Planning a Trip

Getting There

More than two dozen trains depart daily from Madrid's Atocha, Nuevos Ministerios, and Chamartín train stations. Trip time is little more than an hour. During the summer, extra coaches are added. For schedules and information, call tel. 90-224-02-02. A one-way fare costs 2.90€ ($4.60).

The railway station for San Lorenzo de El Escorial is located about 1.6km (1 mile) outside of town along Carretera Estación (tel. 91-890-07-14). The Herranz bus company meets all arriving trains with a shuttle bus that ferries arriving passengers to and from the Plaza Virgen de Gracia, about a block east of the entrance to the monastery.

The Office of Empresa Herranz, Calle Reina Victoria 3, in El Escorial (tel. 91-890-41-22 or 91-890-41-25), runs some 40 buses per day (line 664) back and forth between Madrid's Moncloa station (Herranz Madrid; tel. 91-896-90-28) and El Escorial. On Sunday, service is curtailed to ten buses. Trip time is an hour, and a round-trip fare costs 6.60€ ($11). The same company also runs one bus a day to El Valle de los Caídos . It leaves El Escorial at 3:15pm, with a return at 5:30pm. The ride takes only 15 minutes, and a round-trip fare is 8.80€ ($13), including entrance to the basilica itself.

By car, follow the N-VI highway (marked on some maps as A-6) from the northwest perimeter of Madrid toward Lugo, La Coruña, and San Lorenzo de El Escorial. After about a half-hour, fork left onto the C-505 toward San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Driving time from Madrid is about an hour.

Visitor Information

The tourist information office is at Calle Grimaldi 2 (tel. 91-890-53-13). It is open Monday to Thursday from 11am to 6pm, Friday to Sunday from 10am to 7pm.