RV Rental in Madrid

The RV holiday to Madrid guarantees a varied sightseeing programme full of highlights. There are numerous campsites in and around the city, which are good starting points for excursions into the city. Madrid's most famous sights include the Museo del Prado, the Palacio Real and the Retiro Park.

The Spanish capital Madrid with its suburbs is one of the largest cities in Europe with over 7 million inhabitants. More than 3 million people live in the central core alone, so life there is correspondingly turbulent and varied. It is never boring in Madrid.

The Catholic archbishop and the Spanish king also have their main residence in the metropolis. Madrid is the city's most important commercial and financial centre and also plays an important role internationally. Education is very important here; there are a total of 6 universities and even more colleges in the different districts. The museums are among the most important in the world. The cultural offer is huge.

The people of Madrid like it colourful and varied. The lively joie de vivre can be felt in many places. Interestingly, Madrid is quite high. At 667 m above sea level, it is the highest capital in Europe.

Geographically, the centre of Spain belongs to Castile and lies in the middle of the Meseta. In this plateau, the mountains of the Sierra de Guadarrama rise to the northwest of the city. The peaks rise up to 2400 m into the sky. To the east lies the Henares Valley, through which the most important transport links run.

Spain's climate is Mediterranean. The summers are very hot and the winters mild. Even in the coldest months, temperatures rarely drop to freezing point. The best time for a holiday with RV begins in May. The season does not end until November.

RV rental - Temperatures: The coldest month is January. Temperatures now vary between 3 and 10 degrees Celsius. In March and April the sun warms the city to 6 to 18 degrees Celsius. In May, pleasant 20 degrees are then reached. At night, no less than 10 degrees Celsius can be expected. Now begins the time that becomes interesting for a holiday with a camper.

In June, July and August, it gets really hot in Madrid, with temperatures around 30 degrees. It is almost too warm for an active holiday. A hiking holiday should be postponed until autumn, when the temperature is between 19 and 25 degrees.

RV rental - Rain: The plateau is a dry region. Especially in June and August it rains only one day. In autumn and winter, however, there is not really much precipitation either, with 5 rainy days. The rain gear is therefore very rarely used.

Madrid has so many attractions that it's hard to choose. These are the 10 most famous sights that every Madrid holidaymaker should have seen:

RV Rental Destination 1: The Prado Museum

The Prado Museum houses one of the most important art exhibitions in the world. The collection of Spanish art from the 11th to the 18th century is the largest you can see in one place. In addition, there are works by numerous, important international artists such as El Greco, Velázquez, Goya, Titian and Rembrandt.

The value of this collection cannot be estimated; the museum owns the most important paintings by Italian and Flemish masters. Among the most famous paintings are Las Meninas by Velázquez, Maya by Goya and The Three Graces by Rubens.

The sculptures are also a cross-section of art history. Many of the marble works of art date back to the Roman imperial period between the 1st century BC - 4th century AD. These testimonies to Roman culture leave visitors in awe. Some of the Roman sculptures are based on Greek models that have unfortunately been lost. Visitors can borrow headsets for audio tours.

RV Rental Destination 2: The Royal Palace / Palacio Real

This palace is the main residence of the Spanish king. In the 18th century, this building was erected in place of an old castle that had previously burned down.

By this time, Spain had already lost much of its global influence, many colonies had become independent and wars for power further weakened the country.

The Bourbon dynasty, which had just come to power, underlined its victory by building this palace. The model for the new building was the baroque splendour buildings that were fashionable at the time.

King Philip therefore commissioned a palace that could compete with the other royal houses. The construction of the four-winged palace therefore also took over thirty years. In total, three different construction managers worked on the project because it took so long.

Charles III moved into the first finished premises in 1764. One of the features of this building is the large courtyard of honour. But the dimensions of the buildings are also impressive. At 135 square metres, the palace is twice as large as the Palace of Versailles and contains more than 3400 rooms. 2000 halls, salons and cabinets serve courtly purposes.

The most ornate rooms include the castle chapel, the throne room, the mirrored gallery and the spacious staircase. Nowadays, the Spanish royal family lives in another castle in the north of Madrid. The ceremonial rooms are now only used for official receptions. For this reason, the palace can be visited by visitors.

RV Rental Destination 3: The Retiro Park

This park is located right in the centre of Madrid and offers plenty of space to relax and unwind. The green space has several entrances, but the main entrance is at Puerta de Alcalá.

The history of the park's origins is interesting. The grounds were created as a garden for a castle built around a monastery. The Conde-Duque Olivares developed the garden into a baroque complex with an artificial lake.

The king came during Lent and very warm summer months. The castle to which the park once belonged no longer exists. It fell victim to the Napoleonic War when the French army shelled and then looted the building. The Museum del Prado now stands in place of the castle.

The former convent church of San Jeronimo el Real was renovated in the 19th century in the neo-Isabelline style. The former cloister of the monastery is now also part of the Prado extension.

In a tree-planting campaign, over 1000 new trees were planted in recent years, which now continue to grow diligently. The park is very popular with locals, especially at weekends the meadows are often crowded. The numerous cafés around the park sell coffee and very tasty cakes.

RV Rental Destination 4: Gran Vía

The Gran Via is the best shopping street in Madrid. With its neon signs, it is almost reminiscent of New York. Here you will find numerous upscale boutiques, shops of well-known fashion brands, ice cream parlours and theatres.

Gran Via has its own metro station, where lines 1 and 5 stop. This street as it is today was built between 1910 and 1915 as a passage to better connect the two halves of the city.

In the course of time, the street changed its name several times. After the street had been renamed more than ten times, it was finally decided in 1981 to simply call it Great Street, Gran Via.

RV Rental in Madrid - Camping Internacional Aranjuez Media

Camping Internacional Aranjuez Media also offers pitches for campers and caravans. The camper van can be parked on the lawn under shady trees. The pretty rose bushes create a pleasant ambience.

The pitches themselves are not large - after all, you are in Madrid - but they are well-sized. There is plenty of room for a camper or a Campervan with an awning. In March, you may be lucky that not all the pitches are occupied, then you have more free space.

The site is well managed and has friendly staff who speak several languages. The sanitary facilities are somewhat older except for a new building, but well maintained. Hot water is available everywhere. There are many permanent campers on the site, but there are enough free spaces for holidaymakers. The restaurant offers good food. A well-stocked supermarket is also located on the site.

RV Rental in Madrid - Camping El Escorial

Camping El Escorial is also an ideal starting point for excursions to Madrid. The site is well organised and the staff are friendly and helpful. The pitch for the camper van has its own electricity connection.

Guests rent a pitch on this site permanently because it is so well located and invites them to come back. It is therefore worth booking a pitch in advance. It gets crowded quickly here, especially in summer.

The showers are okay and heated in winter. Wi-Fi is available free of charge for everyone at this site. The bus stop is very helpful. Buses run regularly from here to the sights of the city. Then the Campervan or camper can also stop sometimes. Unfortunately, there are no bikes to rent on the site.

RV Rental in Madrid - Camping Madrid Arco Iris

Madrid Arco Iris is easy to reach by RV as it is located right on the motorway exit. From the site, Madrid is easy to reach by bus or tram.

The sanitary facilities are modern and well maintained. The pool area is a big plus, especially in summer. Arco Iris also has a small supermarket and a restaurant.

Other facilities include a basketball court, boules and table tennis. Permanent pitches for campers can be rented in the front part, while tourist pitches are located further back, which are quieter thanks to the distance from the motorway.

Tip: Rent bikes in Madrid

Bikes are not available for rent at the campsite, you have to bring your own or rent them in the city. In Madrid you can rent bikes at Trixi Bike Rental or at My Bike River.

By plane

Madrid Barajas Airport is the largest airport in Spain. Planes from all over the world land here every minute. Madrid is served by all major airlines and also by some budget airlines. The airport is located twelve kilometres from the city centre in the northeast.

The city can be reached within half an hour by metro line 8. The line costs about three euros extra on top of the normal fare, but is still much cheaper than a taxi.

By train

The capital is also a real transport hub for rail with numerous stations. Trains run regularly from Germany to Madrid. However, you need a lot of time and patience for the journey. You can expect a journey time of 24 to 26 hours. The international trains arrive at Chamartín station.

With the camper / RV

Madrid can be reached in twenty hours by Campervan. The journey goes through the whole of France and is 2100 km long. The best way is to take the A10. Around Madrid there is the M 30/ M 40 motorway ring road. In the city centre, parking the Campervan is definitely a problem. Parking spaces are rare and expensive. You have better luck in multi-storey car parks. You should only make sure of the height, otherwise the Campervan may be too high.

RV Madrid Conclusion: A holiday with a Campervan to Madrid promises an exciting and varied holiday. Madrid has so much to offer that it is almost difficult to choose. The most famous sights include the Royal Palace, the Prado Museum and the numerous parks. The campsites in Madrid are well equipped and offer attractive pitches for your Campervan.