Chinchón

45 km from Madrid, can be reached by buses "La Veloz" (91 409 76 02) in "Conde de Casal" station.To get there by car one should take the N-IV (carretera de Andalucia).

Of special interest for visitors to Chinchón is the Plaza Mayor, a picturesque square dominated by the local church. Also worth visiting is the old castle at the top of the town, which now serves as a distillery, producing chinchón's famous aniseed, as well as gin and other spirits. For those with a passion for bullfighting, bullfights are held in Chinchón in the summer months.

An historical note: in the 17th century, the countess of Chinchón, wife to the viceroy of Peru, fell ill there with malaria. Natives cured her using an extract derived from the bark of a local tree. Sold on the benefits of the medicine, she brought the tree back to Europe, where Linnaeus, the famous Swedish botanist, named it chinchona in her honour. We now know this medicine as quinine.

Festivals:
Virgen de Gracia y San Roque, august 15 - 21.
Santiago, july, 25

Oficial website: http://www.ciudad-chinchon.com/