- Category
- Excursions
- Duration
- 4 hours
- Location
- Madrid
- Madrid to El Escorial day trip explores how religion and politics mixed in 16th-century Spain
- Led by a historian or art historian
- El Escorial
El Escorial Excursion from Madrid
El Escorial Tour
El Escorial with an Expert
FAQ About the El Escorial Day Trip
Where do we meet? Where does it end?
You'll meet in Madrid, at Moncloa Bus Station (your confirmation will have the exact meeting point). In total, this is a 4 hour excursion. Travel time to El Escorial is about 1 hour, then we'll spend 3 hours on site. Return time is not included in the excursion. You can stay in El Escorial on their own and eat lunch, or return to Madrid with the guide.
You will purchase your bus and entrance tickets on-site (your guide can assist you with this). It is a good idea to have cash on hand—approximately €25.
Depending on the timing of the second tour, it may be possible. Please contact us to see if this is feasible.
The Palace is not disabled friendly. It is “partially accessible” which means visitors with reduced mobility can see about a third of the palace. There are a lot of stairs throughout the venue. If you are restricted to a wheelchair, the most you will be able to see is the Basilica. Our typical tour involves bus service between El Escorial and Madrid. We recommend private car service for those with reduced mobility.
Ys we can. We can arrange be at your disposal for the duration of the day. If you'd like to arrange car service, just mention this in the notes section of your booking. We will follow up with you to establish your exact needs in order to provide a quote and then adjust your order accordingly after it's been submitted.
Can we include El Valle de Los Caídos?
It is possible to customize the excursion to focus on specific topics or extend your time with the guide to include optional visit to the nearby francoist monument of the Valle de los Caídos, (Valley of the Fallen). This basilica, built within the mountain and surmounted by a monumental cross, was the burial place of Francisco Franco until the much talked about removal of his remains in late 2019. Please contact us at spain@contexttravel.com for availability and pricing should you be interested in this site. We recommend adding car service in order to access it.
Andrea Van Houtven received her Ph.D. in art history at the University of Maryland. Her dissertation was on the relationship between art and humanism at the Spanish court in the early 17th century, which inevitably led her to Madrid. She has lived in Madrid for 12 years where she has been teaching art history and art-related courses at various universities and private centers. She also participates in special events at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.
Originally from the Dominican Republic, Lourdes Fernández Bencosme has made Madrid her home for the last nineteen years. She is very passionate about the city and Spain in general. She holds a BA in History from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo after which she moved to Chicago to pursue her graduate work. She holds a MA degree in Hispanic Studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a PhD in Romance Languages & Literatures from the University of Chicago. She has taught courses at the University of Illinois, The University of Chicago, Colgate University, Universidad Autónoma de México, Syracuse University Madrid, Suffolk University Boston and is currently part of the faculty at Suffolk University Madrid Campus where she teaches a course entitled Madrid Cosmopolitan City among others. Her main interests are visual culture, popular music, urban life and their literary representations in Hispanic literature. Lourdes lives with her husband, her two daughters and two cats in the historic center of Madrid.
Itziar Mesanza obtained her first degree in tourism in the Spanish city of Bilbao, famous for its wonderful Guggenheim Modern Art Museum. She continued her studies with a Masters in History and has been living and guiding in Madrid. Passionate about travel, Itziar lived in Dublin for one year and shares Spanish history and culture on specialized tours around Spain.
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