San Lorenzo del Escorial: un surtido de encantos

Felipe II was the first Spanish monarch to move to this location in the mountains outside Madrid for the summer. He stayed in the solemn yet sober monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, where he died in 1598, inaugurating a tradition that his successors followed without exception: that their mortal remains rested in peace in the room known as El Pudridero (the “rotter”).

Without doubt, the visit to the monastery, the masterpiece of Herrerian art, is one of the main reasons why to go on this day trip, easily accessible on the Cercanías regional trains from Sol, Atocha or the Moncloa interchange. It is one of the Royal Sites, together with the Palacio de Aranjuez or La Granja de San Ildefonso, all of which you should visit at least once in your lifetime for its grandeur and the wealth of its heritage, which includes a library that holds many alchemy books, one of King Felipe’s passions, since he used them to search for cures for his many aches and pains.

As well as the monastery in itself, the surrounding royal gardens and the Príncipe Don Carlos Park House or the Casita del Príncipe gardens are an excellent complement to the visit. The architectonic complex can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00am until 8.00pm, with ticket offices open until 7.00pm and tickets starting at 10 euros for the Royal monastery.

Once you have finished the historical visit, walking around the town is a wonderful experience, especially on Calle Floridablanca, the town’s main artery. It has a bourgeois appearance that reminisces of past times. You can visit the Carlos III Coliseum Royal Theatre, the only one that preserves the theatre typology from the 18th century and, if you walk up the street, you reach an area with elegant villas that wealthy families enjoy during summer, away from the busy Spanish capital.

We finish this day trip, for example, at Cafetín Croché, a magnificent replica of a classic Modernist café, which serves a wide range of coffees and tapas. Enjoy.

It is really easy to go on this day trip from our hotel in the centre of Madrid. All you have to do is go to the Cercanías stations of Embajadores or Pirámides and take the train, change at Atocha and then take the train that goes to El Escorial.

Categories: Madrid Turismo