14 Best Museums in Madrid

The Spanish capital has more than 50 museums of various kinds, and many are among the best places to visit in Madrid. Seeing them all is a very difficult task and would require a lot of time. That's why, regardless of your personal tastes, it's a good idea to find out which are the most important in the city, taking into account their collections and their value.

Some of Madrid's museums are among the best and most visited in the world, while others, less well known, house hidden gems that leave no one indifferent. Discover the 10 best in the list below.

I couldn't start this list without recommending a visit to the Prado Museum. Not only is it the most visited museum in Madrid and Spain, but it is also considered one of the most important in the world thanks to its art gallery, which has a collection of more than 1,700 pieces by artists such as Goya, Velázquez, Bosch and El Greco, among many others.

It forms part of what is known as Madrid's triangle of the arts, together with the two museums we will discuss next on this list.

Useful information

• Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 20:00, Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 19:00.
• Location: Paseo del Prado. Madrid. If you have any questions, here is a post on how to get there.
• Main works: Here is an article with a list of the main works on display at the Prado.
• Admission price: General admission €15. Free for children under 18, unemployed people and students between 18 and 25. Check out all the detailed pricing information here.
• Find all the information you need about visiting the Prado here.

In contrast to the Prado's collection of classical works, if you visit the Reina Sofía Museum, you will find yourself in the home of contemporary and 20th-century art. The second vertex of the art triangle has a permanent collection of artists such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró.

The symbol of this museum is Picasso's Guernica, but there are many other works that deserve visitors' attention. The museum is also conveniently located next to Atocha station. There are few excuses not to visit, especially if you are a lover of contemporary art.

Useful information

• Opening hours: Monday to Saturday (closed on Tuesdays) from 10 am to 9 pm. Sundays from 10 am to 7 pm. Check here for more information on opening hours.
• Location: C/ Santa Isabel, 52 and Ronda de Atocha. (There are two entrances).
• Main works: Take a look at the main works at this link.
• Admission price: You can purchase tickets from £10 at Hellotickets.
• Find out more about visiting the Reina Sofía here.

Leaving Atocha station and walking up Paseo del Prado, you will first come to the Reina Sofía, then the Prado, and finally the last point of the art triangle, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.

This museum houses the private collection of the Barons Thyssen, full of great works from the Renaissance, Impressionism, Expressionism and many other styles. The charm of the Thyssen Museum's collection lies in its variety of styles. In addition to the permanent exhibition, they also hold temporary exhibitions.

Useful information

• Opening hours: Monday from 12pm to 4pm, and Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 7pm.
• Location: Palacio de Villahermosa, Paseo del Prado 8.
• Main works: The most prominent artists with works in the Thyssen are El Greco, Caravaggio, Rubens, Rembrandt and Van Gogh.
• Admission price: Tickets are available from £13 at Hellotickets.

Another museum of a completely different style is the Madrid Wax Museum. A place where you can discover statues of more than 450 famous figures from the past and present and learn all about the process of making and creating the figures. Very important, don't forget your camera!

Useful information

• Opening hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in summer and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in winter.
• Location: Plaza de Colón, 1, 28004 Madrid.
• Main attractions: Some of the statues you can see include Taylor Swift, Rafa Nadal, Marilyn Monroe, Barack Obama and Christopher Columbus.
• Admission price: Tickets are available from €18 at Hellotickets.

And if you want to continue taking the best photographs, don't miss the Sweet Space Museum, which combines the traditional concept of art with new digital trends. Discover its 10 interactive themed rooms with unique settings and spaces designed by international artists such as Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada, Antonyo Marest and Miju Lee, among others. You can also put your senses to the test.

Useful information

• Opening hours: Saturday and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Location: Calle Serrano, 61. ABC Serrano Shopping Centre, 2nd floor. Madrid.
• Main works: Admire the exhibitions and modern art by artists such as Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada, Antonyo Marest, Ivanna Gautier, Miju Lee and Zok Art, among others.
• Prices: Tickets are available from £18 at Hellotickets.

The Royal Academy of Fine Arts Museum in Madrid is one of the most important national art galleries and houses Spanish, Flemish and Italian works of art. Specifically, it has more than 1,500 paintings, 1,500 sculptures, as well as a thousand pieces of furniture, gold and silverwork, ceramics and much more. You can also visit the Goya Room in the National Engraving Museum.

Useful information

• Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., including public holidays.
• Location: Alcalá 13. Madrid. 28014.
• Main works: The collection includes works by great artists such as Goya, Arcimboldo, Rubens and El Greco.
• Admission price: Tickets are available from £10 at Hellotickets.

The Museum of Illusions in Madrid brings together various exhibitions and installations full of experimental and educational visual experiences that stimulate the imagination and logic. Spend an incredible time with your friends or family playing games, solving puzzles and, above all, learning.

More than 80 games and several rooms with different themes, full of holograms, puzzles, rooms with 3D brain teasers and optical illusions, with some notable challenges such as the Infinite Room, the Intelligent Games Room and the Dilemma Room.

Useful information

• Opening hours: Monday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Location: Calle del Doctor Cortezo, 8. 28012. Madrid.
• Ticket price: Tickets are available from £14 at Hellotickets.

A visit to the Royal Palace of Madrid attracts thousands of people almost every day. What many people don't know is that, in addition to seeing the royal rooms, the palace itself has a small museum displaying one of the most important collections of weapons and armour in the world.

The Royal Armoury of Madrid has a permanent exhibition of weapons and armour belonging to the Spanish royal family from the 13th to the 19th centuries, which is well worth seeing. In fact, it is recognised as one of the best of its kind.

Useful information

• Opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. In summer until 20:00. More info here.
• Location: Calle Bailén, ground floor of the Royal Palace of Madrid.
• Main works: Discover everything you can see at the Royal Palace of Madrid here.
• Admission price: General admission €10. Reduced €5. Children under 5 free.
• Find all the information you need about visiting the Royal Palace and its museum here.

Joaquín Sorolla is an artist important enough to have his own exclusive museum. The Valencian painter spent much of his life in Madrid, and it is precisely in what was once his home and studio that his museum is now located.

Sorolla produced more than 2,000 works throughout his artistic career, and the best known and most important are in this museum in Madrid. If you like the art of one of Spain's most important painters, this is a must-see.

Useful information

• Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday: 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Closed on Mondays. Sundays and public holidays: 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Location: General Martínez Campos, 37.
• Main works: Paintings such as The Swimmers in Jávea, The Pink Robe and Nude are on display in his studio, along with the painter's famous portraits and self-portraits.
• Admission: General admission: £3. Free admission on Saturdays from 2pm to 8pm and on Sundays.
• More info: here.

If you want to learn about all the cultures that have inhabited the Iberian Peninsula, there is no better place than the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid. Founded in 1867, it houses pieces from prehistoric times to the Renaissance, including the Iberians, Egyptians and many other cultures, and is recognised as one of the best archaeological collections in the world.

Useful information

• Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sundays and public holidays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Location: Calle Serrano, 13.
• Main works: The Lady of Elche, the statue of Harsomtus-em-hat, the Crown of Recesvinto and a replica of the Altamira cave.
• Admission: General admission €3. Reduced admission for groups and cultural volunteers: €1.50.
• More info: here

This museum is located in the mansion of the Marquis of Cerralbo, a building whose interior is so spectacular that it is worth visiting for that alone.

The Marquis of Cerralbo contributed greatly to historical studies and, as a great art lover, he left behind an impressive collection of weapons, armour and various works of art that can be seen in his museum. Although less well known, it is a real hidden gem in the city of Madrid.

Useful information

• Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 9.30am to 3pm. Sundays and public holidays from 10am to 3pm and Thursdays from 5pm to 8pm.
• Location: Calle Ventura Rodríguez 17.
• Main works: Paintings by Zurbarán, Ribera, Alonso Cano and El Greco, among many others.
• Admission: General admission: £3. Concessions: £1.50.
• More info: here

In the heart of the Chueca neighbourhood stands the palace of the Marquis of Matallana, which houses the Museum of Romanticism. The building dates back to 1776 and preserves the original furniture and art collection of the marquis. Today, visitors can explore the palace and learn about the daily life of the nobility during the Romantic period.

The palace also has a beautiful garden with the Museum Garden Café, where you can enjoy sweets and coffee in a setting that will make you feel like you've stepped back into the Romantic era.

Useful information

• Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sundays and public holidays: from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Location: Calle San Mateo 13.
• Main works: There are works by Goya, Madrazo, Alenza and the Bécquer brothers, among others, as well as original furniture and decoration from the period.
• Admission: General admission: £3.
• More info: here

Throughout most of his life, José Lázaro Galdiano devoted himself to gathering and collecting works of art, amassing a collection of over 12,000 pieces. After his death in 1947, his collection was donated to the Spanish state and is now on display in the museum located in Lázaro Galdiano's former residence in the heart of the Salamanca district.

This museum undoubtedly houses one of the most complete and valuable art collections in Madrid.

Useful information

• Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 4.30 pm, Sundays from 10 am to 3 pm. Closed on Mondays.
• Location: Calle Serrano, 122. Madrid.
• Main works: Among the most valuable works of art in the collection are some of Goya's finest paintings, such as The Witches of Endelgo, and works by artists such as Bosch, El Greco, Murillo, Zurbarán and even Leonardo Da Vinci from his apprenticeship period.
• Admission: General admission €6. Reduced admission €3.
• More info: here.

The impressive neoclassical building located just behind the National Archaeological Museum houses the National Library of Spain, founded in 1712 by King Philip V. Inside is a museum that documents all of Spain's written, graphic and audiovisual culture, as well as part of Latin America's.

The museum aims to show how this institution works and to display some original copies of great literary works from history.

Useful information

• Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 20:00. Sundays from 10:00 to 14:00.
• Location: Paseo de Recoletos, 20-22.
• Main works: Interestingly, the library has four copies of every book published in Spain, as well as many photographs and drawings.
• Admission: Free.
• More info: here

These are just some of the many museums in Madrid and the most noteworthy ones. However, there are many others with more specific themes that may also be worth visiting during your stay. Some of them are:

• National Mint
• Museum of the History of Madrid
• National Museum of Natural Sciences
• Santiago Bernabeu Stadium Museum and Tour
• Museum of America
• Lope de Vega House Museum
• Royal Tapestry Factory

As you can see, Madrid is a city brimming with culture and one of the cities with the most museums to visit, not only in Spain but also in the whole world. Below, I've included a post with the best places to visit.