San Lorenzo de El Escorial Off The Beaten Path

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La Casita del Príncipe o de Abajo (The Little Prince's House or The Lower House or The Cottage Down Below or...), was built in 1.772 by Juan de Villanueva for the then Príncipe de Asturias (Prince of Asturias), later Rey (King) Carlos IV.

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How to get there:
From the railway station of El Escorial (have a look at my "Warning & Danger Tip", you only need to walk a few metres.

From the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, take road M-600 to Madrid, but just after about 300-400 metres, when the road turns left, go straight ahead to El Escorial or railway station, then, before the tunnel, on your right, you will see the entrance.

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The Sierra de Guadarrama are a mountain range in the centre of the Iberian Peninsular. They extend from the northwest to the southeast. The area was rarely visited until the 1920’s when a rail link was built to connect through to Madrid. The sloping granite hillsides are filled with pine forests which have today some small holiday resorts nestled in them. The area is popular for rock-climbing, horse riding and hiking. The Valley of the Fallen is situated within the slopes of this range.

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The Basilica of the Holy Cross is an amazing place. The sheer enormity of this creation within the mountain not to mention the massive statues which escort you through to the huge altar – everything is on a massive scale. You will not be able to take any flash photography unfortunately and there will be guards around to ensure this. The huge interior is quite dimly lit, so normal photography probably won’t produce a good photo.

Location: Valle de Los Caidos

The Basilica of the Holy Cross (of the Valley of the Fallen) has been carved 250metres into the granite rock. The interior is made up of 40 huge statues of saints, 5 side chapels, a vestibule and atrium. There are around 40,000 coffins of fallen Civil War soldiers lying in a non-public place within the monument – some 150,000 were originally planned. Nationalist leaders as well as Francisco Franco are also buried in the church. A huge dome rises 42 metres above the altar which has been carved from a single piece of granite.

Location: Valle de Los Caidos

Above the entrance into the Basilica is the sculpture of the Pieta. This sculpture which features Christ lying in his grief-stricken mothers arms was created by Juan de Ávalos and measures 12 x 5 meters.

Location: Valle de Los Caidos

Centred in colonnade are the bronze double entrance doors into the Basilica. These decorative panelled doors are massive and show the mysteries of the rosary, Descent of the Holy Spirit, Annunciation, Prayer in the Garden, The Visitation, Christ’s birth and crucifixion – all created by Fernando Cruz Solis. You really only get a good perspective of their size when you see people standing in front of them.

Location : Valle de Los Caidos

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Before you enter into the depths of the mountain and the Basilica you will stand in a huge square which is bordered by two curved colonnades, each with 10 arches, measuring 262metres in length. The entire esplanade is supposed to bigger than St Peters in Rome and measures 30,600 metres.

Location: Valle de Los Caidos

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For a small fee (one way or roundtrip) there is a small funicular tramway which takes you up to the base of the cross which gives great views over the valley. There are also a walking route. The tram operates from 10.30am to 6.00pm.

Location: Valle de Los Caidos