El Escorial and the Valley in half a day from Madrid

Of all the trips people make out of Madrid, this is the one that fits a morning best. The Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial and the Valley are close to each other, on the same flank of the sierra, and neither needs a whole day.

What does not fit into half a day is doing it on public transport.

Both stops sit outside the town, with no link between them

That is the whole difficulty. Without a car you end up shaping the morning around whatever timetable exists and waiting in between — which is exactly what turns half a day into a full one.

With a car, you set the order

You leave when you want. You give each place as long as you feel like. And the driver waits outside while you visit, so if the Monastery holds you longer than planned, it holds you longer.

Nothing to walk back to, and no next bus to make.

How the morning usually runs

We collect you from your hotel or your home mid-morning and drive up into the sierra.

The Monastery first, which is the long stop: between the basilica, the royal pantheon, the library and the gardens, it fills a good stretch.

Then the Valley, which takes less time.

And afterwards, either lunch down in San Lorenzo or straight back to Madrid.

Many people finish the day at Las Rozas Village

It is the stop we are asked for most on the way back, and there is a geographical reason: Las Rozas Village sits on the A-6, directly on the road home to Madrid. It is not a detour, it is driving past the door.

We come down from the sierra, stop for as long as you like, and drop you at your door with the bags in the boot. Nothing to carry onto a bus.

The stop lengthens the day, so it carries a cost: it depends on how long you want there, and we tell you when we quote the day. Mention it when you book so it is counted in from the start.

If you want the shopping on its own, it has its own page: shopping days.

What is included, and what is not

Included: the car and the driver for the whole booked period, the waiting while you visit, and the tolls.

Not the monument tickets. Buy those separately, and book them ahead.

No guide on the visits. We provide the transport and the waiting: we take you, we wait outside and we bring you back.

We quote this one, and there is a reason

The plan has no fixed length: it depends on how long you want at each stop and whether you eat up there or come back to Madrid. A price off a list would be us inventing your morning for you.

Tell us where you are starting from, what time, and how long you want at each site, and we will give you the closed price before you book. If half a day turns out to be short, it extends to a full one with another stop on the way.