Royal Monastery of El Escorial + Valley of The Fallen + Toledo

A unique day in three indispensable places: the royalty of El Escorial, the history of the Valley of the Fallen and the medieval essence of Toledo. Royal Monastery of El Escorial: We will start our visit at El Escorial, a symbol of the Spanish power in the XVI century that commemorates the battle of St. Quentin. It is also a 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 the eighth wonder of the world. The visit includes the Habsburg Palace, the Kings and Princes Mausoleum, the Chapter House and the Basilica. Basilica of the 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 nature reserve of Madrid mountain range. Toledo: Discover the “City of the Three Cultures”! Located 70 km away from Madrid is Toledo, a beautiful city-museum declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is one of the oldest towns in Europe and has a great artistic beauty and buildings from almost all periods in history (Arabian, Gothic, Mudejar, Renaissance and Baroque style). Toledo is called the “City of the Three Cultures”, since Christians, Muslims, and Jews lived together. In the XVI century, it was also the place of residence of the great painter El Greco.