Madrid To El Escorial Excursions
Daily excursions to El Escorial are available from Madrid travelling by
private vehicle with chauffeur or by luxury coach.
Felipe II’s monastery- palace of El Escorial is one of Spain’s most famous
sights. A few kilometres away El Valle De Los Caídos (Valley of the Fallen) is a
monument built by prisoners from both sides in the Civil War under orders from
Franco.
In reality, it is more a memorial to the General and his regime. Franco
is buried here alongside José Antonio Prima De Vera, his right hand man, and it
is no coincidence that this site was chosen so close to Royal El Escorial as an
attempt at glorifying the regime.
To commemorate the battle of "San Quintin" and to locate the remains of his dead
father (Charles V) Philip II ordered the construction of El Escorial
Monastery, considered as a temple, austere Royal residence and Pantheon for
Kings. The Monastery is a real symbol of Spanish power from the XVI Century.
The
construction was focussing on sense, symmetry and balance, keeping in all cases
the exposure for the Renaissance style. The pictorial and sculptural importance
is also great. Your experience guide will take you for a tour to A ustria's
Palace, Pantheons of Kings and Infants, Chapters Rooms and Basilica.
Located 9km north of El Escorial lies the Valley of the Fallen (Valle de Los Caidos), a vast Basilica (262 meters long) excavated from the inside of a
mountain, on top of which looms a gigantic granite cross standing at 150 meters
high.
This monument was built by General Franco to remember the dead of Spain's
Civil War. The entire complex is surrounded by a landscape of exquisite beauty.
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