Visit the Prado Museum in Madrid

In the heart of Madrid, visit the Prado Museum and its permanent exhibition of 1300 works from Rembrandt to Goya via Velasquez.

Located in the heart of downtown Madrid , the Prado Museum is a giant pinacotheque retracing the history of European art from the 12th century to the 19th century. With a collection of 7600 canvases, 900 works of sculpture, countless drawings and other art objects in its permanent and temporary exhibition, it displays an affluence of 3 million visitors per year.

It is simply the most complete collection of Spanish paintings in the world. Here's what awaits you by going to visit the Prado Museum in Madrid.

Presentation and visit of the Prado Museum

Opened to the public in 1819, the place was called "mustum of masterpieces" because of its wealth. During your visit, you can admire the paintings of Velázquez, Ribera, Murillo, Goya, Rubens, Bosch or the Greek, and discover the backstages of Spanish, Italian (including the baroque current), French (including the classicism of the 17th and 18th centuries), German and Flemish of the Romanesque period in the contemporary era.

The museum was preserved from wars and conflicts.

Durant his story , he sheltered the headquarters of the Napoleonic cavalry for a while before being, much later, several times transferred to Valencia, then to Geneva, and protected from shelling during the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War.

Looking at the galleries of the Prado Museum, you will have the opportunity to contemplate the following paintings, among others:

• The hay tank, by Jérôme Bosch (1450-1516),
• Adoration of the mages, by Pierre-Paul Rubens (1577-1640),
• Adoration of the shepherds, from El Greco (Domínikos Theotokópoulos) (1541-1614),
• The blind old man of Georges de la Tour (1593-1652),
• David and Goliath of Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio) (1571-1610),
• The threads, Sebastian de Morra, Pablo de Vallaloid, the triumph of Bacchus or the drinkers, of Diego Velasquez (1599-1660),
• El tres de mayo, de Francisco de Goya (1746-1826),
• The Cardinal of Raphael (1483-1520),
• Danaé, from Titien (1490-1576).

To cross the ages and artistic currents in the museum galleries, the organizers established three guided tours, without which the visitor would be a little lost.

It is necessary to plan a minimum half day or even a whole day because the galleries are very large. You are advised to choose the audio-guide option to visit the Prado Museum in a chronological order.

Some practical information before visiting the museum

To protect works, photographs and videos are strictly prohibited inside the site.

Opening hours to the museum’s public are:

• From Monday to Saturday, from 10am to 8pm,
• Sundays and holidays: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.,
• December 24, December 31 and January 6: from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Museum closed on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.

Every day, the museum allows the public to conduct free two-hour visits:

• From Monday to Saturday, from 6pm to 8pm,
• Sundays and holidays, from 5pm to 7pm.

How much does it cost (price) to visit the Prado Museum in Madrid?

Rates :

• Adults : 15 €,
• Entrance two visitors : 22 €,
• Visit from 9am to 10am (before public opening): 50 €,
• Reduced price : 7,50 €,
• Children: free,
• Students: free (on student card presentation).

As often for tourist attractions and monuments where the affluence is important, it is possible to book a skip-line ticket in order to avoid losing your time in the queue to buy your ticket.

Online booking makes it easy: you receive your ticket by e-mail and you don’t even need to print it: a scan of the electronic ticket on your phone will suffice.

However, we strongly advise you to reserve your place in advance, history of not having bad surprises. Normally, you will not have to pay a booking fee.

Access to the museum by all means of transport

The museum is located between Botanical Garden and El Retiro Park.

To get there, here is the exact address: Prado National Museum, Paseo del Prado, 28014 Madrid.

• The Prado Museum has three entrances: the Jerónimos entrance, the Murillo entrance (closed to the public) and the Goya Alta Stations entrance to the nearest metro stations: Banco de España and Atocha,
• E bus, take lines 9, 10, 14, 19, 27, 34, 37 and 45,
• By train, stop at “ Gare d’Atocha”. For commuter trains, access to the site by the stations RENFE Atocha and Recoletos.

Main photo credit: Flickr – damian entwistle