The abode is about an hour's drive from Madrid at the foot of the Sierra Nevada ridge. The strict fortress served as the residence of the Spanish kings. Construction lasted from 1563 to 1584. Despite the harsh and fairly simple appearance, the interior decoration of the palace is amazing with splendor and luxury. Here rests the dust of all Spanish monarchs, starting with Charles V.
Address:
Av Juan de Borbón y Battemberg, s/n, San Lorenzo de El Escorial
Phone:
+34 918 90 59 02
Comment
04.12.23
Vlady
Beautiful place, totally worth visiting. On Wednesday and Sunday 15:00-18:00 the entrance is free. Love how not crowded and beautiful it was.
01.12.23
Jorge
It was my third visit to Escorial, on a cold winter day, so that it wasn't crowded as it sometimes might be. I keep marvelling at this site. Every time I must remind myself that this huge building is much smaller than Portugal's Mafra (bigg.. Read more »est religious building in the world) yet it seems larger and grander, and that is for its austere style, straight lines with minimal decoration, laid at the feet of an imposing mountain crest. Inside, the library is (as it's often the case in places like this) a masterpiece. Great collection of painting and, also, impressive, the crypt where the remains of almost all the Spanish kings and queens of the Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties were laid to rest.
21.11.23
Caterina
Beautiful place! It took us three hours to visit the whole place, and we had some lunch in the gardens. It wasn't crowded. There's a lot of bars and restaurants around, and the bus station is 10 minutes by foot.
08.11.23
Will
Really one of the best, if not the best palace ive seen in Europe. You shouldnt miss this gem, simply because of the paintings on the walls, the collections and how majestics their buildings are! and also cross the street for a unique coffee with the.. Read more » view too!
08.10.23
Rebecca
Wonderful place to visit!! No photos are allowed inside. There are free lockers for backpacks and bags off the the left when you first walk in after buying your ticket and bathrooms. Give yourself at least two hours to explore. There is so much to se.. Read more »e - cloisters, the library (across a courtyard and up a bunch of steps), then, the basilica, crypt, art, rooms, halls and so much detail! Keep your ticket handy for the library and after the basilica. They will check in both places and ask to make sure you have seen the library. So nice, definitely wouldn't want to miss that! If you have time before you leave city, walk around the the left and explore the gardens and garden views!
09.04.23
Tyler
It’s only a short 50 minute train ride from Madrid. Beautiful little town that you can walk through or take the bus. The Palace/ Monastery is stunning and the self guided tour is well done. We saw so much on the tour. After we had a great lunch.. Read more » a block away. Great last minute day trip from Madrid.
08.04.23
FotorDG
The is one of the most beautiful monastery's I've ever seen!! You don't have to pay to see the basilica but to see all the corners of the monastery you do have to pay 12€. There's discounts for students, children and seniors... Read more » I really advice the visit!!!! You can't take fotos or videos inside some rooms. It take more or less 3 hours to see everything. This place has incredible paintings and frescos. High recommend a tour throughout the big place!!
30.03.23
Emily
A really beautiful building with amazing stories. The library was truly an incredible space.
The audio guide is available through an app on your phone (that you have to pay for sadly) and was really annoying to use- you have to keep your phone unlock.. Read more »ed the whole time to listen to it, and if your phone locks accidentally the your resets the tour and you have to click through all the options again which is a bit of a pain!
The entry also doesn’t include the gardens from what I could tell.
23.03.23
Bethany
My group wanted to take advantage of the free admission hours. It was okay but really not enough time to see everything since the free hours are so limited. If you're slow like me and want to read all the signs, just buy tickets for general admi.. Read more »ssion. You won't be rushed and you'll have time to enjoy everything. The location is beautiful and the buildings are fantastic. Be aware you are not supposed to take photos indoors and they're pretty strict about it, so just don't.
26.02.23
Manuel
A little overrated attraction. Of course important historic ground. It is bleak and cold. Bring your jackets, we needed them in March! Enourmous thick walls and sometimes low ceilings. It is much more a monastery than a palace. But not one, one likes.. Read more » to live in. The stuff is very friendly and there is a wheelchair service, although you can't avoid stairs or you will see nothing. Parking can be a problem, there are places near by, but not much. There is a great app, easy park, that will help a lot! The crypts are very cool, marvel and statues all around. Also a lot of El Greco paintings. The church might be closed sometimes for tourists, when there is a mass. Happened to us. To take pictures is annoyingly strictly forbidden in most of the rooms. Maybe the want to sell their overpriced postcards and guidebooks.
19.11.22
Shaun
I did this in two stages. I walked around the village the night before as well as the outside while it is quieter. It is worth getting a guided tour as there is so much to see and it is easy to miss out whole sections. There are no photos allowed on .. Read more »the inside but plenty of illustrated books are available. Be prepared to spend at least three hours here and consider a trip to the controversial valley of the fallen just 20 minutes away while you are in the area.
26.09.22
Shaun
I did this in two stages. I walked around the village the night before as well as the outside while it is quieter. It is worth getting a guided tour as there is so much to see and it is easy to miss out whole sections. There are no photos allowed on .. Read more »the inside but plenty of illustrated books are available. Be prepared to spend at least three hours here and consider a trip to the controversial valley of the fallen just 20 minutes away while you are in the area.
31.07.22
Ian
Very impressive building, interesting history of both it's creation and growth as well as it's uses over the years.
Few too many paintings, but worth a visit nonetheless. Free after 1500 for spanish, or at least was on Sunday.
If you don&#.. Read more »039;t want to go in, still worth a visit for the walk up.
31.07.22
Diana
A gorgeous monastery with beautiful architecture, it is huge and takes a while to cover. Since we visited on a Sunday, we could not see the church because there was mass going on. Only disappointment was that we were told time and again that we aren&.. Read more »#039;t allowed to take pictures, so it's kind of a bummer not having any pictures of the interior of the monastery. Carry a hand fan during summers, it tends to get warm inside. Overall, it is still stunning.
12.06.22
ummekulsoom
Purchased tkt at the gate. Wasn’t busy at all we had a wonderful time. Beautiful weather.. we. Took a bus and. Then a train from Gran via to El Escorial. Totally worth it. Half a day trip to and. Back. Quiet city…
01.06.22
Jeremy
Something borrowed, something new, something blue...wait...that's not this. El Escorial. Smaller than it should be. By a lot. Spend two hours. Interesting, but isn't all that. We saw it on the Felipe II train, so the guided tour recei.. Read more »ved was from the Department of Redundancy Department. Also, the guide wasn't exceptional. Interesting, historic, but only about a two hour investment--and unfortunately not particularly proximate other sights.
21.05.22
Lourdes
Paid 6€ with student reduced price. Totally worth it. Took me around 2 hours to get through the entire site. No photos allowed inside. Favorite part was the magnificent basilica found inside El Escorial. It is very similar to an art museum exper.. Read more »ience plus the rooms are ornate. The gardens are not particularly special, but they are well kept. Makes for a great day trip from Madrid.
30.03.22
Nurece
The library was incredible. And also the tombs of the royals. A very interesting place for all the people, not only for tourism. To see the hand written books is incredible. A must see in Spain..
10.12.21
Amatullah
It is a beautiful and stately palace. It is well maintained and has details about each of its rooms. An audio guide is also available (although I didn't use it). The basilica is probably the best part of the entire palace. It is a must visit for.. Read more » history and art enthusiasts as a part of Philip II's private collection is housed here including paintings by El Greco and Goya. It took me close to 2 hours to complete the tour without a guide so plan accordingly!
08.12.21
Zachary
Its a beautiful place, sadly we couldn’t go inside because they are closed on Mondays. At least thats what the lady told us, not sure if its true, Google said it was open. There isn’t much to do if you cant go in, but nearby is a small pl.. Read more »aza with restaurants. Since it was December they had a mock-Jerusalem village set up to walk through.
25.11.21
Amy
The tour was nice. The tour guide could speak both English and Spanish for our group that spoke one language or the other.
My favorite parts were the royal library and the tomb. They were decorated with gold, but in a tasteful way.
Since we were no.. Read more »t allowed to take photos, you will just have to take a look for yourself. Just be warned that some days, outside of the monastery the wind is very intense, enough to rip off your glasses intense.
13.11.21
Miassar
This is believed to be the largest Renaissance structure in the world. El Escorial is a complex of many buildings with different functions within one huge structure. The two major parts of the structure are the royal palace and the monastery. And wit.. Read more »hin the premises of those two structures you happen upon a basilica, pantheon, library, museum, university, school, and hospital. Along the time a small town developed around the building.
El Escorial served as one of the seats for the Spanish monarchy. The mood in this palace is a little bit austere and somber.
The Escorial is almost 50 km from Madrid. A bus service will take there.
The admission fee is 10€ (2021 prices). Keep in mind that the Escorial is closed on Mondays.
After visiting the Palace and the Monastery, you can walk to the adjacent town. There you will find many nice cafes and restaurants. The prices are fair and the mood is very relaxing.
13.11.21
Joseph
An amazing place to visit. It was interesting that the facility still serves as a school so there are quite a bit of children around. The entrance is a bit hard to find, but once you get inside, it’s well marked out.
Probably to most interesti.. Read more »ng aspect of this place is the tombs underground. It’s unique and amazing.
23.09.21
Mir
This is a town an hour from Madrid really well worth a visit. Go for a guided tour of El Monasterio and then for an amazing little lunch in town and a hike in the mountains. The history of this place is impressive
29.07.21
H
They force you to pay full price for a limited visit... dirty trick!
The best places were closed, so you'll see photos in maps and online of sections that are closed.
Why? Is there a "maintenance period" to avoid?
Why they don't .. Read more »mention it?
Will be great to know it beforehand and go when the whole place is open.
28.07.21
Alina
Came back to El Escorial after 4 years to a bitter disappointment. No more audio guides available. Cellini's Christ can only be seen behind steel bars. The large royal crypt is completely off limits now. The visit through the Habsburg part of th.. Read more »e building has been cut in half. The tour of the Bourbon part is even shorter.
06.06.21
Philippe
Very much worth the visit but be aware it could get tiring for people with walking difficulties as the place is full of stairs and quite big.
Inside the most impressive part of the museum are the Church and the library (that I believe you can both ac.. Read more »cess without purchasing the entrance ticket), one of the royal room (ballroom I believe) where there are magnificent wooden doord with different shades and wood type to give very detailed and volumetric visual impressions, and finally the family tomb with all the beautiful marble decoration as you were in one of the epic and majestic fantasy movie or series such as Game of Thrones.
Photos inside are forbidden si unfortunately I don't have much to show.
12.05.21
Mike
Definitely worth a visit as a day trip. You will at least two hours to see all. The king and queens Pantheon de los reyes is currently closed. Lots of restaurants nearby for after the visit. Be careful of the bus or train times returning back to Madr.. Read more »id especially at the weekend. Enjoy
20.03.21
Mathieu
Totally worth a one day trip from Madrid, wonderful town and little hikes to do. Still within the monastery you can only visit the basilica on the afternoon and there is usually one train per hour for Madrid.
25.02.21
Sophie
Absolutely wonderful place to visit and look around, we couldn't believe it was only 6 euro a person and the gardens are free to look around. Little tricky with a pushchair as there are alot of stairs Inside, but we managed and all the staff wer.. Read more »e helpful.
25.02.21
Maxim
Beautiful small town of El Escorial with a magnificent palace to explore. The palace gardens are beautiful, so are the breathtaking ceiling paintings. A pleasant, if somewhat long, walk to the palace from the main train station, but definitely worth .. Read more »it to see the town up close. An hour train ride from Madrid. Local baguetes are delicious for lunch.
03.11.20
Sarah
A great spot to visit when in El Escorial! It’s free to walk outside in the gardens. We stopped here on the way down from Silla de Felipe II hike. Close to many restaurants and bars.
27.10.20
Emma
a wonderful place i recommend visiting people.there is no photography inside,but it is a world heritage worth seeing and everything is impressive expected of as a magnificent viewer, architectural engineering and respect for the past
22.10.20
Paddy
Philip's instructions to Toledo were simple and clear, directing that the architects should produce "simplicity in the construction, severity in the whole, nobility without arrogance, majesty without ostentation." Brief achieved!
12.08.20
Pedro
PROS: impressive heritage | easy free parking | safe & clean city
CONS: no free historical places to visit
12.08.20
judith
This place is very beautiful but they don't care about the animals in this pond. There's plastic in it and the fishes are eating it. It's very dirty, at least they could clean the water a little bit.
13.07.20
Hoffmann
Free the Wednesday and the Sunday afternoon this monastery will make you small, really nice experience
06.07.20
iker
This place is not only a building, it is a source of culture you can enjoy if you can appreciate. I strongly recommend to visit it in the morning.
08.12.19
Patrick
We stayed in El Escorial instead of Madrid and it was a good decision.
This Palace is well worth a visit. Get there early - 10am and pre book your ticket if you can. We went on a Sunday and the Basilica is a normal church so you can’t visit wh.. Read more »ile services are on. However it’s imperative that you go inside - it’s simply stunning.
It’s a very different kind of Palace as it’s basically a monastery - so not as flamboyant as other palaces. Lots of incredible art work.
Well worth a visit
20.08.19
Shawnna
Spain was our last country of a 2 week trip to Europe and we had nothing planned. Our hotel suggested El Escorial and we were completely amazed. They do not allow photographs anywhere except on the outside of the buildings, but when we were in the ca.. Read more »thedral the security guard came up to me and told me I could take photos. The biblioteca is absolutely breath taking. We had just come from Rome and had seen the Sistine Chapel but when we stepped in here we were the only ones other than the security guards and it was so beautiful. It took us 2 hours to go through the whole thing but we were rushing because they were due to close. It was by far one of our favorite things we did on our 2 week trip. It is a must visit. When you are in all the apartments notice all the clocks they have tons of clocks I can’t remember how many they told us they have. You will not be disappointed and the price was very reasonable to go through the museum. I was traveling with2 adults and 4 children ages 7 to 14.
4.6 / 67
