One advantage that San Lorenzo de El Escorial offers is its location at the foot of the Madrid mountain range. It is the starting point for some interesting hikes, the most common of which is El Valle de Los Caídos (The Valley of The Fallen). which is a temple of monumental proportions, crowned by a huge cross and several sculptures by Juan de Avalos. Construction began in the 40's by order of General Francisco Franco, Head of the Sapnish State during that period.

The main basilica is an excavation within a mountain with a long stairway leading to the entrance. It took twenty years to accomplish this feat and the work was done by prisioners of the Spanish Civil War. The crypt of Valle de los Caídos holds the remains of many of those who fought in that war. Also there rest Francisco Franco and José Antonio Primo de Rivera.

You can reach it by taxi cab or bus.

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