El Escorial is one of the historical residents of Spanish Royal family which is located in San Lorenzo de El Escorials that is about 45 km northwest from Madrid. This is famous for Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial which reflects the history and culture of Spain.
El Escorial directly connected to the UNESCO, World Heritage Sites due to the historical architecture- The Monastery of El Escorial that was listed in the UNESCO's World Heritage Site in 1984. This has become of the most attractive destinations for local as well as foreign visitors.
The history of the monastery goes back to 16th century when it was built on the lap of Sierra de Gaudarrama mountain as the monument of Spanish victory over French. Felipe II played vital role for the construction and development of the Monastery who chose the location and gave closer look during the construction period. Juan Bautista de Toledo was the initial designer of the Monastery but it was continued by his assistant Juan de Herrera after his death. The construction project took about 21 years from the commencement date. The monastery became the largest building of the 16th century all over the world.
The structure of Monastery consists of 207x161 meters with 55 meters tall and four towers at the four corners of the building. Basically, it was the political center during the regime of King Philip II which has become one of the most important tourists attraction for day trip.
How to get there?
Most of the visitors visit the monastery during the day time and they mostly arrive from Madrid. There are many local trains which have connected San Lorenzo de El Escorials and Madrid.
Most of the trains for the monastery can be caught either from Chamartin or Atocha stations in Madrid. You can also visit by bus which you can catch in Moncloa Interchange line 661 and 664.
It takes about an hour to reach El Escorial from Madrid by bus and five minutes on foot from the El Escorial bus station.
If you go by train, you need to catch another bus from El Escorial to monastery otherwise you should walk uphill on foot which takes about 20 minutes to reach the monastery.
If you have to get back to Madrid from the monastery, simply go to the Calle Juan de Toledo bus station and catch a bus for Madrid.