Discover The Best Museums In Madrid

The Spanish capital is a city of art and culture, as demonstrated by the enormous number of museums it houses. They are many and varied, with incredible permanent exhibitions and some temporary ones that generate great interest. We are going to take a tour of the best museums in Madrid. Can you come with us?

What are the best museums in Madrid?

Madrid has more than 40 museums of all kinds, although some are more recognized than others, such as the Prado Museum, which has gained international fame for hosting great works of art history. Through him we begin our tour of the best museums in Madrid.

Prado Museum

It is much more than one of the best museums in Madrid, it is one of the largest and most recognized art galleries in the world. Its collections are made up of more than 8,000 paintings, 10,000 drawings and 6,000 prints, as well as sculptures, medals or photographs, among other objects.

Its most special attraction is that most of its works date from the 16th to the 19th centuries.  Works by artists of the stature of Velázquez, Goya, Rubens or Tiziano. If you want to admire jewels like Las Meninas , La Maja Nude or The Surrender of Breda,  you will have to visit El Prado.

Open Monday to Saturday from 10 to 18. Sundays and holidays it closes one hour later. Two hours before closing, admission is free.

The Reina Sofía Museum

It is a perfect complement to the Prado Museum, since the Reina Sofía National Art Center houses a wide collection of works by Spanish artists of the 20th century. Therefore, one of the best museums in Madrid and also in Spain in terms of contemporary art.

Here  you can see works by artists of the stature of Picasso, Miró or Dalí. But if there is one work that stands out above the rest, it is Gernica , by Pablo Ruiz Picasso.

It is in what used to be the General Hospital of Madrid, a neoclassical building from the 18th century located in front of the Atocha station. Open Monday and Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 7pm. On Tuesday it remains closed. The last two hours, as well as on Sunday from 1:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., admission is free.

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

The so-called Madrid Art Triangle is completed by this other museum. In its rooms you can see works dating from the fourteenth century. But especially the impressionist, surrealist and so-called  Pop art works stand out.

It houses around a thousand works. In this museum we can see works by artists such as El Greco, Dürer or Rubens. But also Monet, Picasso, Juan Gris, Chagall or Juan Gris, among many others.

It is located in the Palacio de Villahermosa, a beautiful 18th century building expanded to house the collection’s funds. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 7 pm . On Mondays it is open from 10 am to 4 pm and admission is free.

National Archaeological Museum

With more than a million pieces, it is the great Spanish museum dedicated to archeology. It was remodeled a few years ago and today it has twelve exhibition modules in forty rooms where you can take a journey through the history of Spain from Antiquity to the Modern Age.

And not only from Spain, in the facilities you can also see pieces from other places such as Greece, the Middle East, Egypt and Rome. A fascinating exhibition that takes us to other times and in which you can admire jewels such as the Lady of Elche or part of the Guarrazar Treasure.

The Archaeological Museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday and from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sundays and holidays. On Saturdays from 2:00 p.m. and on Sunday mornings, admission is free

These are the four best museums in Madrid, although as we told you at the beginning, the city has more than 40, so if you have time during your visit to the city there are many more that you can visit.