El Escorial: a day trip from Madrid

About El Escorial

El Escorial was conceived by King Philip II, ruler of a vast empire, as a place combining a monastery, a royal residence and a centre of learning. It was built from 1563 to 1584 under the architects Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera, resulting in an enormous grey granite building with hundreds of windows, inner courtyards and the basilica dome at its centre.

Herrera's austere, unadorned style became a model for Spanish architecture for centuries and is known as herreriano. In 1984 El Escorial joined the UNESCO list. Around it grew the pretty mountain town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, with squares, cafés and views across the valley.

What to see inside

The jewel of El Escorial is the library, a long hall of carved bookcases and globes beneath a vault painted with allegories of the arts and sciences. It holds tens of thousands of old books and manuscripts, shelved spine-inwards to protect the pages. It's one of the most beautiful libraries in Europe.

The basilica, with its huge dome, is overwhelming in scale and severity; by the high altar stand gilded bronze statues of the royal family. Philip II's apartments show how simply the king lived: small rooms, plain furniture and a bedroom window opening straight onto the altar. The picture galleries hold works by Titian, El Greco, Velázquez and Bosch.

What to see at El Escorial

• The library — a painted vault and old books.
• The basilica — a vast dome and bronze figures at the altar.
• Philip II's apartments — the king's modest rooms.
• The picture gallery — Titian, El Greco, Bosch.
• The Courtyard of the Kings — the grand court before the basilica.
• The Friars' Gardens — terraces overlooking the valley.

The gardens and the town

On the south side of the monastery, the terraced Friars' Gardens step down with clipped hedges, fountains and views of the valley and mountains. It's cooler here than in Madrid in summer, as El Escorial sits higher, at the foot of the Guadarrama range.

The town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a pleasant place for lunch, with terrace restaurants around the monastery serving Castilian food such as roast lamb, mushrooms and local cheeses. In the woods nearby is Philip II's Seat, a stone bench on a rock from which, legend says, the king watched the building work.

Tips for your trip

For a half-day trip, the bus from Moncloa is handier, dropping you by the monastery without the climb from the station. Leave in the morning to beat the groups, and bring a jacket, as the mountains are cooler and windier. Photos are banned almost everywhere inside.

El Escorial pairs well with a walk in the gardens and lunch in town, and energetic travellers with a car fit in Segovia or Ávila the same day. For a relaxed visit, though, give El Escorial its own half day.

Children enjoy the library and its globes and the gardens, and the palace's long corridors are best taken slowly. The audio guide explains how the monks and the royal court lived side by side here.

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How to do it right

• Closed on Mondays.
• The Moncloa bus goes right to the monastery.
• The library is the highlight.
• Bring a jacket: the mountains are cool.

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