Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
2 h 30EveryoneAll year · closed on Mondays
Visit · 2–3 h · From €14 · Basilica, pantheons, library and picture galleries of Philip II's monastery
From €14
Book
From Madrid50 min by car · 1 h by bus
MonasteryFrom €14 · closed Monday
Minimum time1 day
Overall difficultyEasy
What to do
What to do in San Lorenzo de El Escorial
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Philip II's Seat through La Herrería
2 h 30 · 7 kmFamiliesDog-friendlyAll year; best in autumn, with the chestnut trees
Easy walk · 7 km there and back · From the tourist office to the rock viewpoint above the monastery
La Herrería, El Castañar and the Silla walk
2 h 45 · 8.6 kmWalkersDog-friendlyBest from October to May
Walk · 8.6 km · 2 h 45 · Moderate · Ash groves, chestnut woods and springs in the royal forest, ending at Philip II's Seat
Itineraries
Itineraries that pass through
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
San Lorenzo de El Escorial, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to San Lorenzo de El Escorial
Spring and autumn, with the La Herrería woodland green or golden. In summer the town is cooler than Madrid; in winter the monastery is seen with fewer people. Avoid Mondays: it is closed.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
San Lorenzo de El Escorial your way
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
By car, an hour from Madrid
From Madrid you arrive in about 50 minutes by the A-6 and the M-505. The car gives you what the train does not: Philip II's Seat, the Horizontal restaurant on the mountain and the campsite.
60–120 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayHotel Miranda & Suizo, in…
- Getting aroundMonasterio or plaza de la…
- Where to eatRestaurante Horizontal, on Abantos, with…
- ServicesPaid tourist blue zone, also…
Where to stay
- Hotel Miranda & Suizo, in the centre, with no car park of its own
- Hotel Dorma Victoria Palace, next to the bus station
- Camping El Escorial, on the M-600, for families
Getting around
- Monasterio or plaza de la Constitución car park, €2.70 an hour
- To Philip II's Seat, five minutes by car with parking at the foot
Where to eat
- Restaurante Horizontal, on Abantos, with parking
- Mesón La Cueva, two streets from the monastery
Services
- Paid tourist blue zone, also on Sundays, next to the monastery
Car-free, by bus or Cercanías
It is one of the few Royal Sites that is easy to reach without a car. The Moncloa buses leave you five minutes from the monastery; the route to the Silla starts on foot from the tourist office.
45–100 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayHotel Miranda & Suizo, a…
- Getting aroundBus 661 or 664 from…
- Where to eatMesón La Cueva, on calle…
- ServicesTourist office on calle Grimaldi
Where to stay
- Hotel Miranda & Suizo, a few metres from the monastery
- Hotel Dorma Victoria Palace, on the bus station street
- Albergue Juvenil El Escorial, the cheapest
Getting around
- Bus 661 or 664 from Moncloa
- Cercanías to El Escorial and L1 town bus to the centre
- On foot, Philip II's Seat: 7 km there and back
Where to eat
- Mesón La Cueva, on calle San Antón
- Miranda & Suizo café for an afternoon snack
Services
- Tourist office on calle Grimaldi
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights3
Who you're with
San Lorenzo de El Escorial for whoever you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
A monastery and a forest to visit with children
The monastery goes down better with the family if you split it: palace and pantheons in the morning, forest in the afternoon. The reduced ticket is for ages 5 to 16 and under-5s do not pay.
- What works bestPhilip II's Seat: steps in…
- Where to stayCamping El Escorial, with pools…
- Where to eatRestaurante Horizontal, with a terrace…
- Worth knowingThe monastery closes on Mondays
What works best
- Philip II's Seat: steps in the rock and views, with parking at the foot
- The Friars' Garden, free, for a run around
- The Royal Monastery, with the pantheons as the most impressive part
Where to stay
- Camping El Escorial, with pools and slides in season
- Hotel Miranda & Suizo, with extra beds
Where to eat
- Restaurante Horizontal, with a terrace on the mountain
- Chocolate with picatostes at the Miranda & Suizo
Worth knowing
- The monastery closes on Mondays
- You cannot enter the basilica during services
What to do as a family
Teenagers: history with vertigo and a real mountain
Teenagers get more hooked on the royal pantheon and the library than on the picture galleries. Afterwards, a proper climb up Mount Abantos.
- What works bestThe two-hour guided tour of…
- Where to stayAlbergue Juvenil El Escorial, in…
- Where to eatRestaurante Horizontal after the walk
- Worth knowingUp to age 16 they…
What works best
- The two-hour guided tour of the monastery, with stories about Philip II
- The climb to the Malagón pass through the Abantos pine forest
- The long route through La Herrería and El Castañar
Where to stay
- Albergue Juvenil El Escorial, in the town
- Hotel Miranda & Suizo
Where to eat
- Restaurante Horizontal after the walk
Worth knowing
- Up to age 16 they pay the reduced ticket; students, up to 25
What to do with teenagers
With a dog: royal forest and mountain
The monastery is not for the dog, but what surrounds it is: La Herrería and Abantos are public woodland with wide tracks. Keep it on a lead: there is livestock on the drovers' roads and roads to cross.
- WalksTo Philip II's Seat through…
- Where to stayHotel Miranda & Suizo, dogs…
- Worth knowingDogs are not allowed into…
Walks
- To Philip II's Seat through La Herrería, 7 km
- The long loop through El Castañar, 8.6 km
- Climb through the Abantos pine forest to the Malagón pass
Where to stay
- Hotel Miranda & Suizo, dogs up to 10 kg for €15 a day
- Camping El Escorial, with a weekly supplement
Worth knowing
- Dogs are not allowed into the monastery, the basilica or the casitas
- In summer, set out early: the sun beats down on the Abantos tracks
What to do with a dog
Philip II's Seat through La Herrería
La Herrería, El Castañar and the Silla walk
Climb through the Abantos pine forest to the Malagón pass
Where to stay with a dog
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're drivingwithout a car
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Hotel Miranda & Suizo
Why we like it: Three-star 19th-century hotel on calle Floridablanca, a few metres from the monastery, which accepts small dogs.
Hotel
Hotel Dorma Victoria Palace
Why we like it: 18th-century palace that opened in 1901 as the town's first hotel, next to the monastery, with a seasonal swimming pool.
Camping El Escorial
Why we like it: Large campsite at the foot of Abantos, 8 km from the monastery, with mobile homes, chalets and pitches, swimming pools with slides and animals allowed.
El Escorial Youth Hostel
Why we like it: Hostel in the Community of Madrid network in the town centre, with 100 beds in 33 rooms; closed to bookings for works until the end of the year.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Historic centre | Monastery, restaurants and hotels, all on foot | |
| La Herrería | Woodland, Silla de Felipe II and hermitage | |
| Mount Abantos | Pine forest, routes and the Horizontal |
Where to eat
Where to eat in San Lorenzo de El Escorial
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
Horizontal Restaurant
What to order: grilled meats or a game dish, such as the venison carpaccio or the pigeon risotto
Mesón La Cueva
What to order: a Castilian roast and homemade cake; if there are salt cod days, try it
Miranda & Suizo Café
What to order: chocolate with picatostes, the town's traditional afternoon snack
Map
Everything on the map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Nearby
Near San Lorenzo de El Escorial
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
40.78° N · 4.00° W
Navacerrada Pass and Cercedilla
By carCar-free
40.74° N · 3.88° W
Manzanares el Real and La Pedriza
40.95° N · 4.12° W
Segovia
By carCar-freeBy campervan
40.90° N · 3.88° W
Lozoya Valley: Rascafría, El Paular and Peñalara
By carCar-freeOn foot
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Go in at 10:00
The monastery first thing is seen without groups. If you want a guided visit, buy it in advance.
- 2Sunday afternoon, free
If you are from the EU or a resident, go in on Wednesdays or Sundays from 15:00 with a ticket from the ticket office; in winter the last entry is at 16:45.
- 3Go to the Silla at the end of the day
In the afternoon light, the monastery looks golden and the walk back to the car is short.
- 4Pay for the car park, not the blue zone
Beside the monastery the tourist blue zone is charged on Sundays too and has no time limit.
San Lorenzo de El Escorial is the town that grew up around the monastery Philip II built between 1563 and 1584 at the foot of Mount Abantos. You come for the building, a World Heritage Site since 1984, and you stay for what surrounds it: the La Herrería woodland, the terraced gardens and a sierra of pines that starts at the last street. It is 50 km from Madrid and can be seen well in a day.
How do you get there from Madrid?
By car, about 50 minutes along the A-6 and the M-505, or along the M-600 if you are coming from the sierra. Without a car you have two options. Buses 661 (via Galapagar) and 664 leave the Moncloa interchange and stop at the bus station on Calle Juan de Toledo, five minutes' walk from the monastery. The Cercanías reaches El Escorial station, in the lower municipality, in about an hour from Atocha; from there the urban bus L1 goes up, or you walk about 20 minutes uphill. For a day trip, the bus is the most convenient.
From Segovia and Ávila it is also less than an hour away, which makes it a good midway point for a weekend in the Sierra de Guadarrama.
Where to park?
There are two public car parks in the centre: the Monasterio one, on Calle del Rey, and the one on the Plaza de la Constitución, on Calle Floridablanca. They charge €2.70 an hour, with a daily maximum of €30.35. The streets beside the monastery are a paid tourist blue zone from 9:30 to 19:00 every day, Sundays too, so for a long visit the car park is worth it. For the Silla de Felipe II there is parking at the foot, on the road that goes up from the M-505.
How much time do you need?
A full day covers everything essential: the monastery in the morning, lunch in the town and in the afternoon the Silla de Felipe II or the Jardín de los Frailes. The monastery needs two to three hours; the Patrimonio Nacional guided visit, about two. If you want to walk up Abantos or see the Casita del Príncipe, which in winter opens only on Saturdays and public holidays, sleep a night.
What is there to see in the monastery?
The basilica, the royal and infantes' pantheons, the library with its painted vaults, the palace of the Habsburgs with Philip II's rooms and the Painting and Architecture museums. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 18:00 from October to March and until 19:00 from April to September, with last entry 1 h 15 min before closing. Admission costs €14, €7 reduced, and on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons it is free for citizens of the EU and Latin America and residents, with tickets only at the ticket office.
And outside the monastery?
The La Herrería woodland, owned by Patrimonio Nacional and part of Natura 2000, starts five minutes from the Lonja. An easy track leads to the Silla de Felipe II, a viewpoint carved into the rock with the best-known view of the monastery. Longer is the walk through El Castañar, which in autumn is the best of the day. And upwards, the Abantos pine forest climbs to the Malagón pass, already on the border with Segovia. In the town, the Jardín de los Frailes, free except on Mondays, looks out over the monastery's vegetable gardens and pond.
When to go?
In spring and autumn. In May the woodland is green and there is water in the fountains; in October and November the chestnuts and ash trees turn yellow. Summer is cooler than in Madrid, although the Abantos routes call for setting out early. In winter the monastery has fewer people, but it can snow on the mountain. Avoid Mondays, when the monastery is closed, and check Patrimonio Nacional's closure calendar: in 2026 it closed, for example, on 13 September.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to enter the El Escorial monastery?
€14 general admission and €7 reduced; the guided visit, €22. Children under 5 go free.
What day is the monastery closed?
On Mondays, as well as some holidays: in 2026, 1 and 6 January, 1 May, 13 September and 24, 25 and 31 December.
Can you go without a car from Madrid?
Yes. Buses 661 and 664 leave Moncloa and drop you five minutes from the monastery; the Cercanías reaches El Escorial station.
Where is the Silla de Felipe II?
In the La Herrería woodland, about 3.5 km on foot from the monastery, or five minutes by car with parking at the foot.
Can you go with a dog?
Not to the monastery, but to La Herrería and Abantos yes, always on a lead. The Hotel Miranda & Suizo admits dogs up to 10 kg.
Where can you eat on Sunday?
The Mesón La Cueva, beside the monastery, is open on Sunday lunchtime; the Restaurante Horizontal, on Mount Abantos, from 10:00 to 20:00.