Guadalajara's festivals: the September fair, the Tenorio Mendocino, Holy Week in Sigüenza and the Ducal Festival of Pastrana, and how to get around on those days
Guadalajara's fair and festival are in September and fill the old town and the fairground for over a week; the Tenorio Mendocino is performed at the end of October through the old-town streets and palaces, with the centre closed; Holy Week in Sigüenza fills a small city with few trains; and the Ducal Festival of Pastrana, in July, turns a village with no public transport into a Renaissance market. In every case the rule is the same: the car does not enter the old town and the pickup is made at a point outside the closure agreed beforehand, and the last Cercanías to Madrid does not wait. Guadalajara to central Madrid is 59 km; Sigüenza to Guadalajara station, 75 km.
Written by Ridelta - Taxi y VTC · reviewed on 27 October 2026
What happens at the September fair and festival?
Guadalajara's fair and festival take place in September, around the feast of the Virgen de la Antigua, and for over a week the city has concerts at the fairground and in the main square, bull runs in the countryside and through the central streets, social clubs, marquees and family activities. The old town is closed to traffic at the hours of the bull runs and parades, the fairground fills every night and parking near the centre is impossible. It is the busiest week of the year and also the one with most traffic on the A-2 from Madrid at the weekends.
For anyone coming from the villages or from Madrid the plan is to arrive before the closure or be dropped at an agreed outer point and walk, and to arrange the return with a time: the concerts end after the last Cercanías has left, and the social clubs later still. A driver who collects you at the agreed time near the fairground or on an open street of the newer district saves the small-hours wait, and the price is the one fixed at booking, not raised because it is fair week.
How do you see the Tenorio Mendocino?
At the end of October, around All Saints' Eve, Guadalajara stages Zorrilla's Don Juan Tenorio through the streets, squares and palaces of the old town: the audience moves with the actors from stage to stage, from Plaza del Jardinillo to the Infantado and the convent courtyards, on several consecutive nights. It is free, with tickets that run out as soon as they are released, and the centre is closed to traffic for the duration of the performance, which starts at dusk and ends well into the night.
The finishing time is what complicates the return: anyone from Madrid has one Cercanías left if lucky, and anyone from the Alcarria or the corridor has none. The pickup is booked for after the last scene at a point outside the old town, and the trip to Madrid, 59 km and about 48 min at night along the empty A-2, is done at the engine's price, from 84,58 €.
What is special about Holy Week in Sigüenza?
Sigüenza is a small, medieval, hilly city, and its Holy Week, a regional tourist-interest event, fills the cathedral, the main square and the steep streets up to the castle with night-time and pre-dawn processions. It has a station on the conventional Madrid to Zaragoza line, but with few trains a day and the last back to Madrid in mid-afternoon, so watching the Good Friday procession and returning by train the same day is not possible. The referral hospital and the high-speed station are in Guadalajara, an hour away.
During the processions the upper town is closed to traffic and the car drops you below, by the station or the alameda; from there you walk up. To return to Guadalajara or Madrid after the procession, the pickup is agreed at that same lower point. Sigüenza to Guadalajara station is 75 km and about 59 min, from 104,33 €; to Madrid, 130 km.
And the Ducal Festival of Pastrana?
Pastrana, the ducal town of the Alcarria where the Princess of Éboli lived confined, holds its Ducal Festival in July: a Renaissance market, parades, theatre in the Plaza de la Hora and visits to the palace and the collegiate church with its Flemish tapestries. The village has no train and hardly any bus, and on those days the old-town streets are closed and the car parks at the entrance fill from the morning. Guadalajara to Pastrana is 45 km along local roads, with no motorway; with a driver who waits, you can see the festival and return whenever you like, or link it with Brihuega and the lavender fields, which bloom in the same weeks.
How do you book a transfer on a festival day?
With three pieces of information: the time you want to be there, not the departure time; the pickup point outside the closure, which the driver knows because each festival's traffic plan repeats every year; and the approximate return time, confirmed by message when you finish. The price is what the engine calculates from kilometres and time and does not change because it is fair week, Holy Week or a festival. For groups, a single vehicle of up to seven seats splits the fare, and for social clubs or large families several cars are coordinated to the same point and time.
Frequently asked questions
When are Guadalajara's fair and festival?
In September, around the feast of the Virgen de la Antigua, for over a week. The exact dates and programme are published by the town hall every year.
Does the Tenorio Mendocino charge admission?
No, but you need a ticket, which is distributed in advance and runs out quickly. It is performed at the end of October through the old-town streets and palaces, with the centre closed to traffic.
Can you watch a procession in Sigüenza and return to Madrid by train the same day?
The main processions are at night and the last train back leaves in mid-afternoon, so no. The alternative is to stay overnight in Sigüenza or return with a booked transfer: to Madrid it is 130 km.
Does the transfer price go up on festival days?
No. The price is calculated by the engine from kilometres and time and fixed at booking; there is no surcharge for the fair, Holy Week or a festival.
Sources
- Ayuntamiento de Guadalajara · Ferias y Fiestas y Tenorio Mendocino (consulted on 27 October 2026)
- Ayuntamiento de Sigüenza · Semana Santa (consulted on 27 October 2026)
- Ayuntamiento de Pastrana · Festival Ducal (consulted on 27 October 2026)
- Renfe · Cercanías Madrid (C-2) y Media Distancia Madrid–Sigüenza (consulted on 27 October 2026)
How we write, where the figures come from and how we correct an error: editorial policy.
Dates, programmes and traffic closures are set by the town halls every year and may change; this guide says what happens and when it usually happens. Kilometres, minutes and prices are those of the route engine when the page is opened.