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El Escorial Royal Monastery and Toledo Afternoon Tour: Uncover Spain's Rich History and Art
3.8
107 Ratings
Madrid
Uncover Spain’s rich history and art on this Madrid Super Saver tour. Visit El Escorial Monastery and the Valley of the Fallen in the morning, then explore Toledo in the afternoon. Save 10% by combining these two half-day tours!
Uncover Spain’s rich history and art on this Madrid Super Saver tour. Visit El Escorial Monastery and the Valley of the Fallen in the morning, then explore Toledo in the afternoon. Save 10% by combining these two half-day tours!
Duration:
10 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Real Sitio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial - We will start our visit at El Escorial, symbol of the Spanish power in the XVI century that commemorates the battle of St. Quentin. It is also mausoleum for Charles V. Due to the symmetry and balance of its construction, according to the humanist Renaissance style, for years it had been considered for…
- Real Sitio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial - We will start our visit at El Escorial, symbol of the Spanish power in the XVI century that commemorates the battle of St. Quentin. It is also mausoleum for Charles V. Due to the symmetry and balance of its construction, according to the humanist Renaissance style, for years it had been considered for years the eighth wonder of the world. The visit includes the Habsburg Palace, the Kings and Princes Mausoleum, the Chapter House and the Basilica.
- Valley of the Fallen - Located 9 km away from El Escorial, this enormous monument was built between 1940 and 1959 to honor the fallen during the Spanish Civil War. The basilica is carved into the mountain at 1350 meters of altitude, where an impressive 150 meters high cross places itself over the magnificent landscape of Madrid’s mountain range.
- Iglesia de Santo Tome - You will be able to visit “The Burial of the Lord of Orgaz”, masterpiece of El Greco inside the church
- Synagogue of Saint Mary the White - You will be able to visit the interior
- Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes - Enjoy the interior of the monastery
- Catedral Primada - The walking tour will continue until we reach the Cathedral, considered of the most important Gothic Cathedrals in Spain. You will see it from the outside before the guided tour finishes. Then, you will have free time to explore Toledo on your own before returning to Madrid.
What's Included
- Entrance to the Valley of the Fallen and the Basilica
- Access to Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes
- Climate-controlled transportation
- Bilingual guide services in English and Spanish
- Entrance to Church of St. Tomé
- Access to Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca
- Admission to the Royal Monastery of El Escorial
- Use of personal radio-guided system
- Entrance to the Valley of the Fallen and the Basilica
- Access to Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes
- Climate-controlled transportation
- Bilingual guide services in English and Spanish
- Entrance to Church of St. Tomé
- Access to Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca
- Admission to the Royal Monastery of El Escorial
- Use of personal radio-guided system
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information
Take advantage of this Madrid Super Saver deal and save money while enjoying two diverse tours! Start your day with a visit to the historical El Escorial Monastery and the symbolic Valley of the Fallen monument, both iconic remnants of Spain’s royal and religious history as well as symbolic commemorations of the tragic Spanish Civil War. Your tour guide…
Take advantage of this Madrid Super Saver deal and save money while enjoying two diverse tours! Start your day with a visit to the historical El Escorial Monastery and the symbolic Valley of the Fallen monument, both iconic remnants of Spain’s royal and religious history as well as symbolic commemorations of the tragic Spanish Civil War. Your tour guide will provide plenty of informative commentary throughout. Your journey continues in the afternoon with a trip to Toledo, a city of medieval charm filled with architectural gems and the legacy of artist El Greco. Get the best deal by booking these two tours together and receive a 10% discount compared to buying them separately.
- Infants aged 5 years and under are free of charge, provided they do not occupy a seat
- Please keep in mind that the excursion includes several visits on foot., comfortable shoes are recommended.
- The duration of the tour includes the round trip to the destination
- Please, note that guiding inside the Basilica of the Valley is not allowed.
- Failure to show up at the established check-in time may entail losing the tour.
Location
Julià Travel Madrid
Calle de San Nicolás
Julià Travel Office
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.8
(107 Ratings)
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L_r
Dec 7, 2023
Family day Escorial & Toledo - Best use of time to get to El Escorial and tour Toledo, both in the same day.
We were picked up at our Hotel and had a pleasant family day!
Review provided by Viator
E5860mnelainef
Apr 19, 2023
Half day tour to Toledo, Madrid - This tour was exceptional, Manuel was the driver and did a good job. Robert was the tour guide and he was fantastic, full of knowledge and very helpful. Again dual language was needed and he did a great job. Well done.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stacie911
Feb 22, 2023
Must see tour - Beautiful doesn’t do it justice! We had amazing tour guides Robert, Andrea, & Fernando made that easy. Robert was our English tour guide. There are no photo’s allowed to be taken inside the buildings. This is a must see your!
There are stairs in the monastery. So people who have trouble walking will be directed a different way. We had one lady with a cane that couldn’t do the up & down of stairs. The tour guides are very knowledgeable of the area & History. The bus we ride in was very comfy.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pictuto
Jul 26, 2018
Well worth seeing the monestary - I was pleasantly surprised by this tour although it helped to have a professional guide take us and explain all aspects of the monastery and its history. To take in all that history was almost overwhelming at times but well worth the visit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kaden
May 15, 2018
Great visit - I was not really expecting this to be such a beautiful place, I was just researching this for a project, until I visited, this place is amazing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Judi_g
Oct 21, 2022
Escorial excellent, Toledo okay - We really were impressed with the monetary! Well worth the visit and tour. Toledo was decent but the highlight that was shown was a visit to the sword factory, which they no longer do.
Review provided by Viator
L8934keyvonnes
Oct 10, 2022
Culture overload - If you love culture and history this trip is for you! The sites are beautiful, and you learn so much. There were 2 guides in the morning which was great because the group split (English and Spanish) for the visit of the Monastery. As it was Sunday morning, we weren't able to access the Basilica unfortunately. Toledo in the afternoon was very well structured and we saw a lot in half a day. The group in the afternoon was quite big (38 people) so be prepared for moving with a crowd. Wear comfortable shoes - there is quite a bit of walking (and free time to do some shopping).
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Victoria_s
Jun 8, 2024
Beautiful but disappointed - Disappointed that the tour was bilingual vs English only. Tour guide had a heavy accent and difficult to understand especially thru the headsets. Was long with no refreshment break. Ended up paying to postpone the Toledo portion to another day.
Review provided by Viator
Bud_b
May 31, 2019
Missed it, the first half anyway. - Okay, the tour may have been great. We wouldn't know. We missed the departure time for the morning trip. Yes, it was our fault. Good old Google Maps told us the distance to the departure area from our hotel was ten minutes and we did get an Uber about 30 minutes before the departure time, but the Uber driver drove around in circles for 40 minutes, apologizing along the way, but by the time we finely got to the tour place, the bus had left, 10 minutes earlier.. Viator's answer? Too bad. I get it. I'm sure this happens all the time and the people working for tour guide agency has more important things to do than fret over wayward Uber drivers or clients.
Anyway, the 2nd half of the tour, the one to Toledo, was on a different bus that left in the afternoon. We camped out at the departure point for several hours to be sure not to miss it (there were several delightful street cafes within view of the departure site, so we were comfortable). The 2nd half was magnificent. Toledo was beautiful. The guide charming, funny and informative. This would have gotten our highest 5 star review except for the missed bus in the morning and the I don't give a darn attitude of the tour clerk.
Review provided by Viator
Liangmeng_l
Oct 15, 2018
Royal Monastery El Escorial + Toledo half day - There is much could be explored for Toledo as full day, instead of half day tour. Also, not much time given for shopping...i believed there are much to know about the culture during the 13th century in this ancient city Toledo.
Review provided by Viator
