Saturday, September 8, 2012

Parque Europa

This afternoon Gregorio and I went to Parque Europa, somewhere I wanted to visit when I first heard about it this spring.

This park is located in the suburb Torrejón de Ardoz, 25km from the center of Madrid.  If you go by car, take the A2 to exit 18, then you can follow these brown signs to the park:

Monuments

There are 17 monuments of famous European sites throughout the park.  Each landmark has a sign with information about the monument and the country in which it's located.
There's a contest going on over at my other blog to see who can correctly label the most monuments.  Once the contest ends on September 18, I'll share more pictures of other monuments found inside the park.



Gregorio thought there should have been more monuments, that they were missing some important ones, but I thought 17 was a good number.  If the park were larger, it could become overwhelming trying to see them all.

Attractions

Entrance to the park is free, but there are attractions all over with an admission price.  Such attractions include boating, zip-lining, trampoline, archery, pony/donkey riding, multi-adventure zone, etc.

Gregorio and I didn't pay to do anything, but if you're visiting with children be aware because they'll probably want to do everything something.

Food stands were found throughout the park, as well as a cafeteria in the Plaza de España.

There were also biking carts you could rent to go around the park sitting and pedaling.  I had to take a picture of this cart when I saw the mother's shoes.  I'm assuming that's why she's not pedaling...

Parque Europa Tips

The park itself is quite new, having first opened in September of 2010.  No wonder I hadn't heard of it when I lived here in 2009-10 as a student!

Since it is so new, the trees have lots of growing to do, so there isn't much shade inside the park.  For that reason, I'd recommend wearing a hat, sunscreen, and bringing water along if you're visiting in the summertime.

The park does have a shaded area with picnic tables, so I would also recommend packing along a picnic lunch or snacks if you want to avoid the overpriced food stands.

IF YOU GO...
What: Parque Europa
Where: Paseo de los Cipreses, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz
Metro/Bus: From Avenida de América (Lines 4, 6, 7, 9) or Canillejas (Line 5) you can take the bus interurbano L-224 to Torrejón de Ardoz.  At the stop Plaza de España, transfer to the bus urbano L1.
You can also take Cercanías towards Alcalá de Henares, but get off at Torrejón de Ardoz.  Then take the L1 bus to the park.
Summer Hours: Sunday to Thursday: 10:00 to 00:00, Friday and Saturday: 10:00 a 02:00
Winter Hours: Sunday to Thursday: 10:00 to 20:00, Friday and Saturday: 10:00 to 23:00
Cost: Free entrance, attractions cost fees
Website: http://www.parque-europa.es

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