Cuenca del Guadarrama

Comunidad de Madrid

Cuenca del Guadarrama
El Escorial was built by King Philip II in the late 16th century to serve as both a royal palace and as the seat of the Catholic Church in Spain. In addition to the palace the complex includes a basilica, a convent, a school, a library, and a pantheon. While El Escorial is impressive from the outside, we actually found it a little austere on the inside. In many ways it felt more like a fine art museum than a typically elaborate European palace (such as Versailles). That said, there are some impressive sights, including works by El Greco, Bernini, and Giardini. The library was also quite beautiful, with richly carved wood shelves, a marble floor, and a colorful fresco ceiling by Pellegrino Tibaldi. For me, the highlight of the tour was the 180ft long (55m) Hall of Battles – a barrel-vaulted room where the walls were completely covered in frescos depicting Spain's military victories over the Moors and the French. All aspects of the battle field were portrayed (when you have 180ft, that is quite doable), and the artist employed an interesting trick whereby the more distant, smaller scenes were less saturated, and the background mountains and landscape were set in hues of blue. Overall I'd say El Escorial is worth a visit, but you probably won't need more than a couple of hours to enjoy it.
This is the Courtyard of the Kings and the entrance to the Basilica. By European standards we found the Basilica a bit boring. The two highlights were a gorgeous life-size white marble sculpture of Christ on the cross by Cellini (originally meant for the sculptor’s own tomb) and the Giordano ceilings, which he frescoed when he was his late 50s.
The monastery at El Escorial is still operating, though it has transitioned from the Hieronymites to the Order of Saint Augustine. Despite it's grand appearance, only around 40 Augustinians remain in residence. Parts of the monastery and royal palace are open for touring, but it feels more like a fine art museum than an opulent palace. Worth a couple of hours though.
Valley of the Fallen located about an hours drive from Madrid. It was built by Spain’s dictator General Francisco Franco.

Ciudades populares de Cuenca del Guadarrama

San Lorenzo de El Escorial
San Lorenzo de El Escorial
Puntos fuertes: Templos, Bibliotecas y Catedrales
Haz un viaje a San Lorenzo de El Escorial, un destino muy apreciado por sus templos, su biblioteca y sus excelentes campos de golf. ¡Ve y compruébalo!

¿Por qué visitarla?

  • Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial
  • Valle de los Caídos
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Collado Villalba
Collado Villalba
Puntos fuertes: Comidas, Personas amables y Montañas
Collado Villalba es un importante municipio de la provincia de Madrid, con una situación estratégica entre la capital y los paisajes de la sierra de Guadarrama.
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Navacerrada
Navacerrada
Punto fuerte: Aventura
Tanto en invierno como en verano puedes disfrutar de lo mejor de la naturaleza en este paraje espectacular, situado a muy poca distancia de Madrid.
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Cercedilla
Cercedilla
Puntos fuertes: Naturaleza, Aventura y Parques naturales
Prepara un viaje a Cercedilla y disfruta de todo lo que puede ofrecerte, como su magnífico entorno natural, sus rutas de aventura y sus monumentos.
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El Escorial
El Escorial
Puntos fuertes: Monumentos y Patrimonio histórico
Disfruta de El Escorial, un destino que se suele destacar por sus monumentos, sus lugares de interés histórico ¡y mucho más!
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® S.D. (ES,EN.) CUADARRAMA PARQUE DEL AYUNTAMIENTO
Guadarrama
Puntos fuertes: Compras, Comidas y Personas amables
Guadarrama es un destino que te encantará por sus rutas de aventura, su castillo y su cocina local.
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