San Lorenzo de El Escorial, which is in the Sierra de Guadarrama and only 50 km away from Madrid, offers the visitor a unique architectural heritage, a privileged natural enclave and a cultural proposal unrivalled in the region.
It has the appropriate climate, the serenity and the facilities required for a pleasurable vacation. It is within such easy reach of Madrid that it has become a popular visiting place for "madrileños" as well as for national and international visitors attracted by the natural, cultural and architectural offer.
What to See
Monastery of El Escorial
Conceived to commemorate the victory of San Quintín over the French troops, on 10 August 1557, the day of San Lorenzo, El Escorial monastery is Felipe II's greatest work.The Spanish monarch lived there and died there. He was deeply religious and was one of the main exponents of the Catholic counter-reform. Felipe II wanted a great work of architecture and he got one. He spared no expense and found the best architects, gold and silver smiths, painters and sculptors in Europe. Everything about El Escorial is on a grand scale.The monastery buildings themselves, the size and coldness of the façades and patios, the valuable decoration of the inside walls with frescoes by Lucas Jordán, Cambiasso, paintings by Velázquez,Goya, Ribera,Titian, Heronymous Bosch, portraits of the monarchs painted by Carreño Miranda, Sánchez Coello and Pantoja de la Cruz. Its library contains more than 40,000 volumes, and the pantheon of the Kings and Queens is where all the Spanish monarchs have been laid to rest since Carlos I, with the exception of Felipe V, Fernando VI and Amadeo de Saboya. Everything in El Escorial is grand, majestic and serene.
The building is located on mount Abantos' hillside, 1,028 m above sea level. It has a rectangular shape and a surface of approximately 33,327 square meters. It has 16 patios, 88 fountains, 13 chapels, 15 cloisters, 86 staircases, 9 towers, 1,200 doors and 2,673 windows. The main door is on the 207 m long West faÇade, facing mount Abantos.
Valley of the Fallen
On the Guadarrama mountain chain, 8 km away from San Lorenzo de El Escorial is the huge monument (1,365 Ha.) of the Valle de los Caídos. A monument which Pedro Muguruza began building in 1940 and Diego Méndez finished in 1958.
The site on which it stands has a surface of 30,600 square meters. The crypt, decorated in a sober and austere manner, was built within the rock and is 262m long and 41m high.
A funicular, hidden in the mountain, takes the visitors inside the 150 m granite and concrete cross and an elevator takes them to the top and along its arms.
Behind the cross stand the Benedictine Abbey and other buildings that hold the library and the inn. Juan de Ávalos' sculptures are also worth visiting.
Gastronomy
Crowded restaurants, bars, cafeterias and ice-cream shops, all with their own sidewalk cafés offer the visitor the high quality products of this village.
San Lorenzo de El Escorial's cuisine has a peculiar and large variety of dishes and styles, which include the traditional cuisine of a mountain area, that from different Spanish regions, the exquisite international cuisine and the most recent nouveau cuisine; presented by pleasing and improved professionals.
Other Facts of interest
San Lorenzo de El Escorial has a lasting hotel tradition as it has long been a favourite summer residence and vacation site. Its large hotel offer enables visitors to enjoy the attractions of the village.
Its comfortable and varied hotels and guest houses procure a pleasant stay as well as the possibility of visiting tourist sites. Most hotels are in old buildings of high architectural interest and in an environment that blends elegance, tradition and friendliness. The cordial professional treatment given to visitors makes the stay even more enjoyable.
Boarding houses, youth hostels and campings are also available at reasonable prices and good quality.
