Spain: El Escorial/Valley of the Fallen or Toledo?

You need to search this forum, because others have reported that Valley of the Fallen is closed for construction. I don't know the facts myself. I will tell you that 5 years ago, we took an 11-hour bus tour from Trapsatur that included (AFIR) all THREE: Escorial, Valley of the Fallen, and half-day Toledo with Lunch. Yes, it was a bit rushed, yes, we were not in control of our outing (shudder ... ). But we had a great guide I was happy to tip, I didn't have to drive in a strange place, and we made very, very, very efficient use of a full day in Madrid. (We could walk to Trapsatur from the Hotel Preciados, which was helpful.) Their website currently OMITS Valley of the Fallen from that tour.

We returned in early November from a 6 week driving adventure to Spain and Portugal.... Like the other poster we heard conflicting reports as to whether Valle de los Caídos ~The Valley of the fallen was open... It is, we were there in late October... Given that you don't plan to rent a car I think you would get far more out of a full day in Toledo than trying to fit in El Escorial and Valley of the fallen.. El Escorial, although impressive in size was probably one of our least memorable stops on our 6 week tour of Spain and Portugal.. Toledo was a nice surprise, there is a lot to see and do.. The Cathedral has some amazing works of art. We spent just one night in Toledo, we could have easily spent 2.. In Madrid we enjoyed The Prada Museum and managed to see some wonderful works of art.. We discovered St Miguel Market and enjoyed the atmosphere as well as Tapa's there.. Have FUN!! We are in the process of deciding on our next adventure, we were thinking France, however we enjoyed Spain so much we are now planning on adding some new destinations as well as covering part of it again ....

The last I heard, Valley of the Fallen was closed and there was no word when or IF it would ever reopen.

Thank you so much for your input. I wanted to search the forum for answers, but I couldn't find the instructions on how to do so. I saw them last week (it looked like an advanced google search or something), but now I can't find them. Anyone know what I'm talking about? And thanks for the tip on St. Miguel Market. We'll have to check that out.

Janelle, you are completely right, the "Search the Travelers Helpline" link on the "Travelers Helpline" home page is BROKEN. It points to the same page the link is on. Normally it points to a search page with some of the Google parameters already filled in. It is, for the average web board, a cumbersome search. I'm sorry if it sounded like I was whipping you for not searching. I actually meant those words the other way, "Those topics have long since scrolled the bottom of the list and the best way to find them is to use the search function."

There have been recent messages that the Webmaster (bless his little cotton socks) has rejigged the search. Now all you have to do is put a search term in the little box in the upper right of the page where it says "Search". Much easier, and a fair degree better.

Personally, I'd choose Toledo as a day trip. I loved it there, the whole town is a historic site. The cathedral is amazing (as in, Holy Toledo!). Easy high speed train to get there. Plan to get disoriented though, it is a bit confusing with a lot of twisting, windy roads. I didn't care for El Escorial, but will admit that a bone-chilling windy cold day had a lot to do with that. Valley of the Fallen was closed (May 2010) so can't comment on the merits of visiting.

I neglected to compare the attractions. Toledo is indeed superb, and "worth" a full day, if you have it. El Escorial is really neat for history, art, or religion buffs. We would have liked to have seen more of it, but the Trapsatur was necessarily abbreviated. The Valley of The Fallen was worth a visit - not because it's a lovely monument (which it really isn't), but because of the stature of the Spanish Civil War in relatively recent history. It was also interesting to learn that they decided to inter vast, unknown remains of both sides, anonymously, together. That resonated we me because of (to pick one example) the "families'" demands to sift through the entire Fresh Kills Landfill to find and identify more World Trade Center remains.

Nancy, see Teresa's post above. It is not closed; they were just there in October. Also, you can find recent reviews (from August 2011 and later) on Tripadvisor. Even though it is open, I cannot imagine choosing that over Toledo, a beautiful and fascinating old hilltop town. We spent two nights and a full day there, and could have spent longer.

Thank you all so much for your help! It sounds like Toledo is the direction to lean. Is it worth getting the first train there and the last to leave? Any recommendations? Tim, no offense taken. I wish that I could have found the search option as well.

Toledo by all means...Valley of the Fallen, according to the spanish news site, is closed for the present time. Consideration is being given to revamping the site so as to pay full homage to the many casualties of the war. Toledo: 28 minutes via the AVE train from Atocha Station. It is the only stop by the way. Take an early train. When you arrive in Toledo, walk past the taxi pickup lot at the front to the sidewalk. There is a local bus stop there for an euro or less I recall. Take it to the Plaza Zodocover - anyone on the bus will tell you when you arrive. From there walk any direction. A tourist office is located just off the square. Free maps, directions, etc. There is a "tour train" which goes around the city. Not that good, but will let you see the city from the outside. Things to see: Cathederal - allow 1+ hour..get an audio guide at the ticket booth. Church of St. Tome - See the original El Greco in the place it was designed for. Walk any way you wish from the Plaza Zodocover and you will find many interesting places. There is the Museum de Santa Cruz - Walk through the Keystone arch on the Plaza Zodocover, down the steps and look to the left. Fantastic museum with tapestries, artifacts, etc. Many local restaurants in the area will take care of your food needs. At the end of the day take a taxi back to the train station. Monestary of St. John --a bit removed, but worth the walk. The Old Jewish Quarter..wonderful exhibitn of the shepardic jews. Toledo is one of my favorite cities in Spain.

HJ - Thank you so much for your specific help! It seems like it could easily be a very full day. I'm debating as to whether to take the 7:25 AVE back to Madrid or the 9:30. I wish that there was one in between. I hate to get back too late as we're site seeing in the morning, but I also don't want to cut Toledo too short. I also don't want to sit there for hours if everything is closed for the day. I hear Toledo is even better in the evening - though in February, it may not matter as much. Will I kick myself if I get the 7:25 back? Thanks again for your help!

Think you will be safe in taking the earlier train...reason: February nights will likely be cold and you will have had a full day of sightseeing. Nothing in Toledo is on a level spot!. Some more notes: The Alacazar is the imposing building on the skyline which you will see as you approach the city. It has little to offer (in 2011) other than the outside appearance. The Cathederal has a breathtaking collection of El Greco's paintings as well as others. Sevilla is said to be the "treasure box of the Spanish cathedrals" while Toledo is said to be "the crown jewel". The terms are accurate. The proper name of St. John that I mentioned is Monesstario de San Juan de los Reyes. The museums in the jewish quarter are Sinagoga de Transite, and Sinagoga Santa Maria Blanaca....both are impressive.
Have a great trip!

Both are must see for different historical periods of spain. EE/Valley is a day trip and Toledo should be 1 overnight. no need to rent car, take the bus to EE/Valley, and train to toledo.