S Lorenzo, Spain

Northwest of Madrid, the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama hold one of Spain's best-known and most visited sights – Felipe II's vast monastery-palace complex of El Escorial. The town around it, San Lorenzo del Escorial, is an easy day-trip from Madrid; if you plan to travel on, rail and road routes continue to Ávila and Segovia. There's so much to see that you will need to set out early to do the sight real justice, but despite the size of the task it is still a highly rewarding visit.