Being in the center of the peninsula, Madrid is ideally situated to use it as a "base camp" while you visit the beautiful spots around it. The wealth of resources that surround the city, has been the reason throughout history for our kings and queens to choose the outskirts to build their summer, winter or hunting palaces as well as their religious and spiritual centers ... etc. Today, thanks to the capital’s excellent road and rail network, it is possible to travel to any of these points in just 1 hour, which makes them ideal destinations for excursions of 1 or 2 days.

El Escorial

We are in 1558. The Emperor Carlos I of Spain and V of Germany is near to death, but before dying, he gives an important commission to the heir of the throne, his son Philip II. The king wants to be buried in a building built specifically to house his tomb, and that's when Felipe appoints a commission of experts to determine the ideal location for that purpose. It is the conception of the Monasterio del Escorial, an impressive complex at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama, including a royal palace, a basilica, a library, a monastery (still occupied today) and a pantheon, which for centuries has been considered as the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Aranjuez

This beautiful town, crossed by the Tagus and Jarama rivers, is full of little treasures that make it ideal for a one or more days excursion. Its dream gardens that inspired the famous Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquin Rodrigo, its fine restaurants, its orchards of strawberries and asparagus, its ancient architecture and especially the overwhelming Royal Palace of Aranjuez, built by Philip II in the XVI century, led to this small town just 30 miles south of Madrid, to be declared as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2001.

La Granja de San Ildefonso

The first king of the Bourbon dynasty in Spain, Felipe V, was born in Versailles in 1683. That means that he grew up in the court of his grandfather Louis XIV. Very fond of hunting, he fell in love with the countryside and hunting wealth of this small region located about 50 miles north of Madrid, and decided to build a palace in it, perhaps wanting to imitate the life of Felipe II. But childhood is very important in one person’s life, and what could have been another El Escorial, turned out to be a small copy of Versailles Palace. The gardens are a must, that, with an area of 146 hectares and 21 spectacular fountains, are considered the best examples of eighteenth-centurygarden design in Europe.

Alcalá de Henares

With over 200,000 inhabitants and just 18 miles away from the capital, it is the second largest city of the Community of Madrid, though is certainly the oldest. It was founded in the Celtiberian period, although it was not until the arrival of the Romans when a city called Complutum forms. It was declared a World Heritage City by UNESCO in 1998 and today is famous for its University, built thanks to Cardinal Cisneros in 1499, and for being the city that gave birth to the famous author of Don Quixote, Don Miguel de Cervantes in 1547, whose birthplace is possible to visit in the center of the old city, as well as a large number of buildings and monuments dating back to Roman times.

Toledo

Inscribed in 1986 on the UNESCO World Heritage List, throughout its long history, Toledo has always been known as the city of tolerance or the City of Three Cultures, with the coexistence of Jews, Muslims and Christians. Toledo has been a Roman municipality, a Visigoth capital, part of the Emirate of Córdoba in the Arab Spain, a key place in the Christian Reconquista and the temporary seat of the court during the reign of Charles V. Its current appearance is due to the superposition of all these influences and the coexistence of three cultures: Jewish, Muslim and Christian. From the Christian Toledo stand out its Alcázar, the Cathedral of Santa Maria, churches, convents and monasteries, such as San Juan de los Reyes. From its Arab past, the urban network of narrow, winding streets and mosques such as the Cristo de la Luz. The Jewish presence can be traced in the synagogues of Tránsito and Santa Maria la Blanca.

Segovia

Segovia is a city at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama, about 55 miles northwest away from Madrid. Its old city and its Aqueduct were declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1985. The 818 meters long Aqueduct of Segovia, as well as being an impressive piece of Roman civil engineering, is one of the most significant and best preserved monuments of those that the romans left in the Iberian Peninsula. Beyond its artistic heritage of incalculable value, Segovia also has a great gastronomic offer, especially for meat lovers.

Sigüenza

Learn the secrets of one of the best preserved medieval cities throughout Spain. The cathedral, castle and cobbled streets transport you back in time to enjoy a unique experience. Surrender to the art and history of medieval Castilian and finish the visit tasting its gastronomic specialties such as the delicious lamb or kid; traditionall dish of the villa. (Bookable food + accommodation in the Parador of Siguenza).