Cool and Unusual Things to Do in San Lorenzo de El Escorial - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in San Lorenzo de El Escorial

San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain

Valley of the Fallen

This underground church is topped with a 500-foot cross that is seen by many as a beacon of fascist hubris.

San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain

Royal Library of San Lorenzo de El Escorial

This influential Renaissance-era library was once the haunt of kings and monks.

San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain

Silla de Felipe II (Phillip II’s Chair)

According to tradition, King Phillip II supervised construction of the seat of his empire from this seat carved into rock.

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Civil War Bunkers of Alto del León

These Bullet-scarred bunkers are haunting reminders of the Spanish Civil War.

8 miles from San Lorenzo de El Escorial

Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain

Cementerio del Cristo (Cemetery of Christ)

This small cemetery and its chapel are located in the middle of a traffic circle.

12 miles from San Lorenzo de El Escorial

Manzanares el Real, Spain

Manzanares el Real Castle

A magnificent, long-abandoned castle built in the wake of the reconquest of Spain.

17 miles from San Lorenzo de El Escorial

Rascafría, Spain

Peñalara National Park

A breathtaking and biodiverse wilderness in the mountain setting of Ernest Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls."

18 miles from San Lorenzo de El Escorial

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