Why go

The Thyssen-Bornemisza completes Madrid’s trio of great art museums, and many visitors find it the most enjoyable of the three. It began as the private collection of the Thyssen-Bornemisza family, one of the largest in the world, which Spain acquired in the early 1990s and housed in the Villahermosa Palace at the top of the Paseo del Prado.

Where the Prado is strongest in Spanish painting, the Thyssen covers almost everything else. A single visit takes you from medieval altarpieces through the Renaissance and Dutch Golden Age to the Impressionists, the German Expressionists, Cubism, American painting and Pop Art. The rooms are bright, well spaced and rarely as crowded as the Prado.

What to see

  • Early masters. Van Eyck, Duccio and Ghirlandaio’s portrait of Giovanna degli Albizzi Tornabuoni on the top floor.
  • Caravaggio and the Baroque. Saint Catherine of Alexandria and works by Rubens and Rembrandt.
  • Impressionists and after. Monet, Degas, Renoir, Van Gogh and Cézanne.
  • German Expressionism. Kirchner, Kandinsky and the Blue Rider group, a rare strength in a Spanish museum.
  • American art. Edward Hopper’s Hotel Room and works from the Hudson River School, seldom seen in Europe.
  • Temporary exhibitions. In late 2026 these include The Freudian Universe of Dalí and a show of Kenny Scharf.

Plan your visit

From September to June the museum opens on Tuesday to Friday and Sunday from 10am to 7pm, and on Saturday from 10am to 11pm. On Mondays only the permanent collection is open, from 12pm to 4pm, and entry is free with no ticket needed. In July and August it stays open until 9pm from Tuesday to Saturday. On 24 and 31 December it closes at 3pm, and it is closed on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing.

A ticket for the collections and temporary exhibitions costs €14, or €10 for over 65s and students; under 18s go free. On Saturday nights from 9pm to 11pm the temporary exhibitions on the lower floors are free. The audio guide costs €5.50. Only the ground-floor temporary exhibition uses timed entry; for the permanent collection you can usually walk straight in.

The museum suggests about two and a half hours for the collection, plus around 50 minutes for a temporary show. The quietest time is between 2pm and 4pm. Start on the second floor and walk down, so you see the collection in date order.

If you plan to visit all three big museums, the Paseo del Arte card covers one visit each to the Thyssen, the Prado and the Reina Sofía within a year.

Nearby

The Prado is across the Plaza de Neptuno, the Palacio de Cibeles and its Mirador viewpoint are five minutes north, and the Barrio de las Letras, with its tapas bars around Plaza de Santa Ana, starts just behind the museum.

Good to know

The Thyssen is a good choice for a first visit to Madrid if you only have time for one museum and want variety rather than depth. It is also the easiest of the three to combine with lunch: the museum has a café and restaurant, and the streets behind it are full of places for a menú del día. If it rains, it is the most comfortable of the big three to linger in.