The Royal Palace and Monastery of El Escorial attracts quite a bunch of superlatives on its UNESCO description, including an awestruck passage of “there is nothing [about it] that is not exceptional”. In my subjective view, all of those are well deserved. El Escorial is an architectural wonder of the highest grade.
You have to allow yourself time to let it sink in, though. On approach, the grandiose edifice looks too severe and even somewhat grim. It was meant to be not outwardly exuberant, built in fulfilment of a vow and intended as a contemplative retreat. Nonetheless, the spaces inside are richly decorated and, coupled with the sheer size of the monument, leave a remarkable impression.
Let me emphasize, the monument is gigantic. It is likely visited on a day-trip from Madrid, but you have to set aside about three hours just for taking self-guided audio-tour at a crisp canter. Lingering will require additional time, obviously, so you may have to plan for setting aside an entire day for the visit. And there are quite a few spots to linger at; for instance, the splendid library.
As is common to our early travels, photographic memories from the visit are limited. Another shot of yours truly with a fragment of the monastery in the background is all I can offer.
If I recall correctly, the train from Madrid takes about 45 minutes to get to San Lorenzo El Escorial station, from which you can either take the bus to the monastery or walk uphill for about 15-20 minutes. I’ll probably walk the next time – I’d like to see how it comes out to meet me now that I know what awaits me inside.