Madrid's Most Representative Museums

Museo Nacional del Prado is Spain’s premier art museum and one of the world’s leading galleries. Its vast permanent collection houses masterpieces by Velázquez, Goya, El Greco, Rubens, Bosch, Titian, and many more. Spread across multiple buildings -including the main Villanueva and Jerónimos structures- the museum spans nearly 42,000 m² and displays over 8,600 paintings, alongside sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative arts.

Visitor Information
Paseo del Prado, s/n, 28014 Madrid. Website.
Open Monday to Saturday 10:00–20:00, Sundays and public holidays 10:00–19:00.
Admission is €15 general, €7.50 reduced (seniors, youth card holders), and free for under-18s, 18–25 students, disabled visitors, and  teachers. Free entry is available Mon–Sat 18:00–20:00 and Sun/holidays from 17:00–19:00.

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is Spain’s national museum of 20th‑century and contemporary art. Its principal home comprises the historic Sabatini Building (a former hospital) and the sleek Nouvel Building, connected to a sculpture-filled courtyard. The collection features masterpieces by Picasso -including the iconic Guernica- Dalí, Miró, and many others from Spain and around the world, with over 21,000 artworks on record.

Visitor Information
Santa Isabel 52, 28012 Madrid. Website
Open Monday, Wednesday–Saturday 10:00–21:00, Sunday 10:00–14:30, closed Tuesdays.
Admission: €12 general, with free entry Monday and Wednesday–Saturday 19:00–21:00, Sunday 12:30–14:30.

Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza is part of Madrid’s renowned “Golden Triangle of Art”, complementing the Prado and Reina Sofía with its encyclopaedic collection spanning the 13th to the late 20th century. Housed in the historic Villahermosa Palace, it displays works including Italian primitives, Dutch and Flemish Baroque, German Expressionism, Impressionist and Post‑Impressionist masterpieces.

Visitor Information
Paseo del Prado, 8, 28014 Madrid. Website
Open Monday 12:00–16:00, Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–19:00. Admission is €13–14 general, €8–10 reduced (students, seniors, Youth Card), and free for under‑18s, unemployed and disabled visitors. Free access to the permanent collection on Mondays 12:00–16:00.

The Royal Collections Gallery (Galería de las Colecciones Reales) is a striking museum housing over 650 exquisite works -from tapestries and sculptures to rare decorative arts and carriages-drawn from Spain’s royal heritage. Housed in a contemporary structure carved into the rock near the Royal Palace and Almudena Cathedral, it offers not only art but also archaeological insights, such as remains of the ninth-century Arab wall and immersive digital displays.

Visitor Information
Bailén s/n, 28013 Madrid. Website  
Open Monday to Saturday 10:00–20:00, Sundays and public holidays 10:00–19:00, with free-admission hours on Monday to Thursday evenings (18:00–20:00)
Admission is €14 for general entry, €24 for a combined ticket with the Royal Palace visit. 

Museo Arqueológico Nacional is Spain’s foremost archaeology museum, showcasing artefacts spanning prehistoric times through to the 19th century. Located on Calle de Serrano beside Plaza de Colón, it shares its elegant 19th-century building with the National Library and reflects Spain’s rich cultural heritage mncn.bmtest.es.

Visitor Information
Serrano, 13, 28001 Madrid. Website.
Open Tuesday–Friday 9:30–20:00, Saturdays 9:30–14:00. Free entry on Saturdays from 14:00, and Sundays & public holidays until 15:00.
General admission is €3, with reduced/free options—check the website for full details.

Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales is one of the world’s oldest natural history museums, founded in 1771. Located in the former Palace of Arts and Industry on Paseo de la Castellana, it holds over 11 million specimens -ranging from fossils and minerals to full-size skeletons- including an elephant, a giant squid, and a whale skeleton. 

Visitor Information
José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, 28006 Madrid. Website
Open Tuesday–Friday 10:00–17:00; Saturday–Sunday & public holidays 10:00–20:00; closed Mondays.
Admission: €7 general, €3.50 reduced (students); free Sundays 17:00–20:00.

Given the thematic focus of this assembly and the fact that it is located very close to the UCM campus, a note on the Museo de América could not be missing here. It is Spain’s national museum dedicated to the archaeology, ethnography and art of the Americas from the Paleolithic era to the present day. Its collections include over 25,000 objects, spanning pre‑Columbian artefacts, colonial-era art, and ethnographic treasures, making it one of the most comprehensive of its kind in Europe.

Visitor Information
Avenida de los Reyes Católicos, 6, 28040 Madrid. Website. 
Open Tuesday–Saturday 09:30–15:00 (extended until 19:00 on Thursdays), Sunday & public holidays 10:00–15:00, closed Mondays.
Admission: €3 general. Free entry on Sundays (all day), Thursdays from 14:00.