# A weekend in El Escorial: monastery, royal forest and Abantos One night in the monastery town to see it at opening time, walk in La Herrería and climb Abantos unhurried. 50 minutes from Madrid and an hour from Segovia and Ávila. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/san-lorenzo-de-el-escorial/itineraries/el-escorial-monastery-and-forest-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Dónde: San Lorenzo de El Escorial San Lorenzo de El Escorial can be seen in a day, but it is enjoyed by sleeping there. With a night you enter the monastery at 10:00, before the Madrid coaches; you see the Casita del Príncipe, which in winter only opens on Saturdays, and you have a whole morning left for the hills. It is 50 minutes from Madrid, and an hour from Segovia and Ávila. ## Where to sleep AccommodationTypeFor whom Hotel Miranda & Suizo19th-century three-star, in the centreCouples or with a small dog, without a car Dorma Victoria Palace1901 mansion, pool in summerThose who want more of a hotel Albergue Juvenil El EscorialHostel with en-suite roomsGroups and tight budgets Camping El EscorialChalets and pitches on the M-600Families with a car ## Getting around The whole centre is done on foot. You only need the car for the Silla, if you don't want to walk, for El Horizontal and for the campsite. If you arrive without a car, buses 661 and 664 from Moncloa stop five minutes from the monastery. ## El plan ### Saturday · 10:30 · Casita del Príncipe A half-hour guided visit to the Juan de Villanueva mansion, in the lower part of the Royal Site. €8; buy the pass beforehand, places are few. ### Saturday · 12:00 · Up to the town and the Jardín de los Frailes Fifteen minutes' uphill walk through the gardens to the Lonja and the viewpoint over the monastery's orchards. ### Saturday · 14:00 · Lunch at Mesón La Cueva The Posada de las Ánimas, from 1768, two streets from the monastery. Castilian roast cooking. ### Saturday · 17:00 · Silla de Felipe II Through La Herrería, an easy 7 km there and back from the tourist office, or by car to the foot of the rock. Sunset over the monastery. ### Saturday · 20:00 · Chocolate at the Miranda An afternoon snack-cum-dinner in the café of the oldest hotel in town: chocolate with fried bread. ### Sunday · 10:00 · Royal Monastery At opening time, the basilica, pantheons, library and the palace of the Habsburgs. With a guide, the 10:30 tour, two hours. ### Sunday · 13:00 · Abantos pine forest or lunch at El Horizontal If you have the legs, climb through the pine forest towards the Puerto de Malagón; if not, drive up to eat on the terrace of El Horizontal, in the hills, which on Sunday is open until 20:00. ## Un consejo más If you are an EU citizen or resident, on Sunday from 15:00 the monastery is free with a ticket from the ticket office. Then leave the visit for the afternoon and do Abantos in the morning. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Is it worth sleeping in El Escorial? Yes, if you want the monastery without groups and a morning in the hills. With only a day, you choose one of the two. ### What day is the monastery closed? Mondays. ### Can I go without a car? Yes, on buses 661 and 664 from Moncloa or by Cercanías to El Escorial station. ### With a dog? La Herrería and Abantos yes, on a lead. The Miranda & Suizo admits dogs up to 10 kg. ### How much does the weekend cost? Between €110 and €180 per person with hotel, tickets and meals. ## Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hotel Miranda & Suizo**: 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**: 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**: 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. ## Dónde dormir without a car - **Hotel Miranda & Suizo**: 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**: 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**: 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.