# San Lorenzo de El Escorial

Philip II's monastery, the La Herrería woodland and Mount Abantos, 50 minutes from Madrid by car or by bus from Moncloa.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/san-lorenzo-de-el-escorial · Revisado: 2026-11-12

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.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: The Central System, Scenic train journeys in Spain, Historic bookshops and libraries of Europe
- Cerca: Navacerrada Pass and Cercedilla (a 24.6 km), Manzanares el Real and La Pedriza (a 27.9 km), Segovia (a 39.7 km), Lozoya Valley: Rascafría, El Paular and Peñalara (a 41.5 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial** (2 h 30 · Everyone · Desde 14 € per person): Philip II ordered it built between 1563 and 1584, to plans by Juan de Herrera, as a palace, basilica, royal pantheon, convent, school and library all at once. It has been a World Heritage Site since 1984 and is the reason almost everyone comes.
What you can see
The self-guided visit takes in the basilica, the pantheons of kings and of princes and princesses, the library with its painted ceilings, the palace of the Habsburgs, with Philip II's rooms, and the Painting and Architecture museums, all included in the ticket. The basilica needs no ticket, but it closes during services.
Opening hours and prices
Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00 from October to March and until 19:00 from April to September. The ticket office and entry close 1 h 15 min earlier: at 16:45 in winter. It is closed on Mondays and, in 2026, on 1 and 6 January, 1 May, 13 September and 24, 25 and 31 December. General admission costs €14 and reduced €7 (ages 5 to 16, over-65s and students up to 25); under-5s do not pay. Online there is an extra €0.77 booking fee.
Guided tour
Patrimonio Nacional runs guided tours of about two hours: €22 general and €15 reduced. In Spanish they leave Tuesday to Sunday at 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30 and 13:30, and in English at 10:45. They must be bought in advance.
Free, if you meet the conditions
On Wednesdays and Sundays from 15:00 until closing, citizens of the EU and Latin America and residents with a work permit get in free; these tickets are only issued at the ticket office. Allow for the last entry at 16:45 in winter. It is also free on 18 May and 12 October.
- **Philip II's Seat through La Herrería** (2 h 30 · 7 km · Families · Free): A seat carved into a throne-shaped granite crag, high in the La Herrería forest, from where, according to tradition, Philip II watched the monastery's construction progress. The tourist office also notes a recent hypothesis: that the rock may have been a Vettonian altar, much older than the king. Either way, the views over the building and the town, with the sierra behind, are the best known in El Escorial.
The walk from the town
The council suggests it as a family route from the tourist office. You leave the Lonja through the arches of La Compaña, with the view of the Friars' Garden, its kitchen gardens and the weeping-willow pond, and continue along paseo de Carlos III, among horse chestnuts, to the two columns that open onto La Herrería by the Cuesta de los Pastores. La Herrería has been a Picturesque Site since 1961 and belongs to Patrimonio Nacional.
You go down keeping Zarco's kiosk and the Seminario fountain on your right, pass the golf course and the Santa María del Buen Aire youth hostel, through a pasture of ash and plane trees, and reach the Cruz de los Romeros; a detour leads to the fuente de los Capones. The slope drops to the arroyo del Batán and the crossing with the M-505 road, which you must cross with care at the zebra crossing. From there a tarmac track leads to the Silla, with the hermitage of the Virgen de Gracia to one side; next to it is a Scots pine listed as a Singular Tree of the Community of Madrid. It is about 7 km of easy walking among Pyrenean oaks, cherries, blackthorns, hawthorns and hazels.
At the Silla
You climb some steps carved into the rock to sit where, as the story goes, the king used to sit. Beside the stairway grows a tree-sized Montpellier maple, also a Singular Tree. The oak wood around is a good place to see birds; red-rumped swallows are often plentiful on this stretch.
By car and with reduced mobility
There is a recreation area with parking at the foot, on the Silla road, from where you climb the steps carved into the rock. From the resting place close to the Silla starts the Senda ecológica, 1 km and low difficulty, on a forest track closed to traffic, with Braille panels and access for wheelchair users.
With children and what to combine
It is the classic family outing: easy, with springs along the way and a rewarding finish. Dogs must be on a lead, especially at the road crossing. On the second Sunday of September the Romería de la Virgen de Gracia, a festival of National Tourist Interest, is held around the hermitage. If you want to make it longer, return through La Herrería and El Castañar, and in autumn do not miss the chestnut trees.
- **La Herrería, El Castañar and the Silla walk** (2 h 45 · 8.6 km · Walkers · Free): The long version of Philip II's Seat: 8.6 km of moderate difficulty that the town council website estimates at about 2 h 45, through four types of woodland, from ash groves to oak woods, the chestnut grove and the gallery woods of willows and poplars along the stream. La Herrería is part of the Natura 2000 network, within the Site of Community Importance "Cuenca del Río Guadarrama", and has survived intact because it belongs to Patrimonio Nacional and was not sold off in the 19th-century confiscation of Crown property.
The route
It sets off from the tourist office, on calle Grimaldi, and goes down to the Lonja of the monastery. On the parapet of the wall a plaque recalls the meridian line drawn by Luis Ceballos in 1905, which shows that the building is not oriented exactly to the cardinal points. Through the arches that join the Casa de la Compaña with the Botica, you pass the entrance to the Friars' Garden and its viewpoint.
After crossing paseo de Carlos III, you enter La Herrería by the columns at the Cuesta de los Pastores; the area was declared a Picturesque Landscape in 1961, along with the Pinar de Abantos. You continue past the Seminario fountain, with a kiosk of information panels on the forest, the Cruz de los Romeros and the stone bridge over the arroyo del Batán, where the procession of the Virgen de Gracia passes each year. You have to cross the M-505 road with care.
Then you go round the wall of the El Castañar estate to its main gate and the Fuente de la Reina, climb past the Tilo de la Mano (the Hand Lime), which has lost two of the five branches that gave it its name, and pass the fence of the Historic Territory of Philip II, a Bien de Interés Cultural since 2006. The ruin of the Casa del Sordo, a 16th-century gamekeeper's house, already gives views over El Escorial before you reach Philip II's Seat. The return crosses the M-505 again and enters the town by the Calleja Larga, with a final stop at the viewpoint of the King's and Queen's Gardens.
What you need to know

Distance: 8.6 km.
Time: about 2 h 45.
Difficulty: moderate.
Best time: October to May; in October and November the chestnut grove is the best part of the day.

There are stretches of narrow path and two road crossings. Near the Fuente de la Reina the Senda ecológica also begins, an adapted, accessible route that follows the forest track to the Silla, in case anyone in the group prefers an easier way. Take water and comfortable footwear. Dogs must be on a lead.
Special dates
On the second Sunday of September the Romería de la Virgen de Gracia is held in this area, a festival of National Tourist Interest since 1988, with the rondón dance to the sound of dulzainas (traditional reed pipes).
- **Casita del Príncipe** (30 min · Art lovers · €8 · guided tour): A small pleasure palace that Juan de Villanueva, one of the great architects of Spanish neoclassicism, built between 1771 and 1775 for the future Charles IV, then Prince of Asturias, in an oak wood between the monastery and the town of El Escorial. Inside are small, richly decorated rooms, with silks, clocks and paintings. It is run by Patrimonio Nacional, takes half an hour to see and is always visited with a guide.
The building and its gardens
At first it was a single rectangular block, with a 27-metre façade; between 1781 and 1784 a rear wing was added. It has been a Bien de Interés Cultural (listed heritage site) since 1931. It is surrounded by two gardens, one in front and one behind, joined by two porticoes with Tuscan columns. The front garden has avenues of box hedges that start from a fountain, with conifers and large sequoias; the rear one has quadrants of fruit trees, rose bushes and conifers, an arch of cypresses, a small waterfall and a large gilded mask that pours irrigation water into a pond. Around it extends a park of oaks and holm oaks, and species brought in from elsewhere such as the sequoia and the Spanish fir.
The park and gardens of the Casita are free to enter, so even if you cannot get a place inside, the walk is worthwhile.
When you can visit

October to March: Saturdays and public holidays, 10:00 to 15:00. The Patrimonio Nacional ticket office gives guided passes on Saturdays at 10:30, 11:30, 13:00 and 14:00.
April to September: Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays, 12:00 to 19:00.
Ticket office closing and entry: one hour before closing.
Closed all day in 2026: 1 and 6 January, 1 May, 13 September and 24, 25 and 31 December. There may be extra closures for official events.

On a winter Sunday that is not a public holiday it is closed.
Tickets
The guided tour costs €8 per person, plus €0.77 booking fee if you buy online; the tours sold online are all in Spanish. Groups are small and places few, so book at the official Patrimonio Nacional ticket office. On site there is a ticket machine that accepts cards only. It accepts the Bono Cultural Joven.
You can take photos without flash for personal use, except where indicated, but tripods and selfie sticks are not allowed. The Casita is not accessible for people with disabilities.
Getting there
It is in the lower part of the Royal Site, on avenida de los Reyes Católicos, already in the municipality of El Escorial, next to the station road. From the Royal Monastery it is about 15 minutes on foot downhill through the gardens. If you arrive by Cercanías commuter train, line C-8 from Atocha stops at El Escorial station and the Casita is on your way when you walk up to the town; by bus, lines 661 and 664 leave from Moncloa (more details). For the car, see the car parks in the centre.
- **Climb through the Abantos pine forest to the Malagón pass** (4 h · 9.5 km · Walkers · Free): The mountain behind the monastery. The council route starts at the top of the town, next to the Romeral dam, and climbs through pine woods, springs and old water channels to the resting place and pass of San Juan de Malagón, at 1,537 metres, following stretches of the Cañada Real Leonesa (a royal drovers' road). It returns as a loop via Los Llanillos. It is about 9.5 km of moderate difficulty.
The climb
You start at the highest, westernmost part of the town, following at first the signs for the Euroforum Felipe II, as far as calle de la Presa and the wall of the Romeral dam. There a narrow path begins up to the Casa Rústica viewpoint, above the reservoir. The wall of the modern dam is attributed to Juan de Villanueva, in the time of Charles III; some remains of Philip II's original dam survive.
The path continues among Corsican pines and cedars, alongside the remains of the Gran Cerca Real, which marked the limits of the Crown's properties, and in several stretches coincides with the GR-10, waymarked in red and white. It passes the forest park at the fuente de la Teja, from 1929, and the fuente de la Currutaca, where in 1892 the Escuela Especial de Ingenieros de Montes began reforesting the mountain. Higher up there are oaks, maples, limes and horse chestnuts, and you reach the Cordel del Valle, a branch of the drovers' road. After the Gallegos nursery and the fuente de la Concha, with two large Spanish firs, you pass the Luis Ceballos Arboretum.
At the top and the return
At the pass, the resting place is an open area of broom from which you can see the Tobar reservoir, the Sierra de la Paramera and, on clear days, the Sierra de Gredos as far as La Galana and Almanzor. The return goes down the road to the Los Llanillos track, with a centuries-old elm more than 23 metres tall next to the spring, and descends by a zigzag path they call "las zetas" or "las siete revueltas" (the seven bends) until it joins the track back to the start. Watch out: the path that leaves the Los Llanillos track is poorly marked.
What you need to know

Distance: about 9.5 km as a loop.
Difficulty: moderate, almost all uphill on the way out.
Time: the council website estimates 2.2 hours; with stops and the climb, allow more.
Season: spring and autumn; in winter there may be snow at the top.

Take water, mountain footwear and a warm layer: at the pass it is much colder than at the Lonja. Dogs must be on a lead because there is livestock on the drovers' road. The tourist office gives out maps of the route.
To eat or sleep nearby
On the way down you have the Horizontal restaurant within reach, on the Abantos mountain road. If you want to sleep at the foot of the mountain, Camping El Escorial is on the slopes of Abantos.
- **Friars' Garden and its viewpoint** (30 min · Everyone · Free): Below the south façade of the Royal Monastery, on artificial terraces, step the box parterres of the Friars' Garden, the old kitchen gardens and a pond presided over by a large weeping willow. It is a historic garden with free access, one of the quietest corners of the Royal Site, and it closes on Mondays.
What you can see
The terraces that run along the south and east façades of the monastery form the historic gardens: the Friars' Garden and the King's and Queen's Gardens. According to the tourist office, the gardeners brought by Philip II laid out squares of box hedges with brightly coloured flowers, which at the time were compared to "fine carpets brought from Damascus". Today the flowers have been replaced by patterns made from the hedges themselves.
Below lay the monks' kitchen garden. Fray José de Sigüenza wrote that it stood on the best land "to be found for many leagues". It was surrounded by a stone wall of about 8,000 feet, attributed to Francisco de Mora and built between 1587 and 1588, with four gates: Calleja Larga, Bosquecillo, La Herrería and La Compaña. Inside, fruit trees and vegetables were planted in lanes and plots. The pond originates from one of the two oldest springs on the site, the Blasco Sancho or del Estribo.
The viewpoint
Opposite the entrance there is a viewpoint from which you can see the whole garden: the monastery, the terraces, the kitchen gardens, the pond, the Bosquecillo and La Herrería, with the Machotas behind. On clear days you can also make out the Madrid skyline.
How to get in
The entrance is under the arches that join the Casa de la Compaña, now the Real Centro Universitario Escorial – María Cristina, with the Botica, at the exit from the Lonja. Access is free and it is closed on Mondays; opening hours are not published on the tourism website, so if you are going late, ask at the tourist office, on calle Grimaldi, a couple of steps away.
It is a good place to rest with children after visiting the monastery, and to photograph the building from below.
What to combine
The garden is the starting point of the two walking routes the council suggests towards La Herrería: the short one to Philip II's Seat and the long one through La Herrería and El Castañar. Both leave the Lonja through the arches of La Compaña and pass the viewpoint. If you prefer to stay in the town, very close by you have the café at the Miranda & Suizo, on calle Floridablanca.
- **Tren de Felipe II, from Madrid to El Escorial in 1940s carriages** (8 h · Families and anyone who wants to see El Escorial without a car and with a bit of theatre · Desde 16.15 € adult, Travesía Pack with monastery admission): The Tren de Felipe II makes the journey from central Madrid to El Escorial through the Sierra de Guadarrama in about 50 minutes, but in 1940s carriages of the 5000 and 6000 series, divided into compartments of up to eight people. During the trip there is entertainment about Philip II and the history of the Royal Site. It is run by Alsa under its Trenes Turísticos brand.
When it runs
Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays in spring and autumn. In 2026 the spring season ran from 21 March to 20 June and the autumn one runs from 19 September to 12 December: the 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29 November and the 5, 6, 8 and 12 December remain. Spring 2027 has no published dates yet. The listing does not give the station or the departure time: they appear when you book.
The three packs
All include the return train.

Travesía: with admission to the Royal Monastery, without a guide. €16.15 for an adult, €13.60 for a child.
Leyendas: a theatrical tour of San Lorenzo, the gardens of the Casita del Infante and those of the monastery. €23.80 and €19.90.
Imperial: a guided tour of the Royal Site and the monastery. €32 and €26.90.

The website warns that prices and dates depend on availability: on autumn weekends, buy in advance.
The day in San Lorenzo
For lunch in the village, the Mesón La Cueva occupies a former 18th-century inn; book if you go on a train weekend. If you have the afternoon to spare, the Friars' Garden lies below the south façade.
If it doesn't match
The Cercanías and the buses from Moncloa make the journey every day, without period carriages.

## Dónde comer
- **Horizontal Restaurant** (Restaurant, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, €€€). Qué pedir: grilled meats or a game dish, such as the venison carpaccio or the pigeon risotto
- **Mesón La Cueva** (Restaurant, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, €€). Qué pedir: a Castilian roast and homemade cake; if there are salt cod days, try it
- **Miranda & Suizo Café** (Café, San Lorenzo de El Escorial, €). Qué pedir: chocolate with picatostes, the town's traditional afternoon snack

## By car: 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.
Presupuesto orientativo: 60–120 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Hotel Miranda & Suizo** (Hotel): The oldest hotel in the town
"El Miranda" began in the late 19th century, when Isidro Miranda turned the old Casa de Comediantes into a guesthouse. Today it is the Hotel Miranda & Suizo, a renovated three-star with 52 rooms at calle Floridablanca, 20, a few metres from the monastery and the plaza de la Constitución. Everything for the day is on foot: you step out of the door and you are in the centre.
Five room types
Singles, standard doubles, attic doubles, superior doubles with views and a junior suite, with full bathroom, television and minibar. There are rooms adapted for people with reduced mobility. An extra bed costs €30 a day and a cot is free for under-twos, subject to availability and requested when booking. Rates appear on its website, which guarantees the best price there; cancellation is free up to 48 hours before with the flexible rate, although conditions vary by rate and season.
Chocolate with picatostes and the glazed dining room
The café opens every day from 8:00 to 22:00, with the kitchen until 21:30 from Sunday to Thursday and until 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. It has coffee, pastries, snacks and its traditional-recipe hot chocolate with picatostes. The breakfast buffet, at €10 per person, is served on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 7:30 to 11:30; on other days breakfast is in the café. The restaurant is a glazed dining room serving seasonal Mediterranean cooking, with a menu that changes often, open daily from 13:00 to 15:30; dinner is booked at reception.
With a small dog
It accepts dogs up to 10 kg, with a supplement of €15 a day; assistance dogs and security-force dogs do not pay. Let them know when you book.
Getting there and parking
It has no car park: leave the car in the public car park at plaza de la Constitución, at Floridablanca 9, or in the Monasterio one, on calle del Rey. Check-in is from 15:00 (earlier if the room is ready) and check-out until 11:00, with late check-out until 14:00 if there is space; they store luggage before and after.
From the door, the Royal Monastery is a few metres away, and the Casita del Príncipe is down through the town. For eating out, the Mesón La Cueva is a few minutes away.
- **Hotel Dorma Victoria Palace** (Hotel): San Lorenzo's first hotel
The Dorma Victoria Palace occupies an 18th-century palace that opened as a hotel in 1901, the first in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, and takes its name from Queen Victoria Eugenia, wife of Alfonso XIII. It is at calle Juan de Toledo, 4, right in the historic centre, a few metres from the monastery and a few minutes' walk from the Real Coliseo de Carlos III and the Auditorio. The municipal tourism office still advertises it as Exe Victoria Palace; the Eurostars chain now calls it Dorma Victoria Palace, so if you are searching for one name or the other, it is the same hotel.
Eighty-one rooms and a summer pool
There are 81 rooms, which makes it one of the larger hotels in the town. The chain's page does not describe the types, so if you want a view or a particular bed, ask when you book. What sets it apart in summer is the pool: in 2026 it opened from 12 June to 12 September, from 11:30 to 14:00 and from 15:00 to 20:30. It also has more than 500 m² of meeting rooms across seven spaces, with air conditioning, wifi and audiovisual equipment.
Times
Breakfast is served from 7:00 to 10:30 on weekdays and from 8:00 to 11:00 at weekends and public holidays. Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 12:00, an hour later than at other hotels in the town. For groups of more than five rooms there are specific payment conditions and supplements.
No pets and no parking of its own
It does not accept pets. It does not advertise its own parking, but a public car park nearby; if you arrive by car, expect to pay for it separately. The bus station, where the Moncloa buses arrive, is on the same calle Juan de Toledo, and from Barajas airport it takes about an hour by car. Reservations, 24 hours, on 913 342 196; the hotel, on 918 96 70 66.
What you have on foot
The Royal Monastery of El Escorial and the Friars' Garden are a few minutes away. For lunch, the Mesón La Cueva is next to the Lonja, and the Horizontal, up the mountain by car.
- **Camping El Escorial** (Campsite): At the foot of Abantos, on the M-600
Camping El Escorial is at km 3.5 of the M-600 road, between Guadarrama and El Escorial, at the foot of Mount Abantos and about 50 km from Madrid. It is about 8 km from the monastery, 14 from Philip II's Seat and 25 from the ski slopes, so it is a campsite for getting around by car; the nearest bus stop is 1 km away and the train station 8. Supermarkets and restaurants are 6 km away. It is a large family holiday campsite, from the Capfun chain, rather than a stopover.
Mobile homes, chalets and pitches
There is plenty to choose from. Mobile homes from 15 m² for four people up to the 51 m² Tribu for ten or the 40 m² Super Family for eight; the Top Presta ones have air conditioning, television and a dishwasher. Wooden chalets of 25 to 53 m² for three to five people, one of them adapted (Adapted Life); a two-bedroom bungalow for five; and the Tribu Villa, 77 m² with four bedrooms for eight. For camping there are pitches, VIP pitches and an open area. Sheets are hired separately (€11 for a single bed, €16 for a double), as are towels and a baby kit. Prices appear in its booking engine.
Pools and slides
The water area has one outdoor pool heated by solar energy with slides, two unheated ones and two children's pools, one of them heated. For 2027 it announces the heated pool and the heated children's pool from 27 March to 30 September, and the others from 30 May to 30 September. The Spacebowl, Magicone and Double Slide slides require a height of 1.20 m. You enter with a wristband and with swimwear above the knee: full-body swimsuits, wetsuits and long clothing are not allowed.
Clubs, bikes and padel
Children's clubs from Monday to Friday by age (4 to 6 and 7 to 10 years, from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 15:00 to 17:00), a youth club twice a week, a play castle, inflatables in July and August and five shows a week in summer. It hires bikes (€15 a day for adults) and a padel court (€12 an hour without equipment). Café every weekend in low season and daily in high season, with wifi; snack bar in July, August and at weekends; shop at weekends and daily in summer; washing machine at €6 and dryer at €4.
Weekly supplement for the dog
Animals are accepted with a supplement: €35 a week in low season and €42 in high season, by reservation. Always on a lead and with their vaccination card; potentially dangerous breeds are not allowed.
For a day out, the Royal Monastery and the Abantos pine forest are close by car, and in autumn the La Herrería chestnut grove.
### Servicios
- **Car parks in the centre**: Public car parks at the Monasterio and plaza de la Constitución, at €2.70 an hour; tourist blue zone next to the monastery every day

## Car-free: 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.
Presupuesto orientativo: 45–100 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Hotel Miranda & Suizo** (Hotel): The oldest hotel in the town
"El Miranda" began in the late 19th century, when Isidro Miranda turned the old Casa de Comediantes into a guesthouse. Today it is the Hotel Miranda & Suizo, a renovated three-star with 52 rooms at calle Floridablanca, 20, a few metres from the monastery and the plaza de la Constitución. Everything for the day is on foot: you step out of the door and you are in the centre.
Five room types
Singles, standard doubles, attic doubles, superior doubles with views and a junior suite, with full bathroom, television and minibar. There are rooms adapted for people with reduced mobility. An extra bed costs €30 a day and a cot is free for under-twos, subject to availability and requested when booking. Rates appear on its website, which guarantees the best price there; cancellation is free up to 48 hours before with the flexible rate, although conditions vary by rate and season.
Chocolate with picatostes and the glazed dining room
The café opens every day from 8:00 to 22:00, with the kitchen until 21:30 from Sunday to Thursday and until 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. It has coffee, pastries, snacks and its traditional-recipe hot chocolate with picatostes. The breakfast buffet, at €10 per person, is served on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 7:30 to 11:30; on other days breakfast is in the café. The restaurant is a glazed dining room serving seasonal Mediterranean cooking, with a menu that changes often, open daily from 13:00 to 15:30; dinner is booked at reception.
With a small dog
It accepts dogs up to 10 kg, with a supplement of €15 a day; assistance dogs and security-force dogs do not pay. Let them know when you book.
Getting there and parking
It has no car park: leave the car in the public car park at plaza de la Constitución, at Floridablanca 9, or in the Monasterio one, on calle del Rey. Check-in is from 15:00 (earlier if the room is ready) and check-out until 11:00, with late check-out until 14:00 if there is space; they store luggage before and after.
From the door, the Royal Monastery is a few metres away, and the Casita del Príncipe is down through the town. For eating out, the Mesón La Cueva is a few minutes away.
- **Hotel Dorma Victoria Palace** (Hotel): San Lorenzo's first hotel
The Dorma Victoria Palace occupies an 18th-century palace that opened as a hotel in 1901, the first in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, and takes its name from Queen Victoria Eugenia, wife of Alfonso XIII. It is at calle Juan de Toledo, 4, right in the historic centre, a few metres from the monastery and a few minutes' walk from the Real Coliseo de Carlos III and the Auditorio. The municipal tourism office still advertises it as Exe Victoria Palace; the Eurostars chain now calls it Dorma Victoria Palace, so if you are searching for one name or the other, it is the same hotel.
Eighty-one rooms and a summer pool
There are 81 rooms, which makes it one of the larger hotels in the town. The chain's page does not describe the types, so if you want a view or a particular bed, ask when you book. What sets it apart in summer is the pool: in 2026 it opened from 12 June to 12 September, from 11:30 to 14:00 and from 15:00 to 20:30. It also has more than 500 m² of meeting rooms across seven spaces, with air conditioning, wifi and audiovisual equipment.
Times
Breakfast is served from 7:00 to 10:30 on weekdays and from 8:00 to 11:00 at weekends and public holidays. Check-in is at 15:00 and check-out at 12:00, an hour later than at other hotels in the town. For groups of more than five rooms there are specific payment conditions and supplements.
No pets and no parking of its own
It does not accept pets. It does not advertise its own parking, but a public car park nearby; if you arrive by car, expect to pay for it separately. The bus station, where the Moncloa buses arrive, is on the same calle Juan de Toledo, and from Barajas airport it takes about an hour by car. Reservations, 24 hours, on 913 342 196; the hotel, on 918 96 70 66.
What you have on foot
The Royal Monastery of El Escorial and the Friars' Garden are a few minutes away. For lunch, the Mesón La Cueva is next to the Lonja, and the Horizontal, up the mountain by car.
- **El Escorial Youth Hostel** (Hostel): Closed for works right now
The Community of Madrid warns on the hostel's page that, because of renovation work, it is not taking bookings until the end of the year. If you plan to come in the next few weeks, look for another option, such as the Hotel Miranda & Suizo or Camping El Escorial, and check the official page again before planning a stay here.
Sleeping cheaply at the foot of the monastery
It is a hostel in the Community of Madrid Youth Hostels Network, on calle Residencia, within the built-up area and with views of the Royal Monastery. According to the Community's page, it has 100 beds in 33 rooms with sheets and blankets: with one, two or three beds in beds or bunks, and four in bunks, with six places adapted for people with reduced mobility. Reception is open from 8:00 to 21:00, although the hostel is open 24 hours.
Rates
The official prices, including VAT, depend on age:


Under 2525 to 30Over 30


Bed and breakfast€14€15.40€19.80
Half board€23€25.30€30.80
Full board€28—€41.80
Single lunch or dinner€9€9.90€13.20


Children under three do not pay. There is a 25% discount with the Carné Joven or the hostel membership card, and discounts for youth activities organised by public or non-profit bodies. Bookings are made with a form on the Community's website, which also publishes the booking and use conditions.
Facilities
The dining room serves breakfast at 8:30, lunch at 14:00 and dinner at 20:00, and prepares a packed lunch if you give notice beforehand, useful for setting out on a walk. There is a café lounge with drinks machines, a sitting room with television, activity rooms, wifi in the common areas, left-luggage, cots and highchairs. For free time they lend board games, table tennis, table football, bicycles and snowshoes. Outside there are gardens, a football pitch, a basketball court and a children's climbing wall. At reception they issue the Carné Joven free of charge, from 9:00 to 20:00.
Getting there
The Community lists buses 661 and 664 from the Moncloa interchange to the San Lorenzo bus station, the 660 from Collado Villalba, and the Madrid–Ávila train or the Cercanías to El Escorial; more detail in bus and Cercanías. From the hostel you can walk to the monastery and to the tourist office, where the route to Philip II's Seat starts.
Telephone 918 905 924, email escorial@madrid.org.
### Servicios
- **Bus from Moncloa and Cercanías**: Buses 661 and 664 from the Moncloa interchange to the town; Cercanías to El Escorial station, about 1 h from Atocha

## As a family: 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 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

### Qué hacer as a family
- Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
- Philip II's Seat through La Herrería
- Friars' Garden and its viewpoint
- Tren de Felipe II, from Madrid to El Escorial in 1940s carriages

## With teenagers: 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 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

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
- La Herrería, El Castañar and the Silla walk
- Climb through the Abantos pine forest to the Malagón pass

## With a dog: 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.

### 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

### Qué hacer 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

### Dónde dormir with a dog
- Hotel Miranda & Suizo: Up to 10 kg, €15 a day
- Camping El Escorial: On a lead, with a weekly supplement

## Consejos

### Go in at 10:00
The monastery first thing is seen without groups. If you want a guided visit, buy it in advance.

### Sunday 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.

### Go 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.

### Pay 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.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### 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.