You have just planned a week of holiday in the Spanish capital and more or less you’re now preparing your “itinari-must-do” agenda. You have already a lot of things and activities in mind, however, since you’re spending a full week in Spain you’re definitely open to some local's suggestions. Where would you go for a day away from the city’s noisy reality?

The Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial

Located in the heart of the Sierra de Guadarrama and just 50 kilometres away from Madrid, (meaning only an hour drive away) San Lorenzo de El Escorial is one of the most interesting touristic and cultural towns in the area.

El Escorial

Av Juan de Borbón y Battemberg, s/n, 28200 San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid, Spain

Famous for its monastery, El Escorial is one of the most important UNESCO World Heritage sites in Spain. The monastery, which has been called the 'eighth wonder of the world’ used to be the political hub of the Spanish empire, and the area itself includes royal tombs, palaces, a library, an art gallery, and a museum of architecture. The building is the most important architectural monument of the Spanish Renaissance and its construction began in 1563 and ended in 1584. At the time, it was said to be the largest building in the world and was considered the main work of art in the entire peninsula of Spain.

The project was conceived by King Philip II, who wanted a building to serve the multiple purposes of a burial place for his father, Holy Roman emperor Charles V; a Hieronymite monastery; and a palace.

The interior

The interior of the Escorial was decorated by many notable Spanish and Italian artists of the 16th and 17th centuries, with some of them characteristically being El Greco, Luca Giordano, and Claudio Coello. An important collection of paintings by Renaissance and baroque artists donated by the crown is among the many artistic treasures housed in the complex.

The Patio de Reyes and the gardens

The so-called Patio de Reyes , through which the basilica is accessed, is the main access to the Monastery of El Escorial, where your tour should start from. The gardens extend through the monastery's main cloister, known as the Evangelists' Courtyard (Patio de los Evangelistas) and are definitely worth a visit. In fact, they’re the perfect place to take some photos since their sheltered location receives the best sunlight, making them at the same time an ideal place for a pleasant stroll.

Philip II, who loved gardens, took a personal interest in these, bringing in specialised gardeners, so that the beds of brightly-coloured flowers bordered by box hedges looked like "fine rugs from Damascus". Today, in these same beds, the hedges interweave designs without flowers.

The library

Also worth visiting is the monastery’s library- which Philip has built, aiming to expand his personal book collection- located on the second floor of the main access facade that leads to the Patio de Reyes. Humanists of great stature, such as Juan Páez de Castro , Juan Bautista Cardona , Antonio Agustín , Ambrosio de Morales , Benito Arias Montano , etc., collaborated in the plans of the monarch to create a royal library, which happened shortly after the monastery was built.