· Madrid Resorts · Neighborhood · 2 min read
The pedestrian axis of Usera: 1.5 km of new squares to Madrid Río
The urban project that is stitching the neighborhood with the river: a garden promenade with themed squares, nods to Chinese culture and the best route to get to Madrid Río on foot.
Usera always had an unfinished business: the river was right there, but getting there on foot was uncomfortable. The pedestrian axis of Usera is the City Council’s response: a corridor of about 1.5 kilometers that connects the neighborhood with Madrid Río through a sequence of squares and garden sections.
What exactly is it
An urban promenade that crosses the neighborhood from north to south, creating a chain of new plazas with nods to Chinese culture — lanterns, references to the zodiac, new trees and benches — and that leads to the bank of the Manzanares. It is neighborhood urbanism, but also a statement: Madrid’s Chinatown as Usera’s public identity.
How to get around it
- Recommended direction: start inside the neighborhood and walk towards the river; The walk “leads” naturally into Madrid Río.
- Duration: about 20–25 minutes at a leisurely pace, plus whatever you spend in the squares.
- With children: the pedestrian sections are comfortable and there is shade in the new areas; The prize in the end is the Madrid Río playgrounds.
- At sunset: the best time in summer; The walk is alive and the river terraces await you at the end.
Why we like it
Because it sums up what Usera is: a neighborhood that is transforming without ceasing to be itself. Ten years ago no one talked about walking here; Today it is one of the most interesting — and least known — urban routes in Madrid.
From our accommodations in Usera you have the pedestrian axis and Madrid Río within walking distance. It is the route that we ourselves take to go down to the river.
Cover photo: Ibai1984, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- Usera
- madrid-rio
- walks
