Real Sitio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial, San Lorenzo de El Escorial

Paid 6€ with student reduced price. Totally worth it. Took me around 2 hours to get through the entire site. No photos allowed inside. Favorite part was the magnificent basilica found inside El Escorial. It is very similar to an art museum experience plus the rooms are ornate. The gardens are not particularly special, but they are well kept. Makes for a great day trip from Madrid.

I did this in two stages. I walked around the village the night before as well as the outside while it is quieter. It is worth getting a guided tour as there is so much to see and it is easy to miss out whole sections. There are no photos allowed on the inside but plenty of illustrated books are available. Be prepared to spend at least three hours here and consider a trip to the controversial valley of the fallen just 20 minutes away while you are in the area.

A gorgeous monastery with beautiful architecture, it is huge and takes a while to cover. Since we visited on a Sunday, we could not see the church because there was mass going on. Only disappointment was that we were told time and again that we aren't allowed to take pictures, so it's kind of a bummer not having any pictures of the interior of the monastery. Carry a hand fan during summers, it tends to get warm inside. Overall, it is still stunning.

It’s only a short 50 minute train ride from Madrid. Beautiful little town that you can walk through or take the bus. The Palace/ Monastery is stunning and the self guided tour is well done. We saw so much on the tour. After we had a great lunch a block away. Great last minute day trip from Madrid.

Very impressive building, interesting history of both it's creation and growth as well as it's uses over the years. Few too many paintings, but worth a visit nonetheless. Free after 1500 for spanish, or at least was on Sunday. If you don't want to go in, still worth a visit for the walk up.