What Two Famous Art Museums Are Located in Madrid
Without a uncertainty, Madrid is a museum lover's dream come true, offering something for just virtually everyone.
If y'all want to dig a little deeper into the cultural side of the Spanish capital, you've come to the correct place. Read on to discover the pinnacle museums in Madrid and how to make the near of each i!
Yous've certainly heard of the Prado, right? Additionally, the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen may band a bell. Madrid's Aureate Triangle of Art—the city'southward three cheek-by-jowl uber-galleries—are impossible to ignore.
And rightly so! They're each packed with equally wonderful works.
But these three aren't the end-all-be-all of Madrid's art scene, and certainly not the but top museums in Madrid. So whether you're an art addict, a history buff, a science lover or annihilation in between, at that place'due south a Madrid museum you'll love. Here are the best museums in the Spanish capital—from iconic spots to hidden gems!
Fine art Museums in Madrid
one. Prado Museum
Generally, the Museo Nacional del Prado is i of the famous museums in Madrid. In fact, information technology's the well-nigh famous, and for skilful reason.
The permanent collection spans multiple styles, time periods and artists. Together, information technology encompasses i of the most impressive collections of classical European paintings in the world. Additionally, the temporary exhibitions never fail to print.
Brand sure to visit the Goya paintings downstairs, including the room of his Blackness Paintings. You can also find art by Velázquez (including Las Meninas), El Greco and Hieronymus Bosch, just to name a few!
two. Reina Sofía Museum
The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is the Prado's modern art counterpart. It's separate into two equally important sections: the old and new wings. The former houses the permanent collection and the latter temporary expositions.
The old building used to be a hospital and surrounds a tranquil center courtyard. Every flooring of the museum has its own gems. Only the must-see piece is Picasso'south famous Guernica, a somber and moving depiction of the bombing of a small Basque boondocks by the Nazis.
In add-on to a respectable drove of Picasso masterpieces, you lot'll too notice works past more than legendary artists of the 20th century, such as Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró.
3. Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
Rounding out Madrid's Golden Triangle of Fine art is the Museo de Arte Thyssen-Bornemisza. Its original drove consisted of 775 paintings belonging to the famed art collector Heinrich Freiherr Thyssen-Bornemisza. These pieces, some from artists as famous as Picasso and El Greco, hang in chronological order throughout the Thyssen.
The Thyssen'due south collection fills in the gap between the Prado and the Reina Sofía. It provides visitors with more incredible artwork than they may accept bargained for!
4. Sorolla Museum
Joaquín Sorolla is well-known in Spain. Overseas, though, the more than famous Spanish painters of his time—namely, the Cubists—accept eclipsed him. Which is unfortunate, because his work is similar a lord's day-drenched Spanish dream.
Built-in in Valencia, he had a knack for re-creating the Mediterranean'south gauzy light. He's famous for his radiant beach scenes and vignettes of local fishermen.
The Sorolla Museum is the artist'southward one-time home-cum-mansion (he moved to Madrid as a young human being). It tastefully combines Sorolla's work with his personal belongings. Memorably, on an easel in the artist'southward studio is the unfinished portrait he was working on when he died.
The sumptuous business firm wraps around an idyllic Andalusian-style garden, an inner-city oasis which you can enter for free. Be sure to go the first-class English-linguistic communication audio guide.
5. Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
If you lot're in Madrid for art, especially Goya, and so you lot'd be mad to miss the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. A two-minute walk from Puerta del Sol, the former fine arts university (Picasso and Dalí are alumni) is at present a sprawling gallery of 15th–20th century masters: Rubens, Titian, Picasso, El Greco, Gris and Sorolla are all represented.
That said, 2 other standouts are Arcimboldo (a quirky Prague court painter with a penchant for faces formed of fruits and veggies) and Goya. Considered past many to be the outset mod artist, the gallery is domicile to thirteen of his works, including a boisterous madhouse scene, a chilling Inquisition scene and two of the painter's about poignant self-portraits.
Historical Museums in Madrid
half dozen. Museum of Romanticism
Yet another subconscious gem among the meridian museums in Madrid is the Museo del Romanticismo. This gorgeous gem of a infinite showcases the various art forms from the Romantic period in Spain, including paintings, models, decorative arts, stamps, drawings and photography.
Each room looks like a different function of a fabled domicile—some decorated in shades of light blue, others in pinks and tans. The museum likewise hosts various concerts and events also as temporary exhibits. When you're finished exploring, be certain to enjoy a coffee and a snack in the beautiful courtyard café.
Here'south another one of Madrid's summit museums that might surprise you. The Naval Museum, located simply next to the Prado, is a fascinating glimpse into how Spain built (and so squandered) its considerable overseas empire.
Packed with weapons, globes, astrolabes, cannons, shipwreck artefacts and more model galleons than you can brandish a cutlass at, the staggering collection demonstrates just how powerful this nation and its armada in one case were. The highlight of the collection is the oldest preserved map of the Americas, dating from 1500.
Displays are only described in Castilian, only English language-language cards summarize each room. Annotation that this is a war machine location (it's inside the Armada's offices), which means you lot'll demand photograph ID to go in.
8. Cerralbo Museum
Simply beside Plaza España in downtown Madrid, the Museo Cerralbo is the former mini-palace of an absurdly wealthy early on 20th century Spanish marquis. He died in 1922 and bequeathed his house and belongings to the land.
Merely there was one condition: the regime weren't allowed to move or remove anything. Which means the marquis's home is but as he left it, making this an middle-popping insight into the life of the mega-rich in Belle Époque Madrid.
His priceless fine art drove covers the walls, his hoard of weapons and armor crams a long hallway, sepia-stained photos of family members decorate dressers. And the marquis' office—his desk cluttered with an inkwell, sheets of paper and other workday paraphernalia—suggest the long-dead grandee has just popped out to dejeuner.
9. Madrid History Museum
Discover the story of Spain'south capital at the Madrid History Museum. Housed in a scenic Baroque building, the museum documents the city'south history from its designation as the national capital in 1561 up to the early 20th century.
As yous make your way through the permanent collection's three unique spaces, you lot'll become a peek at how madrileños have lived, worked, dressed, and eaten throughout the centuries. A few standouts amidst its collection of 60,000+ objects are a scale model of the city built in 1830, porcelain pieces from the Buen Retiro factory, and of course, a scattering of Goya paintings.
The museum offers special guided tours for young visitors, making it a great pick for something to do in Madrid with kids. And if you're still non convinced, it's completely free to visit!
10. National Archaeology Museum
Founded in 1867 by Queen Isabel II, Madrid'southward National Archaeology Museum is a stunning testament to prehistoric and ancient times. It is one of the all-time museums of its kind in Espana, with an impressive drove of artifacts from around the globe.
Hither, y'all'll discover prehistoric cave paintings, Greek vases, Roman mosaics, Egyptian mummies, and Spanish pottery all under one roof. Don't miss one of the museum's greatest treasures: the Lady of Elche, a stone sculpture of an ancient Iberian adult female that has capitvated experts and visitors alike for more than a century.
11. Railway Museum
The Museo del Ferrocarril, or Railway Museum, is 1 of the elevation museums in Madrid for kids, history lovers, and all curious visitors. Here, you can pace back in fourth dimension to discover the history of train travel in the Castilian capital.
Housed in a stunning quondam wrought-iron train station congenital in the 19th century, this museum is one of Madrid'south most visually stunning. From early steam engines to electric locomotives and beyond, the museum offers an up-close look at train travel in a time when it was even so considered a special luxury. You can even enjoy a meal in a gorgeous sometime dining automobile from the 1930s!
Scientific discipline & Technology Museums in Madrid
12. National Museum of Natural Sciences
If y'all're eager to larn more than about the earth we live in, the National Museum of Natural Sciences is the perfect Madrid museum for you lot. This place is dedicated to helping visitors gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the diversity of the natural earth, and it does an excellent job at fulfilling its mission.
Inside its sprawling complex in the Salamanca neighborhood, y'all'll notice thousands of specimens representing the biodiversity of the Mediterranean area. Information technology'southward 1 of the oldest museums of its kind in Europe, and one of the few places in Madrid where you can get an in-depth understanding of everything from fossils to climate change all under one roof.
13. Robot Museum
At the other finish of the Stalk spectrum is Madrid'south Robot Museum, showcasing the evolution of this fascinating applied science throughout the modern age. Notice the by, present, and time to come of robotics as you relish a guided tour (available in Spanish or English) throughout this cut-edge space.
From replicas of famous film robots (Star Wars, anyone?) to Europe'south largest collection of robot dogs to the famous NOA humanoid robot, this museum makes robotics like shooting fish in a barrel to understand and accessible to all. It'southward an specially bully choice if you're visiting with kids, only certain to thrill adults also!
More Keen Museums in Madrid
14. CaixaForum
A relative newcomer on Madrid's museum scene, the up-and-coming CaixaForum exhibition infinite sits just downwardly the street from the Museo del Prado. If you get lost, just look for the impressive vertical garden out front!
Housed in a repurposed former electrical establish, CaixaForum has apace made a name for itself as 1 of the height museums in Madrid. It hosts an impressive agenda of temporary exhibitions showcasing art, design, photography, archaeology, and more, including regularly scheduled kids' programming.
15. Convent of the Barefoot Nuns
Spitting distance from Puerta del Sol, the 16th century Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales (Convent of the Barefoot Nuns) is a spooky treasure trove of bony relics, priceless art and a few dozen cloistered nuns.
Founded past a Spanish-built-in royal in 1559, over the centuries the convent attracted a bevy of single or widowed noblewomen, all of them well-endowed. And when each of these wealthy countesses and duchesses joined the order, they donated their dowries and priceless possessions to information technology.
The issue? The eerie convent also houses tapestries designed by Rubens, a magnificent Titian, one of St John the Baptist's fingers and a surfeit of glittering religious artefacts. It'south definitely one of the most interesting of the top museums in Madrid!
Top Museums in Madrid FAQs
What is the main museum in Madrid?
The nigh famous of Madrid'southward many museums is the Prado. It is one of the best art museums in Europe, with a collection of European masterpieces spanning several centuries.
What are the 3 museums in the Golden Triangle of Fine art in Madrid?
Madrid'southward famed "Golden Triangle of Fine art" consists of the Prado, the Thyssen, and the Reina Sofía museums.
Which museums in Madrid are gratis to visit?
Almost all Madrid museums offering gratuitous visiting hours during certain times of twenty-four hour period, or on certain days of the calendar week. Withal, the Madrid History Museum and the Naval Museum are always free (though donations are appreciated!).
Update Discover: This post was originally published on February 5, 2013 and was updated with new text and photos on June 23, 2021.
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