La Iglesia San Antonio de Padua
Moving to Aranjuez Spain
If you follow my blog or my feed on Instagram you would know that we moved from Gran Canaria (Canary Islands) to Madrid just over 3 months ago…
Moving to Aranjuez Spain has been one of the best decisions we made and these are the reasons why we love it here…
La Iglesia San Antonio de Padua
Jardín de la Isla (Gardens of the Islands
Jardín de la Isla (Gardens of the Islands)
WHY NOT THE CENTRE OF MADRID
When we decided to move to Madrid we weren’t sure where to look for a place to live because we only knew it from a tourist perspective… Hubby was adament that he did not want to live in the centre of Madrid and I had to agree that although I loved it, the crowds got to me at times…
It took us three weeks to find a place while we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. During that time we looked at countless homes and it was rather stressful because many of the owners or agencies wanted ridiculous amounts of security deposits.
Jardín de Principe (Prince’s Garden)
Jardín de Principe (Prince’s Garden)
Jardín de Principe (Prince’s Garden)
WHY DID WE DECIDE ON ARANJUEZ
The short answer is that we saw the most amazing house for a really good price in this area. I then had to convince hubby to look at it because he wasn’t sure about the distance to and from his work. At the end we didn’t take that house but we both fell in love with the area and decided there and then that it was the place we wanted to be.
WHAT MAKES ARANJUEZ SO SPECIAL
Aranjuez (35 minutes drive south of Madrid centre by car/bus or 45 minutes by train from Atocha station) has so much beauty and history. The largest river in the Peninsula (called Tagus) runs through here. There are massive parks and a beautiful Renaissance, French-influenced Royal Palace.
On the grounds of the palace, next to the river, you’ll find gardens like the Jardín de la Isla (Gardens of the Islands) and in the Jardín de Principe (Prince’s Garden) you’ll find Casa del Labrador (a neo-classical mansion) and a beautiful pond with a Chinese inspired pavilion.
WHY DO WE LOVE IT HERE?
We love the fact that we live walking distance from almost everything we need on a daily basis. It literally takes us 5 minutes by foot to Luca’s school in the morning. Then, when we feel like we need something more lively, maybe watch a show on broadway, we head to Madrid for just that 🙂
WHAT TO SEE IN ARANJUEZ IN ONE DAY
- The Royal Palace
- Casa del Labrador
- The Tagus River
- Macaw Sanctuary (the kids will love this!)
- Royal Barges Museum which features vessels from the 17th – 19th century
- Aranjuez Bullring (built in the 17th century)
- Real Cortijo Winery or El Regajal winery (both wineries are situated just outside the centre of Aranjuez)
Get more information here.
Jardín de la Isla (Gardens of the Islands
Jardín de la Isla (Gardens of the Islands
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ARANJUEZ
- Aranjuez has been one of the Royal Estates of the Crown of Spain since the times of Philip II in 1560.
- Until 1752 only the royalty and nobility were allowed to dwell in the town.
- In 2001 the cultural landscape of Aranjuez was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
- Aranjuez has a population of approximately 55,000 people and it is the 17th largest city in the Community of Madrid, And the autonomous community’s largest and most populous urban centre outside the greater Madrid area.
The Royal Palace
THE STRAWBERRY TRAIN
Very soon the Strawberry Train will start running on Saturdays and Sundays (until the end of October) from the Príncipe Pio station close to the centre of Madrid. This well known ‘Tren de la Fresa’ journeys to Aranjuez. The convoy made up of wooden cars called ‘Costa’ was built between 1914 and 1930, a second-class passenger car belonging to one of the first series of metallic cars ordered by Renfe between 1947 and 1953, a wagon and a van from the 1960s originally destined for the Chief Train Manager, will travel the route inaugurated by the Queen Isabel II on 9 February 1851.
I seriously can’t wait to take Luca!
CONCLUSION
We have settled in very well here in Aranjuez and love taking walks next to the river, feeding the ducks and breathing in the fresh country air. Life is simply good here. Many times, walking in the gardens I imagine myself living during those times and how different life would have been… Do you do that sometimes too?
Until next time guys! Thanks for taking the time out to read my post.
Johlene
xoxo
Enjoyed reading your blog. Very informative and as I visited recently I totally agree about how beautiful the place is. I am thinking about moving to Aranjuez myself but can’t find much information online about how it is to live in Aranjuez. Do you have any tips or suggestions. Best wishes. Nasrin
Moving can be difficult, we moved 18 months ago, but if you find the right place to settle it makes all the difference! Looks like you found a gorgeous spot to call home! Enjoy all the area has to offer and I look forward to seeing more of your beautiful photos in the future!
Thank you Hilary! Yes moving can be tough (and it was!) but we are slowly feeling settled here in Aranjuez… 🙂
Oh wow! Love your photos! I am a big fan of Madrid and Spain and I have read about Aranjuez. Last time I visited Madrid, I did day trips to Segovia and Toledo but am thinking about where I can go next. I get what you are saying about the crowds in central Madrid. I have not seen as many people in the streets as in Madrid. #FarawayFiles
Thank you Ruth! Segovia & Toledo are beautiful too, hopefully you get to go to Aranjuez and San Lorenzo de el Escorial soon 🙂
Aranjuez looks lovely, and it’s a good distance from Madrid – not too close but not too far! I wonder why the train is called The Strawberry Train?
Totally agree Bryna, the distance is perfect It´s called that because during Spring Aranjuez is well known for its strawberries and asparagus (or so I´ve heard…)
Wow, this looks absolutely fabulous, Johlene! I can totally see why you fell in love with it. Who needs Madrid?! Thanks for sharing your story and beautiful photos with us on #FarawayFiles
It´s my pleasure Clare, thank you for hosting! To be honest there is much more choice in restaurants in Madrid but nothing stops us from hopping in the car and going there 😉