Why Patones de Arriba
Patones de Arriba is the Comunidad's black-slate showpiece: a hamlet of dark dry-stone houses stacked up a ravine in the arid northeastern hills, abandoned in the mid-20th century and revived, roof by roof, as the capital's favourite romantic escape. Cars stay below in Patones de Abajo; you climb the old path in, and the village unfolds as lanes, terraces and candle-lit restaurants folded into the slate.
Legend gives the village its own king — the 'Rey de Patones', who supposedly ruled so quietly that Napoleon's troops passed by without noticing. The overnight offer is exactly that scale: a handful of rooms in restored houses, dinners of migas and roast kid, and star-heavy silence an hour from Gran Vía.
The walk to do first
Barranco path & the Cancho loop — 8 km · 3 h. Patones de Abajo → the old ravine footpath up into Patones de Arriba → lanes and ermita → the Cancho de la Cabeza circuit for the Atazar panorama → descend to your dinner reservation. Dry country: hat and water.
Getting there and around
Bus 197 from Plaza de Castilla to Patones de Abajo (~1 h 10), then the 2 km path or weekend shuttle up. Drivers take the A-1 + N-320 (55 min); the upper village is pedestrian — park below. No rail.
Where to stay
Rooms inside Patones de Arriba itself are few and extraordinary — book weekends a month or more ahead. Patones de Abajo, a 25-minute walk below, has cheaper practical beds. Nearby Torremocha and Torrelaguna widen the choice within ten minutes' drive.
Patones de Arriba lists around 8 bookable hotels and guesthouses, from roughly €58/night. Prices on the area page are live; booking 3–6 weeks out usually lands the best rate, with free cancellation on most rooms.
Questions, answered
Where to sleep: Patones de Arriba
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