During my last visit to Madrid I made a daytrip to Segovia. This time I went to see El Escorial Monastery or the “Real Monasterio del El Escorial”. You can find the Monastery at San Lorenzo de El Escorial. San Lorenzo is located in the heart of the Sierra de Guadarrama and only 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Madrid.
We took the train from the station at Chamartín. It`s a 55 minutes train ride from there to “El Escorial” (Ticket price: 3.20 euro/one way *).
We read somewhere on the internet that it`s a short walk (500 meters/546 yards) uphill from the train station to the Monastery. Sorry to say, this is not true. It`s about a 15 minutes’ walk and yes, uphill. However there is a bus that probably takes you there in a few minutes.
The Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a beautiful old building in a wonderful location close to the mountains.
You can`t take photos inside the monastery, but I made some from the outside, so you have a bit of an idea of what it looks like.
The Monastery is open
(October – March) from 10 am till 5 pm
(April – September) from 10 am till 6 pm
CLOSED on Mondays!
For the latest changes, check this website.
Admission: 8 euros (10 euros if you choose for the guided tour)*
All other tariffs can be found here.
TIP: We were lucky, because the day we visited this monument was on a Wednesday and apparently on Wednesdays they offer free entrance to EU citizens when showing your EU citizen ID.
The building has a Museum of Architecture and Painting, Chapter Houses, Old Church, King`s Courtyard, a Library, a Basilica, Palace of Philip II, Evangelists` Courtyard and the Palace of the Bourbons. (Info was on the little brochure we got at the entrance)
More info can be found on www.patrimonionacional.es
*: This information is based on a visit in March 2010. Prices may change.
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