Aranjuez or El Escorial or both

The train trip might be fun, but as |I recall it is not every day and runs just once in each direction.
Aranjuez was pleasant enough (we stayed there en route) but I wouldn't have made a special trp.
El Escorial is much more interesting, especially if you read up on your history and go to the Valley of the Fallen.

Have been to the royal monastery at San Lorenzo de El Escorial a couple times, not recently, and it is impressive. The crypt with the kings and queens was the highlight. It is down a number of stairs so not convenient for somebody with stairs mobility issues. Other than the monastery there’s little else to do in the town.

If you have a rental car, the formerly named Valle de Los Caídos, now Valle de Cuelgamuros, is nice to visit being a monument to those who died in the Spanish civil war. It is also a sad reminder of the brutality of the Franco regime since it was built using prisioner slave labor. It is only about 8 miles from El Escorial, but may be difficult to reach by bus. You’d need to check the schedules.

Not being a huge fan of palaces, I’ve never stopped in Aranjuez for that palace. However, If you had a rental car you could visit Aranjuez and on the return to Madrid you could take a side trip to Chinchón.

Either option would be fine so ease of getting to/from might be the deciding factor.

We enjoyed El Escorial. So much to see. We took the bus from Madrid as it drops you off right by the monastery. It made for a nice day trip.

El Escorial is amazing because it was from here that Spain’s King Phillip 2 ordered the Spanish Armada to invade England in 1588– an event that changed the world order when much of Spain’s navy sank in the Atlantic during the military campaign.

Marylinne, I am in Madrid right now and want to throw in some other options. Yesterday I visted the recently opened Royal Collections Gallery right across the street from the Royal Palace, next to the cathedral. It is very well done. Please consider a visit during your time in Madrid. Since you would like to see another royal residence I I would like to suggest La Granja de San Ildefonso right outside of Segovia as an alternative to Aranjuez. On previous visits to Madrid I have been to the Royal Palaces at both Aranjuez and La Granja de San Ildefonso and though both great sites, I would choose to return to La Granja de San Ildefonso over Aranjuez. You can take a 30 minute train ride from Madrid Chamartin to Segovia Guiomar train station and from there take a 15 minute taxi to the Royal Palace about 9 kilometers away. The gardens and surrounding scenery are much more impressive there than at Aranjuez. It will remind you of Versailles or Caserta.

I’ll add a comment about the Real Sitio de San Ildefonso. It’s about a 15 minutes drive from Segovia, but only 6 miles distance. It is the only thing to see in town. The palace isn’t as elaborate as some other palaces and you only get to see a small portion of it. It was still worth visiting. We visited in late September 2023 and the fountains in the gardens were already turned off and there were no blooming flowers, so the gardens were disappointing.

We stayed at the Parador that is a short walk from the palace. The town is an hour’s drive from Madrid’s airport,

"it was from here that Spain’s King Phillip 2 ordered the Spanish Armada to invade England in 1588"

For those unfamiliar, here is a brief documentary on Spain's repeated flops:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SXtbrRyN9cI

Of course the Spaniards will mention England's 1589 counter-Armada. But it still means that England won 4 to 1.

Nick, Spain is fortunate as it seems its “repeated flops” are past history.
Not so, in America!
We are doing a historic Belly Flop that hopefully doesn’t push all the water out of the swimming pool.
Cheers!