El Escorial
Convent, palace and pantheon – the eighth wonder of the world
The Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial or simply El Escorial. Built under Philip II and in many ways his artistic testament. From the beginning it was celebrated as the eighth wonder of the world. Due to its dimensions, its enormous construction costs, its almost brutal, disorganized architecture, its impressive location at more than 1,000 meters above sea level, in the middle of the Sierra de Guadarrama and extensive pine forests.
To this day, visitors are dazzled by its 92-meter-high basilica, the Royal Palace, the impressive library and the no less impressive Pantheon of the Kings, the last resting place of the Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties.
The excursion to the Sierra not only offers the possibility of admiring this unique monumental complex. It also allows you to enter the very personal world of Philip II and discover quite unknown facets of this monarch. And all this surrounded by a magnificent landscape just 60 km away from Madrid.
INTENSIVE
Duration: approx. 8 hours (incl. round trip from Madrid)
Price per group (1-6 pax): 280.-€ (Monday to Friday), 320.-€ (weekend, holidays), entrance to the monument (12.-€) and price of train tickets (approx. 8.-€ in Cercanías round trip) not included
Recommended route: Atocha Station – trip to Carcanías (approx. 1 hour) – walk to the Monastery (approx. 20 min.) – visit to the Monasteries (Patio de los Reyes, library, basilica, painting collection with works by El Greco, etc. ., Pantheon of the Infants, Pantheon of the Kings, Palace of the King and Queen) – possibility of a brief stay in the town to have a coffee – walk to the El Escorial Cercanías Station – return to Madrid/Atocha Station
