Royal Monastery of El Escorial tickets and guided tour

In this tour we will visit the Royal Monastery of El Escorial, an architectural ensemble declared a World Heritage Site. The Monastery was built as a symbol of the Spanish power in the XVI century that commemorates Spanish victory at the battle of St. Quentin. Its construction took 21 years and was promoted by the king Philip II because of the necessity to create a monastery to ensure the veneration of the royal Pantheon. This idea was explicitly expressed on Charles V will, who wanted to be buried with his wife, Elisabeth form Portugal, and his new dynasty far away from the usual royal pantheons.

The architectural design was based on the symmetry and the balance according to the humanist Renaissance style. That’s the reason why it has been considered the eighth wonder of the world, and nowadays it is still considered one of the most singular buildings in Europe. The works made in this building by the Spanish architect Juan de Herrera gave place to consider it the paradigm of his architectural style because of its geometrical severity and the predominance of the horizontal lines.

The tour includes the Habsburg Palace, the Kings and Princes Mausoleum, the Chapter House, the Basilica and the library. At the end of the tour you will be given free time to visit the gardens and the Palace of the Borbon family. At the fixed time you will meet the bus at the Escorial bus station for the way back to Madrid.