Sports and leisure activities Madrid

Golf Santander at Boadilla del Monte is a spectacular 18-hole golf course. Created by the Santander Group and designed by Rees Jones, it was inaugurated in 2005 and is considered one of Europe's finest courses. Rees Jones, the course's designer, is known for having designed or renovated over 100 golf courses in the course of his career. Golf Santander also boasts a renowned golf school, the Jim McLean Golf School, which welcomes over 2,000 students every year. The course offers programs to suit all levels and ages, from individual lessons to summer camps and group courses. The facilities include a short-game area designed by Severiano Ballesteros, with 5 holes and a central platform ideal for practice. To improve the long game, the course has 3 recording rooms, unique in Europe, where players can analyze and compare their swing with that of the world's best players.

Located in San Sebastián de los Reyes, west of the Madrid metropolitan area, the Real Sociedad Hipica Española Club de Campo is an 18-hole golf course designed by American architect Robert Von Hagge. Renovated in 1997, the course extends over 6,548 meters and features tree-lined, undulating fairways of high quality. Four holes feature water hazards and numerous doglegs. The Real Sociedad Hipica Española Club de Campo was founded in 1901 and was one of the founding institutions of the Spanish Golf Federation in 1932. The club also offers a range of services and facilities, including a snack bar, instructors, club hire, driving range, proshop, restaurant and swimming pool.

The Spanish Football Federation (Real Federación Española de Fútbol) is the governing body for soccer in Spain. Their site offers information on competitions, national teams and news related to Spanish soccer. Based in Madrid, the Federation organizes international matches and national competitions, and supports the development of soccer at all levels in Spain. Their museum, the Museo de la Selección, is also located in Madrid, and features an exhibition on the history of Spanish soccer. The Federation also works on social initiatives, such as rehabilitation programs in collaboration with penal institutions. For soccer fans, the site also offers ticket sales for matches and an official store.

The Isabel Quintero school specializes in flamenco classes. Courses take place all year round. In July, the school offers daily intensive courses (3 hours), for two or four consecutive weeks. You can choose between flamenco, classical Spanish dance and bolera. But for tourists passing through, it is also possible to learn flamenco or tango, for example, during sessions of 3 hours (for 45 €). All the possible formulas (and there are many) can be found on the school's website.

About 15 minutes from the capital's city center, the Santander Golf Course is a particularly long 18-hole course designed by the famous American architect Rees Jones, in collaboration with Seve Ballesteros. According to all the experts, it is one of the best courses in the country. You can also take advantage of the Jim McLean Golf School, one of the most renowned in the world according to the specialized press, to improve your swing. There are many options for lessons, check out the golf course's website.

For those who love adventure, the Aventura Amazonia centre offers treetop activities. Located in Cercedilla, jump from tree to tree, thanks to tests that will make even the most intrepid among you dizzy. From branch to branch, climb to the top of the trees and admire the tranquility of the area. Zip lines, liana bridges, monkey bridges, here is the promise of a day full of laughter for young and old alike. With a bit of adrenaline, since you can also bungee jump 12 m!

Designed by Juan de Villanueva in 1790, the observatory still houses a magnificent library, a collection of period instruments and an Foucault pendulum, which demonstrates in real time the daily rotation of the Earth. The highlight of the guided tour is undoubtedly the very beautiful reconstitution of the telescope that William Herschel built for the observatory at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, which was unfortunately destroyed in 1808 during the Napoleonic occupation.