Why go
The Prado is the reason many people come to Madrid. Opened in 1819 and built around the old Spanish royal collection, it holds the finest group of Spanish paintings anywhere, alongside Flemish and Italian masterpieces collected by the kings who once ruled half of Europe. The building sits on the tree-lined Paseo del Prado, the start of the city’s Paseo del Arte, with the Thyssen and the Reina Sofía within a few minutes’ walk.
What makes it special is the depth. You do not just see one famous Velázquez; you see room after room of them, then Goya from his sunny tapestry designs to the haunting Black Paintings he made for the walls of his own house. It is a museum to come back to, but even a single morning leaves a lasting impression.
What to see
- Las Meninas by Velázquez. The most famous painting in Spain, a portrait of the young princess and her attendants that plays tricks with who is watching whom.
- Goya’s Black Paintings. Dark, startling works including Saturn Devouring His Son, painted late in life and moved here from his farmhouse.
- The Garden of Earthly Delights. Hieronymus Bosch’s crowded triptych of paradise, pleasure and punishment rewards a long, close look.
- El Greco. His elongated, glowing saints, painted in nearby Toledo, fill a group of rooms.
- Titian, Rubens and Dürer. The royal taste for Venetian and Flemish painting means world-class works by all three.
- Goya’s Majas. The clothed and the naked Maja hang side by side.
Plan your visit
The Prado opens every day. Monday to Saturday it opens from 10am to 8pm, and on Sundays and public holidays from 10am to 7pm. It closes on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December, and opens only from 10am to 2pm on 6 January, 24 December and 31 December. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing.
General admission is €15, with a reduced rate of €7.50. The best-known money saver is the free entry in the last two hours of every day, from 6pm on weekdays and Saturdays and from 5pm on Sundays and holidays. It covers the permanent collection, and temporary exhibitions are half price. Expect a queue along the side of the building; arrive before the free period starts and decide in advance which rooms you want to see, because two hours goes quickly.
For a calmer visit, buy online and arrive when the ticket office opens at 9.45am. The audio guide costs €5 extra. The museum runs its own guided tours of about 90 minutes, costing €10 on top of admission, with English tours at 11am and 1pm. The cloakroom is free, and wheelchairs and pushchairs can be borrowed at no charge.
Allow two to three hours for the highlights. The museum’s free map suggests short routes through the masterpieces if you only have an hour.
Exhibitions
Christina of Sweden. A passion for sculpture runs from 26 October 2026 to 21 February 2027. Temporary exhibitions are included in the general ticket unless stated otherwise.
Nearby
The Royal Botanical Garden is next door, the Retiro is five minutes uphill, and the Thyssen is across the road at the top of the Paseo del Prado. The Reina Sofía, home of Picasso’s Guernica, is about ten minutes’ walk south.
