Best Museums in Madrid

art museums in Madrid

When you think of Madrid you might think of great tapas, shopping, and football, but Madrid has much more to offer. In this post, I’ll cover some of the best museums in Madrid.

One great thing about some of these museums is that they are within walking distance: the Golden Triangle of Art, so you can visit them in a day—if you don’t mind rushing.

Golden Triangle of Art Madrid museums

Some others are close to shopping areas in case you want to squeeze in a visit.

The museums on this list are art museums, and history museums.

I have created this map for you to locate them


Prado Museum

This museum in Madrid is the most visited museum in Spain. It’s been referred to as the most important museum in the world for European painting.

In the Prado, you’ll find the single best collection of Spanish art with paintings from 12th to 20th centuries.

I am not too big in paintings from this time period, but I have to acknowledge that is a great tourist attraction, and therefore, expect long lines to go in.

Next to Prado Museum is Real Jardín Botánico, one of my favorite parks in Madrid.

Must see:
Las Meninas (Velázquez), El tres de mayo en Madrid (Goya) and El Jardín de las Delicias (El Bosco).

Transport:
Metro Estación del Arte (line 1)

Price:
7.5€ – buy tickets (Free – Monday – Saturday: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.)

Opening hours:
Monday – Friday:  10 am – 8 pm
Weekend: 10 am to 5 pm.

Museum in Madrid Prado
Photo credit


Reina Sofía

Reina Sofía is another great museum in Madrid. It opened in 1990 and its collection is mostly 20th Century Spanish art and modern art. It’s considered one of the world’s largest museums dedicated to modern art.

Fun fact: Reina Sofía museum was a hospital until 1965 and due to the number of deaths they decided to bury the corpses in the basements of the hospital. Nowadays, the security guards that work at the museum claim hearing strange noises and alarms that go off in the middle of the night. Spooky.

Must see:
Guernica (Pablo Picasso) a denunciation of war and fascism.

Transport:
Metro Estación de las Artes

Price:
5€ – buy tickets

Opening hours:
Monday: 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Wednesday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Closed Tuesday

Guernica Picasso Museum Reina Sofia Madrid


Thyssen-Bornemisza

Thyssen museum could be classify somewhere between Reina Sofía and Prado, since it fills the historical gap between these two museums in Madrid.

It’s a private collection with more than 1000 works of art that belongs to Hans Heinrich von Thyssen-Bornemisza.

They put together some interesting temporary exhibitions. You can check the current one here.

Must see:
This is my favorite museum of the Golden Triangle of Art. There are some paintings by Mondrian, John Atkins, Dali and Hopper that are worth the ticket fee.

Transport:
Metro Banco de España (line 2).

Price:
13€ – buy tickets (Free – Monday: 12:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)

Opening hours
Monday: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Notice that temporary exhibitions might have different opening times, go to MuseoThyssen to check.

Photo credit


Museo de América.

It’s located near faro de Moncloa—an incredible spot to watch the sunset.

In this museum there’s a collection of pre-Columbian American art. You’ll learn about the cultures and religions of the Americas before the Spanish conquerors invaded the continent.

This museum in Madrid shows how the Americas evolved over time. You can see some archeological and ethnographical pieces such as masks, textiles, manuscripts and furniture.

You can download the audio guide on their web.

Must see:
The most impressive piece of Art in this museum is the Aztec calendar also known as the Aztec sun stone.

Transport:
Metro Moncloa (line 3 and 6) and Islas Filipinas (line 7)

Price:
3€ – buy tickets

Opening hours:
Tuesday – Saturday: 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Thursday: 9:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Museum America Madrid Spain
Photo credit


CaixaForum

CaixaForum is located near the three most important museums in Madrid: The Golden Triangle of Art.

It used to be an old power station. They change their exhibits quite often, so I suggest going online in advance and check what exhibits they have.

You can get the audioguide online for free or at the museum for 2€.

Must see:
Even if you don’t go inside, have a look at the vertical garden outside. It’s the first one ever planted in Spain and the biggest in the world.

Transport:
Metro Estación del Arte (line 1)

Price:
6€ – buy tickets

Opening hours:
Every day 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Vertical Garden Caixaforum museum in Madrid


Museo Sorolla

The museum is located in the neighborhood of Chamberi.

This museum was the painter’s home and workplace until his death. The rooms are still furnished as they were back then and welcome hundreds of visitors every day.

Known as the Spanish Master of Light, Sorolla was an impressionist that excelled in the paintings of family portraits and landscapes.

One of the highlights of this museum in Madrid is its beautiful gardens, which are open to the public and you can visit for free.

Must see:
The gardens outside the house.

Transport:
Metro Iglesia (line 1), Rubén Darío (line 5), Gregorio Marañón (line 7 and 10)

Price:
3€ – buy tickets

Opening hours:
Tuesday – Saturday: 9:30 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Sorolla house art museum Madrid

I hope you enjoyed this article about the best museums in Madrid. Let me know in the comments what your favorite museums are.


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