The excellence of modern art enclosed in a neoclassical building: the Prado Museum
Indice
Built for King Charles III of Spain by the architect Juan de Villanueva and opened in 1819, the Prado Museum is one of the most important museums in the world, and would therefore require a rather thorough visit to be admired in all its glory. Here, indeed, some of the undisputed masterpieces of Western art from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century are preserved: from the Maja desnuda to Goya’s Pinturas negras, from the Deposition by Rogier van der Weyden to Las Meninas by Velazquez, not to mention the largest set of works by the Dutch painter Jeronimus Bosch of whom King Philip II of Spain was one of the first and greatest admirers.
Here you will find also works by Titian, Raphael, Correggio, Mantegna, Fra Angelico, Brueghel, Rembrandt, El Greco: these are just some of the masterpieces preserved in this museum which houses more than 35,000 works, the result of the farsighted collecting of the Spanish Royal House during past centuries.
However, if you do not have a lot of time, allow yourself two hours to admire the unmissable masterpieces of Goya, Velasquez, Bosh, Rubens, El Greco. In this case it may be a good idea to reserve a guided tour that will lead you through the most important works of the collection. At the end of this walk through art, go and relax in the Retiro Park which is right next door.
USEFUL TIPS:
1) If you wish to take advantage of the free admission, queue up well in advance and try not to choose Sunday as there are more visitors
2) Culture first, then shopping: there are few deposit boxes and entering the Prado Museum with many bags can mean a longer wait in line
3) To enter the Prado Museum there is often a long queue, a good idea to skip it is:
chose a guided tour with priority access, which you can book HERE
buy the entrance ticket to skip the queue by clicking HERE
INFORMATION
Location
Paseo del Prado s/n, Madrid
Opening hours
Monday – Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm
Sunday and bank holidays from 10 am to 7 pm
Entrance fees
Whole ticket: 15 E
Reduced ticket: 7.5 E
To skip the queue buy the tickets HERE
Free entrance
Monday – Saturday from 6 pm to 8 pm
Sunday and Bank holidays from 5 pm to 7 pm
Madrid Card everyday (during these hours you can visit temporary exhibitions with a 50% discount)
How to get to the Prado Museum
Underground: Banco de España, line 2; Atocha, line 1.
Bus: 9, 10, 14, 19, 27, 34, 37 and 45.