Taking a Ride on the Teleferico

Douglas and Benjamin ready for their trip on the Teleferico

After three long weeks exiled in the United States, I’m happy to report that our family has finally been reunited in Madrid.  The last few weeks have been difficult, with delays in the VISA process and the loss of a dear family member.  Even so, I’m excited for the summer months to come and the opportunity to spend more time with the kids.  Of course I’m also excited by the chance to see more of Madrid.  Because the next few months will be spent with the “little guys”, this blog will take on a little more wholesome appearance.  For those of you looking for something more adventurous, I’m sure fall will bring a return to normalcy (i.e. the search for exotic alcohol, bizarre foods, and curious attractions).

View of the Teleferico with the Madrid skyline in the background.

            With a distinctly family feel, my first excursion into the city with the boys took us to the Teleferico Madrid.  The Teleferico is a cable car line that stretches into Madrid’s Casa de Campo.  Casa de Campo is referred to by tourist books as Madrid’s “green lung”.  It is the largest park in the city.  Located on the western side of town near the Palacio Real, its proximity to the palace shouldn’t come as a surprise.  Like several other major European parks it was once the exclusive hunting grounds of royalty.  Unlike many other urban parks in Europe, the Casa de Campo is not well developed as a pristine, manicured park.  For that type of an urban oasis, one has to travel to the opposite side of the city to Parque Retiro.  One plus of Casa de Campo is its size. This allows it to provide a home for both the Madrid Zoo and Parque de Attractiones (amusement park).

Crossing the Rio Manzanares on the Teleferico.

            Through the rough scrub of Casa De Campo runs the Teleferico.  It stretches 2.5 Km (1.35 miles) and deposits visitors square in the middle of the park.  From that vantage point, visitors are greeted with panoramic views of the city, Parque de Attractiones, and miles of the rough plain that remind us of what Madrid would look like without all the sprinkler systems and asphalt.  As my youngest son, Benjamin, put it “it looks like a safari Daddy.”  In truth, he’s not too far off.  Although the park is green in the spring, by early summer almost everything has turned a dusty brown.  Interspersed in this burned out wasteland are pine trees that resemble lollipops with thin trunks and rounded branches.  Running through this dry wilderness are an endless network of hiking and mountain bike trails.

            The Teleferico begins just off of Calle Pintor Rosales in the neighborhood of Arguelles, in the northwest quadrant of the city.  The roots of the Teleferico go back to September 6, 1967 when the Teleferico de Rosales Company was founded.  They contracted with Van-Roll, a Swiss company, to construct the Teleferico.  The construction work took about a year.  The first ride on the Teleferico was made on June 26, 1969 by Carlos Arias Navarro and his wife.  At the time he was the Mayor of Madrid. 

Ready for a hike in Casa de Campo.

            Admission for the ride is roughly 5 euro per person (roundtrip) for the 11 minute ride.  Some of the sites you take in during your ride are the Palacio Real, the Almudena Cathedral, and the Rio Manzanares.  The ride itself is very relaxing, and is even fairly tame for those with issues with heights.  After all, the cable car never rises higher than 40 meters (131 feet) off the ground.  At the end of the line, there are snack machines, a restaurant, and plenty of picnic tables.  We also enjoyed a little hiking before heading back to the city.