Monastery of El Escorial Tickets and Tours

If you have already visited everything the city of Madrid has to offer, there is no better option than to take one of the excursions available to you in the surrounding area. One of the most outstanding of these is the monastery of El Escorial, located just over 50 kilometres from the Spanish capital.

This monumental complex is home to some of the buildings considered to be the finest exponents of the Spanish Renaissance. Built in the 16th century to commemorate the victory at the Battle of San Quintín and to serve as a mausoleum for the Spanish kings, inside you can see a fantastic basilica, the magnificent palace of the Habsburgs and the pantheon of the Kings, among other attractions.

The best option

San Lorenzo de El Escorial Tickets

Access the Monastery of El Escorial with your direct ticket with audio guide option.

Visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the most visited monuments in Madrid and with a high historical value...

From £14 at Hellotickets

About 50 km from the city of Madrid, at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains, you'll find this Renaissance monumental complex, a must-see if you're visiting the Spanish capital to soak up its culture and history. With your tickets for San Lorenzo de El Escorial you can visit the Basilica and Pantheon of the Kings as well as the Palace of the Habsburgs and the Royal Library.

In short, a complete tour of the reign of Philip II, who ordered the construction of this building. Thanks to the downloadable audio guide or digital guide, which you can include with your general admission ticket to El Escorial Monastery, you can learn more about this architectural wonder of the Madrid Region.

Recommended if... You don't want to miss El Escorial Monastery in Madrid without having to queue at the ticket office to get in.

General admission to El Escorial Monastery costs around 15 € and entitles you to visit all the buildings in which the complex is divided.

On the other hand, there is a reduced entrance fee of 6 € for children between 5 and 16 years old (ID card or passport required for those over 14 years old); and for adults over 65 years old and for students under 25 years old who present a national or international student card, the price is 7 €.

As well as getting your ticket to visit the Monastery of El Escorial you will have to find out how to get there. For this reason, there are many excursions organised from the capital that provide easy transfers and also include entrance tickets and a guided tour in which a local guide will tell you about the context and historical details of this monumental complex.

On the other hand, due to its proximity to the Valley of the Fallen, many of these excursions include a visit to this other place of great historical importance in Spain and are considered one of the best day trips from Madrid.

Yes, there is the possibility of free entry for certain types of visitors and on certain days of the year. In these cases, it is compulsory to go to the ticket office before entering, as these passes cannot be purchased online.

Those who can enter free of charge are:

• Children under 5 years of age.
• Members of large families recognised by current law.
• Members of ICOM (International Council of Museums) and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).
• Teaching staff who can provide accreditation
• Disabled persons with accreditation and an accompanying person.
• Unemployed persons with a jobseeker's card or equivalent document.

On the other hand, admission will be free for almost everyone on the following days:

• From October to March, free admission on Wednesdays and Sundays between 15:00 and 18:00 (only for EU citizens, Latin Americans or holders of a residence card).
• From April to September, Wednesdays and Sundays from 15:00 to 19:00 in the same cases as described above.
• 18 May and 12 October

The Monastery of El Escorial offers the possibility of booking a guided tour in Spanish given by National Heritage staff. If you have chosen this option, you should arrive at the ticket offices 10 minutes before the time indicated on the entrance ticket.

This type of visit should be booked online when you buy your ticket. The prices are as follows:

• Basic ticket with guide: 16 €.
• Reduced ticket with guide: 10 €.
• Free guided ticket: €4.

Deciding whether this type of guided tour is worthwhile depends a lot on your prior knowledge. So, if you already know the history surrounding the monument you may not need the guide, but this is highly recommended for those who know less about El Escorial and want to make the most of the occasion.

There are currently two ways to buy individual tickets to the monastery complex. The first is online, on the official Hellotickets website. When doing so, you must indicate the day and time slot you wish to visit. Normally, you can enter every 15 minutes.

The second way to buy tickets is at the ticket office located in the complex itself, but bear in mind that lately only those tickets that have not been sold online are being offered in this way. If you are going in high season, I recommend you buy them online or be at the monastery entrance quite early in the morning.

Although you can go deeper into this question by reading the article on how to get from El Escorial to Madrid, here is a brief summary of the different options:

• Organised tour: from Madrid you have several organised excursions that also include entrance fees and visits to other nearby places.
• Train: line C3 from the stations of Atocha, Chamartín or Puerta del Sol.
• Bus: lines 661 and 664 from Moncloa
• Car: leave Madrid on the A6 and turn off at exit 47 onto the M-600.
• Historic locomotive: the Felipe II Train leaves every morning from Príncipe Pío station. With this option you can also book a guided tour of the complex.

You may be spending a few days in Madrid and, for convenience or any other reason, you may prefer to visit the Monastery of El Escorial with a tour from the capital. Luckily for you, you will be able to choose from several tours that also include other interesting destinations:

• Half day in El Escorial and the Valley of the Fallen: in a modern bus and with the presence of a guide you will be able to get to know both the monastery complex itself and the controversial Valley of the Fallen.
• Full day in El Escorial and Toledo: without a doubt, this complete option is perfect for those who want to take advantage of a day to visit the monastery and one of the most beautiful cities in the country.
• Full day in El Escorial, Valley of the Fallen and Segovia: by including Segovia you will be able to visit the many attractions of this Castilian city, including its famous aqueduct.

The monastery of El Escorial is made up of a series of halls, rooms, palaces and gardens, in addition to the basilica which houses its religious function. The most important points of the visit are the following:

• The Courtyard of the Kings and the basilica. Inside the basilica, don't miss the sacristy and the main altarpiece.
• The crypt: it houses a small chapel that was to receive the mortal remains of the monarchs.
• The cloister staircase: it is truly spectacular, especially the frescoes that adorn it.
• The Battle Room.
• The Chapter Rooms: as if you were visiting the Prado, here you will find valuable paintings by artists such as El Greco and Velázquez.
• The Library: one of the most beautiful rooms in the entire complex.
• Palaces of the Habsburgs and the Bourbons.

If you have a guide, you will be able to receive information about all these areas during your visit. However, I advise you to gather some information before you go. If you wish, here I will go into more detail about what you can see in El Escorial, including some interesting places outside the monastery complex that you may want to visit.

If you're going on your own, it's very likely that you'll be eating in the village. Luckily, you will find a large number of restaurants to choose from.

The gastronomic offer covers all kinds of styles and tastes. If you are looking for something as traditional as a stew, you may well opt for the Charolés, while if you prefer grilled meat you won't find any better than the Asador del Rey.

For those who want to take advantage of a unique gastronomic experience, El Escorial is home to a Michelin-starred restaurant, the Montia. Finally, if you want to try burgers with style and unbeatable flavour, I recommend Al Punto Hambgourmet.

Those who go to El Escorial with tickets purchased with a guided tour will not have to worry about the opening times, as everything will be organised so that there are no problems.

However, if you go on your own, you should be aware of the opening and closing times of the complex:

• Between October and March it opens from 10:00 to 18:00, although admission of new visitors is cut off one hour earlier.
• From April to September the opening time remains the same and the closing time is extended to 20:00.

Both opening hours are from Tuesday to Sunday, as the monument is closed to the public every Monday.

There will always be differences between how long it takes to visit the whole complex, as it depends a lot on how much time you spend on each part.

However, whether on a guided tour or on your own, it is normal for the tour to take just over 2 hours.

The geographical situation of Madrid and its good communications mean that from the capital there are several excursions to nearby towns that can be really interesting.

Among the best, from my point of view, are the excursions to the city of Toledo, which can also be reached in other ways.

Equally interesting are the excursions to Segovia, the city of the aqueduct, which can be combined with Ávila.