II. JOURNEYS AND ROUTES

Travelling by horse-drawn carriage was so gruelling that postillions and horses had to be changed every six to nine miles. Soon they organized regular services with a relay system for transporting passengers and mail, wich was the beginning of the public transport and postal services. So the stagecoach was born. Between Madrid and El Escorial there were Relay Houses some of which could also be used as a Post Office. The importance of these Relay Houses in the development of the Spanish Postal system can be seen in the fact that Madrid´s main square, Puerta del Sol or the Old Post Office are the Zero Mark of both roads and postal Spanish systems.

The routes to get to El Escorial have changed since the Monastery was built. Felipe II used to travel through Torrelodones and Toledo but during the regin of Carlos III the roads through Guadarrama or Galapagar became more popular.