Public parking
Public parking nearby
Nearby bus stop
Excellent bus connections
Train station
Only 2 km from the hotel
Privileged location, in the heart of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
Located in the heart of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, our hotel offers you the opportunity to explore this impressive destination full of history, culture and nature. Just a few steps from our establishment, you will find the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, an architectural gem that is a World Heritage Site, which houses centuries of history and is a symbol of the Spanish Renaissance.
San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a vibrant and rich destination, with museums, theatres and historical monuments that invite you to travel back in time. Among the cobbled streets of the centre, you will find charming cafés, local shops and lively squares, ideal for strolling and discovering the unique character of this historic enclave.
situation and activities
Activities in San Lorenzo de El Escorial
What to see and do in San Lorenzo de El Escorial
Royal Monastery
In the letter that Philip II wrote to the general of the Hieronymite order on April 16, 1561, he explained the reasons that led him to build the Monastery: the recognition of the victory of San Quintín, which took place on the day of San Lorenzo in 1557 and the desire to erect a mausoleum in memory of his parents and himself, placed under the patronage of San Lorenzo.
In 1931 the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial obtained the declaration as a Historic-Artistic Monument and in 1984 it was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Casita del Príncipe
The Casita del Príncipe or Casita de Abajo is one of the residences of the Spanish royal family. It is a 18th-century building, located in the municipality of El Escorial, in the Community of Madrid. It was built between 1771 and 1775, based on a design by Juan de Villanueva, one of the most important architects of Spanish neoclassicism. It has been declared a Site of Cultural Interest since 1931.
It was chosen as a recreational pavilion for use by Charles IV, then Prince of Asturias, in an oak forest between the Monastery of El Escorial and the urban center of El Escorial.
Monastery Library
Illuminated like few other large and historic libraries in the world, the one in the Monastery of El Escorial contains literary treasures with similar characteristics to those of its peers in other parts of the world, with books that have been banned for centuries or capable of killing with their ink. It is a magical space, full of art, not only the art treasured in its literary references, but visible in every corner.
The Chair of Felipe II
The 21 years it took to build the Royal Monastery of El Escorial required the attention of Philip II on countless occasions. A task that required a broad vision with which to observe the progress of the works. Thus, he ordered a chair to be carved into a granite rock, far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the construction, from which to observe how his magnificent building grew. From this place you can admire Mount Abantos.
Casita del Infante
Located in the Dehesa de la Herrería, to the west of the Monastery, it was commissioned to the architect Juan de Villanueva in 1771, for the Infante D. Gabriel de Borbón, son of Carlos III. Its purpose was to allow him to enjoy his great hobbies, which included music, and to lead an intimate life, surrounded by his circle of friends, outside the protocol that surrounded the palace. This building was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1931, along with the Monastery.
Valley of Cuelgamuros
The Cuelgamuros Valley is a Catholic Basilica, an Abbey and a Monumental Complex. The dictator Francisco Franco ordered its construction at the end of the Spanish Civil War (1940 and 1958), and that José Antonio Primo de Rivera and 33,833 combatants from both sides were buried there. Upon Franco’s death, on November 20, 1975, his body was buried at the foot of the main altar of the basilica. On September 13, 2018, the Congress of Deputies approved the exhumation of his remains and their transfer out of the basilica.
Royal Coliseum Carlos III
The project for this theatre was commissioned to the French architect Jaime Marquet, who had been living in Spain since 1752. It is laid out in the form of a rectangle with a U-shaped shape forming the stalls. Above it are two levels of boxes and one of amphitheatres. The entire building was covered, which was extremely innovative at the time. Its restoration was awarded the National Restoration Prize in 1980. In 1995 it was declared a Site of Cultural Interest, in the category of Monument.
Auditorium Theatre
It is one of the most technologically and architecturally sophisticated theatres in Spain. It has 25,401 square metres of built surface area spread over ten floors, eight of which are underground, so only a fifth of the building’s volume is visible to the outside.
Exhibitions
The Cultural Centre of the San Lorenzo de El Escorial Town Hall has several rooms where works by artists of different visual arts are shown every week, as well as informative exhibitions on various general or local interest topics.
Luis Ceballos Arboretum
Located on Monte Abantos, it offers the opportunity to learn about the area’s ecosystems, traditional forestry practices and the interrelations between the Sierra and its surroundings. The Luis Ceballos Arboretum is a 3.8-hectare living museum, with more than 250 different species of trees and shrubs native to the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands.
Insectpark
Scientific and cultural outreach centre where you will discover the surprising and unknown microfauna for many. Insectparck is an Environmental Education Centre on the Pinar de Abantos and the Zona de la Herrería with an impressive collection of microfauna composed of living and naturalised species (colourful butterflies, spectacular beetles, enigmatic spiders, etc.).
Seminary Fountain
The interpretation of the surroundings of the La Herrería forest and the Abantos pine forest on the terrace of the Quiosco de la Fuente del Seminario is explained in seven educational panels that can be followed independently, with information from videos that can be accessed with the QR codes on the panels or explained by people from the Quiosco. It is a “Dog Friendly” establishment that accepts pets.
King’s Coach House
A group of buildings dating from 1771 that was commissioned by King Charles III to the architect Juan Esteban for his service and that of the Court, when the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial was founded. The collection is made up of a rich and varied selection of unique pieces: horse-drawn carriages, sleighs, sedan chairs, harnesses, furniture, tools, maps, paintings, etc. from the 16th century and mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries.