Getafe travel guide
La Liga football, an Airbus plant and the centre of the peninsula
An industrial city 13 km south of Madrid with a La Liga club, a Renaissance cathedral and the Cerro de los Ăngeles, the traditional centre point of Iberia. Visit in spring or autumn. Half a day is enough, combined with a match if you can. Prices are high, and Schengen rules give many passports 90 days.
Thirteen kilometres south of Madrid, Getafe is an industrial city of about 193,000 with an Airbus factory, a historic military air base and the main campus of Carlos III University. Visitors usually come for La Liga football or to stand on the hill that marks the geographic centre of the Iberian Peninsula.
Cerro de los Ăngeles is the one real sight. The pine-covered hill rises across the A-4 from the town's industrial estates, crowned by the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de los Ăngeles and the Monument to the Sacred Heart. The 1919 original was dynamited in 1936; the larger monument you see now was finished in 1965. Back in town, the Catedral de la Magdalena pairs a Renaissance shell with a baroque altarpiece. Next door, a 17th-century former prison now serves as the Ricardo de la Vega library.
Getafe CF play at the Coliseum Alfonso PĂ©rez, a ground of about 16,500 beside the M-45 about 2 km northeast of the centre. Plan around the weather. Summer afternoons often reach 35°C, a few days of snow fall most winters, and smog builds when the wind blows from the south. For a serious meal, book Casa de PĂas on Plaza Escuelas PĂas, the town's Michelin-listed restaurant.
Explore Getafe by theme
Find your kind of trip: 24 travel themes, each with the packages in Getafe.
Getafe at a glance
The essentials first-time visitors ask about, in one place.
Explore more of Spain
Pick a place by travel style: beaches, nature, cities, heritage, islands.
Nothing in that category yet.
Top things to do in Getafe
A hilltop shrine at the centre of Iberia, a Renaissance cathedral and top-flight football.
No things to do in Getafe are listed yet. Browse all things to do
Best time to visit Getafe
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Comfortable for climbing Cerro de los Ăngeles, and the football season is under way.
Afternoons regularly hit 35°C, so plan the hill for early morning.
Daytime highs under 10°C, frosty nights and three or four snowfalls in a typical year.
Check the wind before a summer visit: air quality drops noticeably when it blows from the south or southeast.
Packages in Demand
A Journey to Remember
Tours, activities and day trips in and around this destination, with the details you need before booking.
No packages in Getafe are listed yet. Browse all packages
Create Your Custom-Made Trip to Getafe
Traveling to Getafe? Chat with a Local Travel Specialist in Getafe Who Can Help Organize Your Trip.
START HEREOur Travel Experts are Recommended by
Plan your trip
Practical answers before you go. Pick a topic.
Getting there
CercanĂas C-3 and C-4, buses from Plaza ElĂptica
Madrid-Barajas (MAD) is the airport, and you reach Getafe through the city. Two CercanĂas lines serve the town. The C-4 towards Parla stops at Las Margaritas Universidad, Getafe Centro and Getafe Sector 3; the C-3 towards Aranjuez calls at El Casar and Getafe Industrial. Getafe Centro is the stop for the cathedral and the old centre, Las Margaritas for the university. Interurban buses leave the Plaza ElĂptica interchange, on Metro line 6, for the town centre. Drivers come in on the A-4 or A-42, with the M-45 and M-50 ring roads skirting the town.
- CercanĂas C-4
- Las Margaritas Universidad, Getafe Centro and Getafe Sector 3
- CercanĂas C-3
- El Casar and Getafe Industrial, towards Aranjuez
- Buses 441, 442 and 444
- Plaza ElĂptica to the centre; the 443 stops farther out
- After about 01:30 a taxi is the easiest way back from Madrid; night buses N803 and N805 also run to Plaza ElĂptica.
Where to stay
Getafe Centro, Las Margaritas or the ring-road hotels
Getafe has few hotels. It works if you have business at the university, the Airbus plant or the air base, or tickets for an evening match. Stay central for restaurants and the C-4 into Madrid; choose the ring-road hotels only if you are driving.
- Getafe Centro
- Near the cathedral, Casa de PĂas and the C-4 station
- Avenida RĂo Guadalquivir
- Chain hotel near the motorways, best with a car
- Las Margaritas
- Close to the Carlos III University campus and its own station
Getting around
Trains, MetroSur and local buses
Getafe has five train stations and a dense bus network, so most of the town is a short ride from anywhere. The old centre around the cathedral, the library and the Escuelas PĂas is compact enough to walk. Metro line 12 (MetroSur) links Getafe with LeganĂ©s, Fuenlabrada and AlcorcĂłn without going back into Madrid. Two sights need a plan: Cerro de los Ăngeles lies across the A-4 from the industrial zone, and the Iglesia de los Santos Justo y Pastor is far out in Perales del RĂo.
- Metro line 12
- MetroSur to Leganés, Fuenlabrada and Alcorcón
- Bus L4
- Local line to Perales del RĂo; bus 411 also runs there from Legazpi in Madrid
- The Coliseum Alfonso PĂ©rez is about 2 km northeast of the centre, walkable from Getafe Centro.
Know before you go
What makes Getafe worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- Cerro de los Ăngeles, a pine-covered hill with a hermitage and the Sacred Heart monument at the geographic centre of the peninsula.
- The Catedral de la Magdalena, Renaissance outside, with a baroque altarpiece within.
- A Getafe CF match at the Coliseum Alfonso PĂ©rez, close to the action in a compact ground of about 16,500.
Good to know
- Casa de PĂas closes on Sunday and Monday evenings, serving lunch only on those days.
- Late at night, take a taxi back to Madrid; it is the easiest option after about 01:30.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Getafe, month by month
Getafe's July averages 34°C, and January days reach 11°C with 2°C nights. October is the wettest month, at about 54 mm.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Getafe (Agencia Estatal de MeteorologĂa, via Wikipedia).
La Magdalena to Cerro de los Ăngeles in a morning and afternoon
Getafe fills a day. Spend the morning among the old-centre monuments around the Catedral de la Magdalena, lunch at Casa de PĂas, and give the afternoon to Cerro de los Ăngeles, the wooded hill with a hermitage and the Sacred Heart monument. On a matchday, end at the Coliseum.
Morning. Ride the CercanĂas C-4 from Madrid to Getafe Centro and walk to the Catedral de la Magdalena, a Renaissance church with a baroque altarpiece. Beside it stands the 17th-century former prison, now the Ricardo de la Vega library. A short walk away are the Hospitalillo de San JosĂ©, a 16th-century hospital with a chapel and a central patio, and the Colegio de las Escuelas PĂas, still a school after four centuries.
Midday. Book lunch at Casa de PĂas on Plaza Escuelas PĂas.
Afternoon. Head out to Cerro de los Ăngeles on the far side of the A-4. Pine woods cover the slopes, and at the top you will find the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de los Ăngeles and the Sacred Heart monument, rebuilt after the Civil War to replace the 1919 original, at the point traditionally held to be the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. On a matchday, finish at the Coliseum Alfonso PĂ©rez.
Casa de PĂas, CafĂ© Cibelina and Getafe after dark
Book Casa de PĂas, the Michelin-listed restaurant on Plaza Escuelas PĂas, for the best meal in town. Otherwise Getafe eats like any working Madrid suburb, with a weekday menĂș del dĂa and tapas in central bars, while football fans gather at CafĂ© Cibelina before Getafe CF games.
Casa de PĂas occupies an early-20th-century building with stone walls and a modern dining room. It cooks traditional dishes from farm and market produce, with a long list of starters and house preserves. It opens for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Saturday, and only for lunch on Sunday and Monday.
Café Cibelina stays busy after Getafe CF games too. If you want a late night, Cabaret Madrid is a pub with dancing that stays open until about 06:00, and taxis back to Madrid are easy to find.
Travelers are asking
No questions yet about Getafe. Ask the community or our travel team, and the answer will show here once it is published.
Our travel desk answers questions about Getafe
How we research our Getafe travel guide
Getafe's CercanĂas, Casa de PĂas hours and match-day notes are checked against Getafe's official website and Renfe, with Spain.info for regional context.
Last updated . Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of GetafeSpain.infoRenfe trains
See all 3 sources
Before You Go...
Discover Trips & Info
A Travel Network Connection Travelers and locals
Incredible Event & Festival, Don't Miss!
Most Popular Event & Festival of Getafe
Festivals and events in this destination, with dates, venues and ticket details where available.
No upcoming festivals or events in Getafe are listed right now. Browse all events
Memorable Experiences
Where to Go (& NOT Go) In Getafe!
Roaming the World one Adventure at a Time: Travel Tales, Tips, and Inspiration for wanderlusters.
Subscriber
Popular car hire destinations
Explore more options to hire a car for cheap
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Getafe.
General
The C-4 suits most visitors: it stops at Getafe Centro for the cathedral and at Las Margaritas Universidad for the campus. The C-3 calls at El Casar and Getafe Industrial. Buses 441, 442 and 444 also run from Plaza ElĂptica to the centre.
Getafe Centro. From Madrid-Barajas (MAD) on the far side of the capital, ride into central Madrid and pick up the C-4 south, or take a taxi straight across.
Cerro de los Ăngeles, a hill within Getafe's limits, is traditionally considered the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It has a hermitage and the Monument to the Sacred Heart.
At the Coliseum Alfonso PĂ©rez, a stadium holding about 16,500 by the M-45 about 2 km northeast of the town centre.
The former 17th-century prison, now a library, the 16th-century Hospitalillo de San JosĂ© and the Colegio de las Escuelas PĂas are all a short walk apart.
Both. July and August afternoons often reach 35°C, while winters are cool enough for three or four snowfalls in a typical year.
Night buses N803 and N805 run to Plaza ElĂptica, but a taxi is the easiest option after about 01:30.
Yes, the main campus of Carlos III University of Madrid is here, served by Las Margaritas Universidad station.
Yes, with lunch in between. Add an evening if you are going to a match at the Coliseum.
Getafe has five train stations and a dense bus network, so most of the town is a short ride from anywhere. The old centre around the cathedral, the library and the Escuelas PĂas is compact enough to walk. Metro line 12 (MetroSur) links Getafe with LeganĂ©s, Fuenlabrada and AlcorcĂłn without going back into Madrid.
Timing & weather
For lunch only. It serves lunch and dinner Tuesday to Saturday, and lunch alone on Sunday and Monday.
The best time to visit Getafe is Apr to Jun, Sep to Oct. Between the hot summers and the cold, sometimes snowy winters.
- Spring and autumn: April - June, September - October (Comfortable for climbing Cerro de los Ăngeles, and the football season is under way)
- Summer: July - August (Afternoons regularly hit 35°C, so plan the hill for early morning)
- Winter: December - February (Daytime highs under 10°C, frosty nights and three or four snowfalls in a typical year)
July is the warmest month in Getafe, with average highs of 34°C, and January the coolest, with lows of 2°C. October is the wettest month, at about 54 mm of rain; July is the driest. Getafe's July averages 34°C, and January days reach 11°C with 2°C nights.
Visa & documents
Spain follows Schengen entry rules. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Pickpocketing in the big cities is Spain's main crime risk for visitors. Pickpocketing is common in Barcelona and Madrid, especially on the metro and in tourist areas. Heatwaves and wildfires occur in summer.
