El Escorial Attractions

A smaller counterpart to the Casita del Príncipe is the Casita del Infante southwest of the Escorial, a retreat built for the Infante Gabriel, Charles IV's brother.

In the lower part of the Jardines del Príncipe stands the Casita del Príncipe, a miniature palace built in 1773 for the Prince of Asturias, later Charles IV; the interior, decorated and furnished in the style of the period, is open to the public.

On a hill 3km/2mi south of the Escorial are several blocks of stone in the form of seats, from which Philip II is said to have watched the building of the monastery/palace: hence the name Silla de Felipe II. From here there is a magnificent view of the huge building set against the backdrop of the Sierra de Guadarrama. The best way to reach the hill is to drive past the golf course on the west side of the town to a road junction with a signpost to the Silla de Felipe II.

Southeast of the Monasterio de San Lorenzo lie the Jardines del Príncipe, with attractive walks shaded by tall ancient trees.

Some 13km/8mi north of the Escorial is the Monumento Nacional de Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos, or Valle de los Caídos for short, built by General Franco between 1940 and 1958 as a monument to the Nationalist dead of the Spanish Civil War. The entrance to the site lies several kilometers below the monument itself, which is reached by car on a hill road. From a bridge half way up there is a view of an 150m/490ft high cross above the memorial basilica - a textbook example of the architectural gigantomania of Fascism.