San Lorenzo de El Escorial
"Located in the heart of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range, San Lorenzo de El Escorial impresses visitors with its massive Royal Monastery, which was declared a UNESCO site in 1984. Built by King Felipe II in the late 16 century, the building is packed with tapestries and artwork that belonged to the royal family. You can tour the devout king’s spartan bedroom, and look onto the library, with its tens of thousands of books and documents dating back to the 15th century. Tickets to visit are €12 ($13.30) for adults but €10 ($11.11) if you buy in advance online.El Escorial is also surrounded by mountains, which is perfect if you’re craving some larger natural sites than the ones you usually see in Madrid. You can reach it by car in 50 minutes or in just over an hour by train from Madrid. On weekends, you can take the historic Felipe II train to get there. You’ll find plenty of lunch options in the vicinity of Plaza San Lorenzo." - MATADOR_NETWORK
