San Lorenzo de El Escorial Guided Tour

4.6
(1331 Reviews)

About this activity

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Duration: 02:00
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Experience Highlights

On this 2-hour guided tour, you will have the opportunity to discover the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, the mausoleum where all the kings of Spain are buried. Throughout the tour, you will be accompanied by an expert guide, thanks to whom you will learn about the history and architecture of one of the most colossal monuments in the country.

The tour includes a walk through the basilica, the palatial rooms, the pantheon, and even the monastery's famous library, which contains nearly 50,000 volumes of manuscripts and printed books.

  • Get to know the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
  • Learn many interesting facts about the history of this mausoleum from an expert guide.
  • Enjoy the extensive tour through the rooms of the monastery and get to know its famous library, one of the most important in the world.

What’s included

  • Entrance fees to the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
  • Expert guide

Select date and time

Keep in mind you need to arrive 10 minutes before start

Step by Step

On this tour, which lasts about 2 hours, you will visit the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. The monastery is one of Spain's most important tourist attractions, with around half a million visitors a year. Thanks to an expert guide, you will also learn many interesting facts about the history and architecture of the building.

The monastery was built by order of Philip II, King of Spain, between 1563 and 1584, to commemorate the victory over the French at the Battle of San Quintín on Saint Lawrence's Day in 1557. It is located on the southern slope of Mount Abantos, at an altitude of 1028 metres, in the Guadarrama mountain range, which gives it great scenic value. Since 1984, the monastery has been on the World Heritage List.

The building covers an area of 33,327 square metres, and is considered a museum in itself, due to the enormous amount of paintings, sculptures and artistic works of all kinds that are kept inside. The main rooms you will visit during your visit are as follows:

  • Basilica: Place of worship of the former kings of Spain. This room is the true nucleus of the monastery complex, as it is around it that the other rooms are organised.
  • Hall of Battles: This is a gallery measuring 60 x 6 metres, 8 metres high, located in the area of the royal apartments. It contains frescoed paintings of battles won by the Spanish armies.
  • Palace of Philip II: Also known as the Palace of the Habsburgs. It was the private quarters of the kings of Spain. Nowadays, it has important pictorial works of different European schools of painting, such as Spanish, Flemish and Italian.
  • Royal Library: It is located in a large nave with marble floors and richly carved hardwood shelves. It houses nearly 50,000 volumes, including manuscripts and printed copies.

This is a visit to one of the most visited and best-known monuments in Spain that will not disappoint you. Full of art, architecture and history, this is an ideal activity for culture lovers.

Reviews

4.6
· 1331 Reviews
  • M
    M.
    5
    (0 Reviews)
    The monastery of El Escorial has an incomparable beauty. I hope to return soon.
  • E
    E.
    5
    (0 Reviews)
    Wonderful experience
  • C
    C.
    4
    (0 Reviews)
    Very pleasant experience.
  • K
    K.
    5
    (0 Reviews)
    The big library was amazing, I never thought I would see so many books in the same place.
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