Getting to El Escorial: Transport

In case it can help someone else - here is a bit of info on transport to and from the Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

Photo by 'hoja de reyes.'

By bus...
We were advised to take the bus, as the bus station for El Escorial is almost right beside the monastery.
The company is Herranz, and you can check out the times here.
The buses leave from, the Moncloa interchange in Madrid, which is easily accessible by metro, and it was only 3€50 (for a one-way ticket).
Just don't do what we did, and get off when you hear 'El Escorial,' ie down in the village below the monastery.  Stay on until you get to the bus station up higher!


By train...
On the way back, we went on the Cercanías train (line C3, which took us right to Sol).  Here's a map of the stops.
We got really frustrated trying to work out how to get the bus back down to the train station, and ended up going for a taxi (which was pretty cheap).  The train actually took about as long as the bus, and was 3€35, so about the same price.

If you're keen to walk between the monastery and the train station, you can check out the route on Google maps by putting in the address of the bus station (Calle Juan de Toledo, 5 San Lorenzo de El Escorial) and that of the train station (C/ Santa Rosa, S/N El Escorial).  But, be warned that Google thinks it'll take about 17 minutes.