Madrid region webcams

The capital from above

Madrid's city council publishes the images of its traffic cameras, and the best of them show the heart of the city from high above the streets: the Gran Vía from Plaza de España and from Callao, the Calle de Alcalá running down to Cibeles, the Plaza de Colón, and the Almudena Cathedral above the park of Madrid Río. They are still images, not video, and they show at a glance the crowds, the traffic and the weather in the centre. Madrid also appears among the city webcams.

The Sierra de Guadarrama

On clear days the Sierra de Guadarrama stands on the city's northern skyline, and since 2013 its high ground has been a national park. The Puerto de Navacerrada, the main pass, was Madrid's ski area for decades; its runs no longer operate, but its cameras still show whether there is snow on the pass and how busy the road is. A few miles away, Valdesquí is the ski resort of the region, on north-facing slopes above the Puerto de Cotos, where walkers set off for Peñalara, the highest peak of the range. Valdesquí is also listed among the ski resort webcams.

When to watch

Madrid is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland. The city's evenings start late and its streets stay busy well past midnight, so the Gran Vía cameras are liveliest after dark. In the mountains, the cameras are most useful first thing in the morning, before driving up: in winter, fog, fresh snow and full car parks can all change the plan. The passes are about an hour from the centre by car, or by the local train to Cercedilla and the mountain railway beyond.