The monastery of EL ESCORIAL was the largest Spanish building of the Renaissance: rectangular, overbearing and severe, from the outside it more resembles a prison than a palace. Built between 1563 and 1584, it was originally the creation of Juan Bautista de Toledo, though his one-time assistant, Juan de Herrera , took over and is normally given credit for the design. Felipe II planned the complex as both monastery and mausoleum, where he would live the life of a monk and "rule the world with two inches of paper". Later monarchs had less ascetic lifestyles, enlarging and richly decorating the palace quarters, but Felipe's simple rooms, with the chair that supported his gouty leg and the deathbed from which he could look across into the church where Mass was constantly celebrated, remain the most fascinating.

There's more to see than you can fit into a single day without total exhaustion, and you're liable to end up agreeing with Augustus Hare that while the Escorial "is so profoundly curious that it must of necessity be visited, it is so utterly dreary and so hopelessly fatiguing a sight that it requires the utmost patience to endure it"

You'll need to head away from the monastery for something to eat , up Calle Reina Victoria into town. The Hotel Parilla Principe has a good restaurant, while La Cueva , Calle San Antón 4, is elegant but expensive. Also at the top end of the scale, El Charoles , Calle Floridablanca 24, is renowned for its fish and stews. More reasonable is La Fonda Genara , Plaza de Las Animas 2, near the coliseo , which is filled with theatrical mementoes. The Cervecería Los Pescaitos , Calle Joaquín Costa 8, is a friendly bar serving fish dishes. Alternatively, grab a bocadillo from a drinks stand on Calle Floridablanca and save your appetite for later. For purely liquid refreshment Bar Erriuga , on Calle Ventura Rodríguez 7, is one of the best bets. If by design or default you end up staying the night in El Escorial, there are no fewer than eight cinemas , along with the eighteenth-century Coliseo where you'll find jazz and classical concerts and theatrical productions year-round. Details of shows can be picked up from the turismo, or check out the free weekly La Semana del Escorial .

Visits to the Real Monasterio del Escorial (Tues-Sun: April-Sept 10am-7pm; Oct-March 10am-6pm; Euros6 non-guided, Euros6.90 guided, combined ticket for monastery & El Valle de los Caídos Euros8.40, Wed free for EU citizens) used to be deeply regulated, with compulsory guided tours to each section. Recently, they've become more relaxed and you can use your ticket (purchased in the visitors' entrance ) to enter, in whatever sequence you like, the basilica, sacristy, chapter houses, library and royal apartments. The outlying Casita del Príncipe (aka de Abajo ) and Casita del Infante (aka de Arriba ) have separate opening hours and admission fees. To escape the worst of the crowds avoid Wednesdays and try visiting just before lunch, or pick that time for the royal apartments, which are the focus of all the bus tours. At present the Sala de Batallas -a long gallery lined with paintings of important imperial battles - and the Casita del Príncipe are closed as part of the programme of ongoing restoration.