The literal translation of El Escorial is "the slag heap". But this is actually the name of the neighbouring village and also a pretty good description of the barren landscape around it. Not exactly the typical setting for a royal palace. Opinions about its architecture are divided, and were already so when King Philipp II had the palace built in the 16th century.  Austere and sober for some, imposing and majestic for others. And I didn't really know what to think of this building either when I stood in front of the façade.
El Escorial is much more than just a palace, it is a combination of monastery, palace, college, library and royal crypt. So no surprise that it's huge, it is considered the largest Renaissance building in the world.

I visited El Escorial in May 2019. I bought a ticket and booked a time slot online beforehand. But when I arrived on a weekday afternoon there were far fewer visitors than I expected, the day tours from Madrid had apparently already left. You can visit the palace-monastery complex with an audio guide. I skipped the Royal Appartments, these rooms look more or less the same in all European palaces. Instead, I focused on the highlights: the Basilica, the Library, the Cloister and the Royal Pantheon. My highlight was the 50-metre-long wall painting in the Hall of Battles.
Photography is not allowed inside, but there were few staff, only in the library and the Pantheon of the Kings was it really controlled.

In total, I spent an hour and a half on my self-guided tour, and I enjoyed El Escorial more than I had expected.