explore its streets.

During the visit between stone houses you will go through the narrow streets of this small village, and where you will find some bars and restaurants.

Restaurants in Patones

Specifically, currently there are 11 restaurants in Patones de Arriba where you can have some tapas or eat.

In the upper part of the town you can see the tinned, stone enclosures traditionally used as corrals to shelter livestock.

One piece of advice I give you is visit Patones in autumn, because at that time it acquired a truly spectacular image with the facades of the houses covered by vines with red leaves, as you can see in the photos that illustrate this report.

Finally, to note that near Patones de Abajo You can also see a curious heritage corner.

These are the remains of the ancient Romanesque-Mudejar hermitage Virgen de la Oliva, which you reach by walking from the parking lot of the Pontón de la Oliva Dam.

Map: where it is and how to get to Patones de Arriba

Patones It is located 70 kilometers north of Madrid, one hour by car, where you must arrive on the A1 highway, turning towards Torrelaguna.

Best Photos of Patones de Arriba

Here you have more photos of Patones de Arriba, pretty rural architecture village undoubtedly one of the most beautiful towns in the Community of Madrid.