Discover with a private tour the royal site of the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in which you will travel through the history of Spain, especially since the reign of Philip II. The impressive monument of the Monastery of El Escorial is located at the foot of Monte Abantos, in the Sierra de Guadarrama with a high scenic value.
The Royal Monastery of El Escorial was declared a World Heritage Site in 1984.
The construction of the monastery was the personal idea of King Philip II, who wanted to commemorate the victory in the battle of San Quintín, won by the Spaniards on 10 August 1557, the feast of San Lorenzo. The king, devoted to the Saint, in thanksgiving, placed the monument under his patronage: it was to be the Royal Pantheon, the tomb of his parents and his own and his relatives.
The order of the Hieronymites would attend to the spiritual and material needs of the foundation. Philip II also wished to have a house as a resting palace. The architect who directed the works was Juan Bautista de Toledo together with his disciple Juan de Herrera, who carried out a grandiose work with a very personal style ‘of severe purification of the classical elements of the Italian Renaissance’.
A large group of Italian and Spanish artists decorated the interior: Tibaldi, Luchetto, Granello, Castello, Navarrete el mudo, Monegro, Zuccaro, Cincinato, Sánchez Coello, el Greco, Pompeyo Leoni and Tiziano.
What we will visit on this private excursion to El Escorial
On the private tour you will be able to visit the different rooms and rooms that make up this historic monument:
- We will tour the interior of the Monastery of El Escorial and visit the courtyard of kings, after which we will go to the impressive Library.
- From here we will go to the Basilica, where we will admire the main altar and the different richly decorated chapels.
- We will then visit the main cloister with the Chapter Rooms where we will find valuable mural paintings and the Chapter Rooms, a real museum of paintings.
- We will continue to the pantheons: the pantheon of the infantes and the pantheon of the kings and queens.
- We will visit the House of Philip II and then the Hall of Battles with 52-metre wall paintings of the Battle of Higueruela.
- At the end of the tour of the Monastery we will walk through the historic centre, enjoying a stroll to see the houses of trades, or the first lodging of the Secretary of State Floridablanca, ordered to be built by Charles III to Juan de Villanueva in the 18th century.
- We will finish the tour at the Royal Coliseum of Charles III.
Route details
- Duration: 5h
- Language: English and Spanish. For other languages please contact us.
- Groups: up to 7 people
What this visit includes
- Tickets
- Official expert guide
- Private Mercedes V class vehicle
- Water in the vehicle
- Pick up at your accommodation
Price of this private tour
- General: 649 €
Cancellation Policy
- Up to 48 hours before the start of the activity, a full refund will be given.
- If you cancel with less time or do not show up, no refund will be offered.
Opening hours
Monday to saturday
