Visit El Escorial Monastery
A visit to El Escorial Monastery from Madrid is an easy day trip experience to explore this historic site and monastery. Known as the royal site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, this is one of the most significant architectural landmarks to visit in Spain.
Located less than 45 kilometers northwest from Madrid, the vast complex of the monastery and palace was initiated under King Philip II during the 16th century. It serves as a monastery, a royal palace, basilican, a pantheon, library and a living museum.
I did a fun day trip by regional train and local bus to visit the El Escorial complex and enjoyed touring all morning in spite of a very rainy day experience. El Escorial is monumental and easy to do a DIY visit or even take a tour to learn more about this historic site.
A quick history on El Escorial Monastery
Located at San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Central Spain and about a 45 kilometer drive northwest of Madrid. The complex was built between 1563 and 1584 as a symbol of Spain’s prestige and Catholic faith with a burial place of the Spanish monarchs of the Hapsburg dynasty. The complex of Renaissance buildings, gardens and fountains contains many important relics, manuscripts and books in the Royal Library, a gorgeous basilica, pantheon and burial site for Spanish royalty. The complex was conciewed by Philipp II who employed Juan Bautista de Toledo to create and build the project to include a palace, the pantheon of Kings and other royalty, A grand basilica, an architectural museum and art gallery and manicured gardens
The site was chosen for its strategic location near Madrid and its also the victory of the Battle of St. Quentin in 1557, which was attributed to the intercession of Saint Lawrence.
Why visit El Escorial Monastery?
Visiting El Escorial Monastery is a fantastic insight to the historic and cultural aspects of Spain’s history and relationship to the Hapsburg dynasty and a burial site to Spanish royalty. Even if you are not a history buff, exploring the architectural site, palace and gardens and the burial sites give a quick view of the grandeur and power of the Spanish royalty at its heyday.
How to get to El Escorial Monastery
A day trip is easy to visit El Escorial Monastery with fast regional trains that can get to El Escorial Monastery in less then 45 minutes or 50 km northwest from Madrid. Here are the top ways to visit this important monastery, burial site and palace.
By Train (Recommended)
- Take the Cercanías C3 train from Madrid’s Atocha or Chamartín Station to El Escorial Station (about 1 hour).
- From the station, you can walk (about 20 minutes) or take a local bus to the monastery.
By Bus
- Take Bus 661 or 664 from Madrid’s Moncloa Bus Station to San Lorenzo de El Escorial.
- The journey takes about 50-60 minutes, and the bus stop is a short walk from the monastery.
By Car
- Drive via A-6 highway (Autovía del Noroeste) and take the exit for M-600 toward El Escorial.
- The drive takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on traffic.
- Parking is available near the monastery.
The train is often the easiest and most comfortable option, but buses provide a direct alternative.
From the Train or bus station, you can take a local bus, taxi or even walk to the site directly.
Visiting information
Opening Hours:
- April to September: Open from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
- October to March: Open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
- Admission Prices:
- General Admission: €14
- Reduced Admission: €7 (available for children aged 5-16, seniors over 65, and students under 25 with valid ID)
Location:
Calle de Juan de Borbón y Battenberg s/n, 28200 San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid.
Website
Visit the official website here for more details and information
Guided tours
If you are looking for an easier and complete tour and guide to explore the historic site, check out some of these recommended tours to visit El Escorial:
Additional Information:
- The site is wheelchair accessible.
- Photography without flash is allowed in certain areas.
- There are on-site facilities, including restrooms and a café.
For the most current information and to purchase tickets, visit the official website:
Enjoy your visit to this remarkable historical landmark!
Places to visit at El Escorial Monastery
You can explore most of the El Escorial site in one day and visit the main attractions on a DIY visit to see the most important parts of the complex in this grand country home and mausoleum of Spanish Kings and families.
When you purchase tickets to the site, you can have self guided touris with audio as part of the tour and this includes the following locations:
Visit the Grand Library
Although it has been decimated on several occasions, the most serious of which was the fire of 1671, more than 400,000 texts are preserved in it, including a very rich collection of Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Arabic manuscripts.
The main room of the Library is “cheerful, full of majesty and light” as it has seven windows to the Patio de los Reyes and five to the Lonja, 55 meters long and 10 meters wide. It dazzles with the richness of its shelves and its fresco paintings, made between 1586 and 1592 by Pellegrino Tibaldi in his Mannerist style, so evidently influenced by Michelangelo. The extensive and complicated iconographic program, full of allusions and starring wise men and characters of Antiquity for the most part, is due to the chronicler of the foundation of El Escorial, Fray José de Sigüenza.
Explore the elaborate Pantheons
One of the primary functions of El Escorial is to be the burial place of the Kings of Spain. However, this intention of the founder received the form that we are going to see, after the death of Philip II. The two pantheons respond to very different centuries and aesthetics: baroque, from the seventeenth century, that of the Kings: eclectic, from the nineteenth, that of Infantes.
Main Cloister and Courtyard of Evangelists
The Galleries of the Main Cloister, around the Courtyard of the Evangelists, are decorated with fifty-four fresco paintings with the History of the Redemption, from the birth of the Virgin to the Last Judgment, ordered from the Door of the Processions that connects the Cloister with the Church.
Basilica of El Escorial
The Basilica is actually made up of two churches: the one that served for the people, which is the Sotocoro, and the Royal Chapel and Conventual Church, which is the body of the temple.
The Palace of the Hapsburgs
The Palace, which follows the etiquette of the House of Burgundy, is articulated around the Courtyard of Masks with the symmetrical rooms of the king and queen. The latter were finally lived by the monarch’s daughter, the Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia. From his room, Philip II could follow the religious services in the neighboring Basilica in his oratory and admire the gardens. From his office, his extensive domains were governed, on which the sun did not set. One of the most representative rooms of the Palace of the Habsburgs is the Battle Room or Royal Gallery with the Renaissance pictorial decoration of grotesques on the ceiling and Spanish military exploits on its walls
The Palace of the Bourbons
With the change of dynasty in 1700, the kings of the House of Bourbon continued to visit El Escorial in the autumn days. Charles III decided to modify certain spaces of the monastery to adapt the room of the Prince and Princess of Asturias, creating rooms in a row.
Following the French fashion, around the Patio de Coches, the Palace of Bourbons is ornate and more eleborate than the Hapsburg wing of the complex.
Royal Carriages
You’ll find the largest collection of carriages that were used by Spanish Royalty from the 18th and 19th centuries. You’ll find these carriages at the Coheras del Rey housed in an 18th century building . You can see and enjoy all the various carriages used to bring the royalty to various places around the country.
Explore the Public gardens of El Escorial
Even on a dull rainy and cold day, the manicured gardens of El Escorial are beautiful to explore in their winter formal bones. The formal gardens showcase the controlled and elegant gardens even without color, it was fun to walk along the covered arcades and enjoy the outdoor spaces and envision how beautiful these gardens would be in the spring to fall season. You can walk through the gardens and enjoy views of the garden, the architecture and landscape views of the surrounding countryside.
The gardens are lovely, probably better than the day I visited, so I would definitely choose a sunnier day or plan a tour in Spring, Summer or even the fall season and not dead winter when I came to tour the monastery complex.
See a controversial Civil War monument
El Valle de los Caídos (the Valley of the Fallen) was a pet project of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. Franco wanted to build a monument to those who died during the Spanish Civil War from 1936–39.
The result you’ll discover at the monument is controversial with a cavernous underground basilica and a soaring granite cross that dominates the hillside. Franco’s final resting place is inside the basilica. There has been talk of renaming the complex, turning it into a museum or closing it entirely, but as yet, it remains as a stark reminder of Spain’s tumultuous 20th-century history.
Eat locally around San Lorenzo El Escorial
After all that activity, you can settle down and enjoy a hearty lunch at one of El Escorial’s family-run restaurants locally just around the town that surrounds the compound. These wonderful eateries serve the best traditional tapas and great main dishes along with Menu del Dia or Menu of the day meals. You’ll also find Michelin-starred restaurants like Montia, serving avant-garde dishes that push the creative boundaries of gastronomy.
Further reading
Free things to do in Madrid, Spain
Thanks for checking out this post on the Hidden Gems of Madrid, Spain on Visiting Spain and Mediterranean.com, hope that this was helpful for planning a visit with things to do, attractions and other fun places to explore. Please come back again for more adventures in Spain and the Mediterranean coast.
