Escorial & Valley Half-Day Morning Tour from Madrid
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Madrid, Spain
- 5 hours (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Uncover the mysteries of magnificent landmarks, El Escorial Monastery and The Valley of the Fallen, on an enriching 5-hour tour from Madrid. Travel through the picturesque countryside surrounding Madrid, and embark on a guided tour of the King of Spain’s official residence on arrival at the UNESCO-listed El Escorial landmark. Then, gaze in awe at the monumental memorial of The Valley of the Fallen, a sculpture that commemorates the victims of the Spanish civil war. Gain valuable insight in Madrid’s rich history, and enjoy the convenience of round-trip transportation from Madrid.
- El Escorial and Valley of the Fallen tour from Madrid
- Visit the historical residence of the king of Spain, El Escorial
- Catch sight of the catholic basilica, The Valley of the Fallen
- Hear in-depth details of historical events from your guide
What's Included
- Local guide
- Air conditioned bus
- Entry admission to the Royal Monastery
- Entry admission to the Valley and Basilica
- Audio guides system
- Food and drinks
- Pick up /Drop off at hotels
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- C. de Ferraz, 3, Moncloa - Aravaca, 28008 Madrid, Spain
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Start time.8:45 am
Itinerary
1
Real Sitio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial
50 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Valley of the Fallen
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Infants must sit on laps
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.4
based on 137 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Hernan_S, Oct 2025
Overall great experience, fabulous and knowlodge guide, nice bus ride, everything on time, good pace.
Mark_L, Sep 2025
Our guide was not very energetic. It felt at times that she was not really into the tour. We probably would have a better experience with a different guide
Jennifer_M, May 2025
Whilst our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the places we visited, to be listening through the earphones in Spanish and then English spoken in a strong Spanish accent, it was difficult to follow. I would have preferred just an English speaking guide.
Jenni_K, Jun 2023
This tour had the potential to be amazing and whilst I understand that there is nothing that can be done re fog, the mountain was covered, so we could not see as much as I would have liked at the Valley of the Fallen. Inside was still beautiful and as I said, there is nothing you can do about the elements.
El escorial was great and I wonder if we had done the Valley first we may have missed the fog.
This tour was sold as with an English speaking guide.''. Unfortunately what we got was a Spanish speaking guide with enough English to give one sentence descriptions. He also would point something out in Spanish and after we had driven past, the description in English was given (so too late!)
Disappointed as I felt the guide (who never gave us his name and consistently checked his "look" in mirrors, windows etc), was there doing a job only. He had no interest in his audience and even walked so fast that he left a couple behind, and then they had to pay for a taxi back to the bus as they were unable to find their way back.
Thomas_B, Oct 2022
Valley of the fallen Cathedral cut into the stone of the mountain was amazing. It is truly a must see.
JoseL_F, Aug 2022
This tour was one of the highlights of our trip. El Escorial is magnificent in every way. The final resting place of former kings and queens was my favorite part.
The Valley of the Fallen’s modern architecture, while appearing to imitate religious buildings, provides its own stark and impressive commentary on Franco’s narcissistic purpose. Our guide, Mayte was simply wonderful. Her commentary on both places we visited really made them come alive.
Response from Host, Aug 2022
Hi Jose!
We are sure that Mayte will be delighted to hear about your kind comments.
It is a pleasure to know that you enjoyed the trip.
Yours sincerely
VPT Tours
Donald_A, May 2022
Tour operator messaged me saying couldn’t go on the day I had booked. So, I made other plans. Then, Viator messaged saying it was available after I had spent money on something else. I want a refund!!!
Response from Host, Jun 2022
Dear Donald,
We regret of hearing that you had a bad experience.
Could you please provide us more details via email vptterminal@vpttours.com ?
Thanks in advance
Denise_W, May 2022
The royal crypt in El Escorial was amazing and the huge underground basilica at the Valley of the Fallen was an impressive surprise.
Response from Host, May 2022
Dear Customer
Thank you for your time in letting us know that the monuments visited on the Tour to El Escorial and Valley of the Fallen were to your liking, and for positively valuing our excursion.
We hope to see you again
Best regards
moirita, Feb 2020
Susana our tour guide was very good. The Escorial is truly the eighth wonder of the world. Breathtaking. The Valley if the fallen is another wonder for it is inside a mountain. Both worth seeing!!
Response from Host, Feb 2020
Dear customer,
Thank you very much for review us. We really appreciate your comments.
We are very happy to know that you enjoy your trip and we hope to see you for a future activity.
Best regards
Virginia G, Apr 2018
Mari Ikeda was my personal guide on April 4, 2018, in Kyoto, Japan Mari was knowledgable and extremely helpful, especially in getting around the city using public transportation. I changed our itinerary a couple of times before the 4th, and she was extremely accommodating and flexible. We even went to the Kyoto train station in advance of my taking a bullet train back to Tokyo so I'd have a better understanding of the process. She also chose a great place for lunch! I highly recommend Mari!
Carolina Z, Apr 2018
Really great to have been able to go through to see these both sites. The guides were extremely helpful and had great information.
Steven_A, Apr 2018
A great tour! I loved it.
I'm a gift shop junkie, so the only downside is that we didn't have time to go to the gift shop at El Escorial, but Valley of the Fallen carries a lot of the same stuff, so just know before you go!
Christine_S, Mar 2018
I was the only client but they still took me - driver, bus, guide and me Julia Company cancels!. I enjoyed it. Guide good.
MingHan_Y, Jan 2018
The tour brings us to two of the interesting attractions that's approximately an hour plus away from central Madrid. Overall the tour is a convenient way to visit the attractions but felt that the tour should be slightly longer so that more time spent at each venue. We had the tour from 9am until around 230pm and there was no stop for lunch - this should have been communicated earlier on.
Robin R, Aug 2017
I love the Escorial and I have been there many times with different tour operators. However, this visit was so chaotic and the time so short actually inside the Escorial, that I would recommend a more organized company. They picked us up from our hotel but shuffled us around to a different bus and all of this took over an hour. The actual time inside the Escorial was barely an hour. The tour guide was good, but her colleague was hurrying her up to get us through the building and back on the bus to see the Valley of the Fallen. We took the tour in Spanish and our guide was clever enough to get us into the chapel or church before mass had begun but the other group didn't even get into the church and they were finished with the whole tour before we were. If it's a half-day tour, I recommend at least two hours inside the Escorial. That is the bare mínimum. Also, it would be great to find a tour of the Escorial that didn't include the Valley of the Fallen.
Jennifer H, Jun 2017
Both of these places are amazing! The tour guide was great, really knowledgeable and added so much to the tour. The only thing I would change is an extra half an hour at the Valley of the Fallen. It is so big it takes all the time just to walk through leaving you feeling rushed. It is a minor thing so don't let it put you off doing the tour - the sights are fabulous!
kimberlee_g, Jan 2017
Great tour. Guide was informative and spoke English clearly. A little disappointing that both locations didn't allow for photographs inside, but still a very enjoyable tour.
Patricia Y, Dec 2016
Excellent local guide! Diana made the trip very enjoyable. I would have wished for 10 minutes to get a quick coffee or chocolate before we left the bus stop. Also, wished for 5 minutes in the gift shop.
LauraH_D, Sep 2016
Very good tour with knowledgeable guide. Confirmation notice advises there will be a hotel pick-up. There is no vehicle pick up. The representative comes to the hotel and walks participants several blocks to a bus, then you transfer to another bus where the tour actually starts. The tour and tour guide were excellent, but people who are considering this tour need to know there's a lot of walking.
John_T, Sep 2016
The tour company changed the day on us, supposedly because the chosen day had been turned into a dance festival day so the attraction was closed. They offered us the day before tour which we accepted but were the only English speaking couple on the tour. It was nothing brilliant...
Marika M, Aug 2016
This is a definite must do. The tour was fantastic as was the tour guide. Thank you!
maureen r, Aug 2016
Do not like going on a tour that requires the tour guide to present in three languages
Blake P, Jun 2016
Excellent guide! Time allotted to visit both Escorial and Valley of the Fallen is inadequate. El Escorial should be given more emphasis and Valley of the Fallen is worth the time it is currently given. Should be a full day tour.
Bernadette S, Jun 2016
Very interesting and quite spectacular seeing the basilica at valley of the fallen. The tour through the monastery was also very interesting but unfortunately we were not able to go into the basilica due to masses we were told but there was none happening at the time. However overall a very enjoyable few hours.
C M, Jun 2016
Thanks for collecting us from our hotel.
The bus was fine. But the tour of El Escorial was very hurried. There was a lot to see, but the guide kept moving us along, anxious to finish the tour on time.
Ilise_L, Jun 2016
The meeting location was poorly described and we ended up finding the bus in a completely different place. A map should be provided. Bus was late and then we were the last group allowed in El Escorial. As a result, we were rushed way too fast through. In addition, while we were a small group, half only spoke English and the other half only Spanish. As such, our guide had to repeat everything in both languages which meant half the group was hearing about what they saw when rushing to next room. We learned more from listening to other guides being rushed and repeating everything meant leaving lots of interesting details out. Valley of the Fallen was very interesting and in a beautiful setting. Not sure if our negative tour experience was unique but, if not, we recommend finding an alternative way to see these sights.
Paul_M, Jun 2016
Old, noisy, uncomfortable bus. Guide's English was very heavily accented and difficult to understand,The guide,Alicia, also did not provide much background information and I feel I have to read a travel book to understand what I saw. Pick up and drop-off procedures are terrible.There should be a central starting point. Worst of all, the guide ran off the bus at the end of the tour when the bus just dropped us off on the street, so we had to ask people on the street for directions. Avoid this company!
Doug_M, Jun 2016
An easy ride from the city to see one of the more significant monastaries as well as the pantheon of the Spanish Royal Family. The monument of the Valley of the Fallen is extraordinary as a 20th century basilica carved into the side of a mountain.
Thomas E, Jun 2016
Tour guide did a good job and the tour was interesting. The low rating is for the fact there was no provision to get us back to our hotel after the tour. The tour ended about 5 mikes from our hotel where they picked us up in the morning. We did not find this out until during the tour. The tour guide took pity on us and arranged for the bus driver to drive us to an area voids to our hotel.
Adriano_B, Apr 2026
El escorial is really not to be missed, it is very important and beautiful. From wasting as much time as possible.
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