Does Madrid have a hidden beach?

The answer? Yes! Not known by many people, Madrid does have a small ‘beach’ called Pantano de San Juan. In fact, it’s actually Madrid’s only swimmable reservoir that allows you to take boats out and even paddleboard!

The views are also ABSOLUTELY stunning. When first arriving, I felt like I had left Madrid and landed in Ibiza! On the other side of the huge reservoir are small islands covered in trees which is absolutely breathtaking.

We plopped our towels down at ‘la playa artificial’ (artificial beach) a 20-minute walk away from the bus stop. But little did we know that Pantano de San Juan stretches for 14km! One of the popular beaches is Playa Virgen de la Nueva.

So my advice? Explore a little and don’t settle for the first beach you see. In all honesty, the first place we sat at looked like a river dump, compared to la playa artificial which was closer to the boating area and had more of a beach feel.

Below, the north marker represents Playa Virgen de la Nueva and the southern marker is where we sat, so technically Madrid has more than 1 beach.

What else is there to do at Madrid’s beach?

The reservoir isn’t just about sunbathing and swimming. They also have two activity clubs: Yucalcari Aventura and Wakea Experience for land activities, including climbing and water sports like kayaking, paddleboarding, and even flyboarding! Note these places down you adrenaline junkies!

In terms of food, there are a few restaurants dotted around but if you want to find somewhere mesmerising, pay attention right now! It’s about a 10-15 minute walk away from the ‘la playa artificial’, where we sat, called La Maturka. It has outdoor seating right by the water, including a cabana with music. We weren’t so fortunate to sit in the cabana (despite annoying the waiters and asking them pretty much the whole afternoon) as the place was packed, but we did eat inside, which has tall glass windows, giving you a panoramic view of the reservoir.

How to get there:

The beach is located in the west of Madrid, it’s 1 hour and a half away by bus. Take the 551 bus from Principe Pio bus station.

Bus stop: Av. Marcial Llorente – Pantano De San Juan

Don’t make the mistake we made by getting off at the wrong stop. By getting off a stop too early we, therefore, ended up having to walk 40 minutes by the motorway – I DO NOT RECOMMEND! It was pretty scary stuff.

Want to see more about Pantano de San Juan? If so, check out my vlog of our day trip there!