Top 6 in Top 10 tourist attractions in Spain.
San Lorenzo de El Escorial, about 45 kilometers northwest of Madrid, was the summer home of the Spanish kings, and in 1563 work was started here on a huge complex, including including a monastery, a church, a royal palace, a mausoleum, a library and a museum, all conceived as a monument to Philip II and his reign.
The result is an astonishing collection of attractions, built around 16 courtyards, its rooms and structures connected by 16 kilometers of corridors. At its core is the church, the highlight being Herrera's 30-meter-high balustrade, made of jasper and red marble and accessed by a flight of 17 stairs.
Along with Tibaldi's vaulted ceilings and frescoes in the outer convent rooms below, the abbey's highlights are the Panteón de los Reyes (Baroque burial vaults of Spanish kings) and the library. convent , a large room also decorated with frescoes by Tibaldi .
In the palace, be sure to check out the Bourbon Suite, where Charles IV's state apartments are decorated with rare furniture and 338 tapestries. Beyond are Philip II's art-filled private apartments. The Image Gallery below has a large collection of beautiful paintings, including works by Hieronymus Bosch, Albrecht Dürer, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, Velázquez and El Greco.