How to Get to El Valle de los Caídos from Madrid
If you're relying on public transport, you need to go via El Escorial (which is worth a half-day visit, anyway).You have two choices to get from El Escorial to El Valle de los Caídos:
- Bus 660 from El Escorial's bus station leaves every half hour, but it leaves you at the gate to the memorial, a couple of kilometers' walk away from the monument itself.
- There is one bus a day that goes all the way to the monument. It leaves from El Escorial's Plaza de la Gracia at 3.15pm and returns at 5.30pm. The ticket costs about 8€ and includes the return journey and entrance to the memorial.
You will get the most out of both destinations with this tour. Neither are places where you would gain much by wandering the streets alone - it is their historical importance that is of interest.
What to Do in El Valle de los Caídos
- See the final resting place of Spain's former dictator, General Franco, who ruled Spain from 1939 until 1975. Combines perfectly with half a day in El Escorial, where most of Spain's other rulers are buried.
- See the controversial stone cross and basilica - the monument was built by Franco's prisoners of war after the Spanish Civil War.
Entry into all of these activities is free with the Madrid Card.
