Campo de Criptana and the windmills of La Mancha: Criptana, Consuegra and Alcázar de San Juan without a car of your own

What do the Campo de Criptana windmills have that others do not?

The Sierra de los Molinos is a long ridge rising right above the town, so the windmills are not out in the fields but at the end of the village streets. Ten are still standing, and three of them, the Burleta, the Infanto and the Sardinero, keep their original sixteenth-century machinery and are listed as Assets of Cultural Interest. Others house small museums and the tourist office, which is the place to ask which windmill is open that day. Local tradition identifies these hills with the giants that Don Quixote charges in chapter eight of the first part, and the Town Council tells the story in its Cervantes routes.

At the foot of the ridge lies the Albaicín quarter, with whitewashed houses and their lower walls painted indigo blue, which is as much part of the visit as the windmills themselves. The climb from the centre is short but steep, and from the railway station you have to cross the whole town before you start going up. In summer it is wise to avoid the middle of the day, because there is not a scrap of shade on top of the ridge; the best time is late afternoon, when the sun drops over the plain and the sails stand out against the sky. That is also the hour that leaves a visitor without a train home if it has not been worked out beforehand.

How do you reach Campo de Criptana without a car from Madrid or from the rest of the province?

From Madrid, the conventional train runs to Alcázar de San Juan, one of the network's big junctions, and some of those trains also stop at Campo de Criptana, which has its own station on the same line but with fewer services. The usual thing is to get off at Alcázar, where almost all of them stop, and do the last stretch by road: it is 9 km and about 14 min between the station and Criptana. There are buses between the two towns, but with timetables designed for the working day rather than for the arrival of each train. Renfe timetables change by season and are worth checking on the day of travel.

From the west of the province the reference point is the Ciudad Real AVE, but from there to Criptana you cross half of La Mancha: it is 108 km by road, with no direct train linking the two towns. From Tomelloso, the area's other large town, it is 35 km, also with no passenger trains. That is why, for anyone staying in the province, a visit to the windmills usually begins with a transfer from their own accommodation rather than a combination of public transport. Anyone arriving from outside who only wants to see Criptana has the simplest option in the train to Alcázar and a short road trip.

How do the Consuegra windmills differ and how do you get to them?

Consuegra is the other postcard of La Mancha's windmills, but the scene is different: twelve windmills lined up along the crest of the Calderico hill and, in the middle of them, La Muela castle, once a fortress of the Order of St John. From the top you see the town on one side and the plain stretching to the Montes de Toledo on the other. Consuegra belongs to Toledo province and lies beside the Autovía de los Viñedos, the CM-42, which links Tomelloso and Alcázar with Toledo; from Alcázar to Toledo it is 103 km on that road, and Consuegra is on the way, well before you reach the capital.

What Consuegra does not have is a passenger railway station, and the bus from Alcázar or Criptana is not designed for linking visits on the same day. That makes it the part of the route that depends most on a car. The Consuegra windmills page works out the exact price from Campo de Criptana, Alcázar or any other town in the province, with date and time. From the car park at the top you walk round the windmills and the castle; the drive up ends at the top of the hill, so the driver drops you beside the windmills and waits or comes back at the agreed time. At the end of October the town holds its Saffron Rose Festival, with more visitors than usual.

How do you link Alcázar, Consuegra and Criptana in a single day?

The order that works best for anyone arriving by train in the morning is to start with the furthest point. From Alcázar station you head to Consuegra on the Autovía de los Viñedos, walk the Calderico hill and the castle in the morning light and have lunch in the town. Then you turn back east, drive past Alcázar and reach Campo de Criptana in mid-afternoon, with time for the Albaicín, the open windmills and sunset on the ridge. From Criptana, Alcázar station is a short drive away, just enough to catch the evening train without rushing.

The whole route is booked as a single service with stops: you give the arrival station, Consuegra, Criptana and the return station, with the rough time at each place, and the price is fixed before booking for the full itinerary, not leg by leg. An invoice can be requested, and if the arrival train is late the driver tracks it rather than leaving. Alcázar deserves its own stop if there is time to spare: its old town has the tower of Don Juan of Austria and the town keeps a baptismal record that it claims as Cervantes's. In winter, with early sunsets, it is better to reverse the order and leave Consuegra for the afternoon.

When is the train enough and when does a car with a driver from Madrid pay off?

For one person who wants to see Criptana at leisure, the train to Alcázar and a short road trip are enough, and nothing more is needed. The car with a driver starts to pay off in three cases: when you want to see Criptana and Consuegra on the same day, when three or four people are travelling, because the price is per car and not per person, and when the return time does not fit the last train. It also pays when setting off straight from Madrid: from the city centre to Criptana it is 164 km, and the door-to-door trip avoids two changes and a wait at Alcázar.

Anyone coming to La Mancha on a flight or a long-distance train can do the windmills on the way: from Criptana to Atocha station the fare starts from 201,42 €, and the transfer drops you at the station at the time you set. For groups arriving by coach or in several cars, the platform organises group transport with several vehicles, with a single fixed price per service. What does not pay is counting on finding a free taxi on top of the Calderico hill or beside the windmills on the ridge: there is no taxi rank there, and the return is booked together with the outbound trip.

What should you bring, when should you book and how is the day adapted for children or older people?

On top of the Sierra de los Molinos and the Calderico hill the wind almost always blows, which is exactly why the windmills were built there. In summer you need water, a cap and sun protection, because there is no shade on either hill; in winter, warm clothing, because it feels colder up there than in the town. Inside the windmills open to visitors the stairs are narrow and steep, and the ground around La Muela castle is uneven, so comfortable shoes are a good idea. For weekends, long weekends and the Saffron Rose Festival at the end of October, the transfer is booked days in advance, because those are the dates with most visitors in the area.

With small children or older people, the advantage of the car lies in saving both climbs: the driver drops you at the top of the ridge in Criptana and beside the windmills in Consuegra, so the walk is limited to strolling along the crest rather than earning it uphill. It also helps to break the day with a long lunch in Consuegra and leave the Criptana visit for late afternoon, when the heat eases. When booking, say how many are travelling, whether there are children and their ages, and whether anyone uses a wheelchair, because the inside of the windmills is not accessible although the surroundings can be visited. The conditions for travelling with small children are explained on the help page.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Ayuntamiento de Campo de Criptana · turismo, Sierra de los Molinos y Albaicín (consulted on 27 October 2026)
• Ayuntamiento de Consuegra · molinos, castillo de la Muela y Fiesta de la Rosa del Azafrán (consulted on 27 October 2026)
• Renfe · trenes con parada en Alcázar de San Juan y Campo de Criptana (consulted on 27 October 2026)
• Turismo de Castilla-La Mancha · molinos de viento y ruta del Quijote (consulted on 27 October 2026)