Imperial Route of the Community of Madrid

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The Imperial Route of the Community of Madrid is a designated tourist path that links several towns around the Sierra de Guadarrama. It follows part of the old road to the Monastery of El Escorial, used in the 16th century by King Philip II when traveling from Madrid to the Royal Site. The central highlight is the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984, which includes the Monastery and its surroundings.

The route covers nine towns in two main lines with a central core around El Escorial and San Lorenzo de El Escorial. The first leg goes from Madrid to Torrelodones, Collado Villalba and Guadarrama. From there you reach San Lorenzo de El Escorial and El Escorial, the heart of the route. The return leg passes through Robledo de Chavela, Fresnedillas de la Oliva, Navalagamella and Valdemorillo before heading back to Madrid. Some towns were part of Philip II’s journey and formed along the old Camino Real de Valladolid; others are nearby because of their historic links to the Monastery, such as housing workers or serving the Court.

Herrerian architecture, born from the Monastery’s architect Juan de Herrera, shapes the route’s artistic character. The Monastery itself, finished in 1584, is the core piece, but the style also marks many buildings in the towns and the roads. You can see Herrera influences in churches, old palaces and workers’ buildings in several towns, as well as later Neoclassical works added in the 18th century by Juan de Villanueva, who designed the Casita del Infante and the Casita del Príncipe.

Alongside religious and royal buildings, the route points to other notable structures: the New Bridge over the Guadarrama near Torrelodones, the Lonja and associated Casas de Oficios, the Casitas and the royal resting places, and later monuments from the 20th century such as the Valley of the Fallen and the Palace of Canto del Pico. The area also hosts modern sites like the NASA INTA base near Fresnedillas de la Oliva.

Nature and scenery are integral to the route. It crosses protected spaces such as regional parks, a Natural Monument and the Paraje Pintoresco of the Pinar de Abantos. Notable natural features include Abantos mountain, the Aulencia wetlands around Valmayor, and several rivers—the Cofio, Perales and Alberche—whose valleys shape the landscape.

In short, the Imperial Route combines a rich historical and artistic heritage with impressive natural scenery, offering a concise journey through the legacy of the Royal Foundation and the landscape that supported it.