Castles · Tour

El Escorial Royal Pantheon and Library, Then Valle de Cuelgamuros

Half a day out of Madrid with a professional guide, skip-the-line entry at El Escorial, and no time lost at either gate. El Escorial is on the UNESCO list and was built by Philip II to be three things at once: a royal palace, a monastery, and the burial place of the Spanish kings. The route inside covers the Basilica, the Royal Pantheon, the Royal Library and the historic royal rooms. The Pantheon and the Library are the two rooms people remember. The Pantheon is directly under the high altar, an octagonal chamber of dark marble holding the kings of Spain in tiers. The Library is the opposite: a long barrel-vaulted hall painted with the liberal arts, holding manuscripts assembled when the Spanish Empire wanted to own knowledge as well as territory. The second stop is the Valley of the Fallen, officially Valle de Cuelgamuros since October 2022. The cross above it stands 150 metres and the basilica is entirely underground, cut into the rock of the cliff, with the abbey beside it. Its history is part of the visit. There is free time at the end to walk the surroundings. The office is on Calle de Ferraz, nearest metro Ventura Rodríguez on line 3.