Your Trip to Madrid: The Complete Guide SEE FULL GUIDE prev next Guide to Retiro Park Shopping in Madrid Day Trips From Madrid Food to Try in Madrid Madrid's Top Restaurants Best Bars in Madrid Best Time to Visit Weather & Climate Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport Public Transportation Neighborhoods to Know Best Madrid Hotels Top Things to Do Free Things to Do Things to Do With Kids Madrid's Art Museums Your Trip to Madrid: The Complete Guide close Overview Europe Spain Madrid Madrid Art Museums The best art museums in the Spanish capital... By Damian Corrigan Damian Corrigan Damian Corrigan is a travel writer who has traveled extensively throughout Spain since moving there in 2003. He has written about the country full time since 2006. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines Updated on 07/15/19 Share Pin Email Art fans should feel at home in Madrid, where three of the best museums in Europe are located within a ten-minute walk of each other: Museo del Prado, Centro de Arte Reina Sofia and Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. Madrid's Golden Triangle of Art Museums Madrid is most famous for its 'Golden triangle' of art museums, the Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza. The most important of the three is the Museo del Prado, which houses the definitive Spanish art of the past 500 years - Goya, El Greco and Velázquez in particular. But if you'd struggle to name three Spanish artists (getting stuck after Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso) then the Reina Sofia might be more up your street, with excellent modern art from these two titans of contemporary art and many other examples of weird and wonderful art from the past 100 years. If you are an art newbie and don't know what you want, many would still say you should see El Prado (it is that good, they say). However, I'd say that Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza might be a better compromise, as it covers art from medieval times up to the present day. See also: 01 of 09 Reina Sofia TripSavvy / Paula Galindo View Map Address C. de Sta. Isabel, 52, 28012 Madrid, Spain Get directions Phone +34 917 74 10 00 Web Visit website An excellent modern art collection, the most important piece being Picasso's Guernica, the painter's graphic portrayal of the massacre of an entire village by the Germans during the Spanish Civil War. Also some excellent Dali pieces. Some of the greatest 20th century art you are ever likely to see. Address: Santa Isabel 52, 28012 Madrid. Tel: (+34) 91 774 10 00www.museoreinasofia.es Opening Times: For current opening times, see Reina Sofia Opening Times.Closed Tuesdays, Dec 24, 25, 31, Jan 1, 6, May 1, 15, Nov 9 Entry 10€ (8€ online; free for students with ID, under-18s, over-65s, and many others)Free on Sundays (1.30pm-7pm) and on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 7pm to 9pm. 02 of 09 Prado Museum Tripsavvy / Paula Galindo View Map Address C. de Ruiz de Alarcón, 23, 28014 Madrid, Spain Get directions Phone +34 913 30 28 00 Web Visit website Bucket List 4.2 Perennially vying with the Alhambra in Granada for title of most visited tourist attraction in Spain, the Prado has all the good art work from before Dali and Picasso - by such luminaries as Goya, Velazquez and El Greco. But one always gets the impression that many of the visitors are there because they have to go, not because they actually want to. Address: Museo Nacional del Prado, Calle Ruiz de Alarcón 23, s/n. 28014 Madrid, Tel.: (+34) 91 330 28 00www.museoprado.esmuseo.nacional@prado.mcu.esOpening Times: 10am - 8pm, Monday - Saturday, 10am to 7pm SundayClosed Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25Entry 15€. (7.50€ for over-65s). Or take a Prado Guided Tour.Free entry: Mondays to Saturdays from 6pm to 8pmSundays from 5pm to 7pmAlways with the Madrid Card and students 18-25, under 18s, and the disabled 03 of 09 Thyssen-Bornemisza TripSavvy / Paula Galindo View Map Address P.º del Prado, 8, 28014 Madrid, Spain Get directions Phone +34 917 91 13 70 Web Visit website Completely the triumvirate of great art museums located around the Paseo del Prado, this used to be one of the biggest private collections in the world. Read more about this Madrid art museum: Thyssen-Bornemisza 04 of 09 CaixaForum TripSavvy / Paula Galindo Valle View Map Address P.º del Prado, 36, 28014 Madrid, Spain Get directions Phone +34 913 30 73 00 Web Visit website Modern art museum with temporary exhibitions. More on this Madrid art museum: CaixaForum Madrid Continue to 5 of 9 below. 05 of 09 Casa Encendida (c) Damian Corrigan View Map Address Rda. de Valencia, 2, 28012 Madrid, Spain Get directions Web Visit website Various temporary exhibitions at this cultural space. Read more about the Casa Encendida. 06 of 09 Escultura Abstracta (c) Damian Corrigan View Map Address P.º de la Castellana, 40, 28046 Madrid, Spain Get directions Web Visit website Outdoor museum of abstract sculptures. See more on the Abstract Sculpture Museum in Madrid 07 of 09 Madrid's Contemporary Art Museum (c) Damian Corrigan View Map Address C. del Conde Duque, 9, 28015 Madrid, Spain Get directions Phone +34 914 80 17 66 Web Visit website Madrid's Contemporary Art Museum can be found at the Conde Duque former barracks. The grounds themselves are great to walk around. Read more on this Madrid art museum: Conde Duque 08 of 09 Convento de las Descalzas View Map Address Plaza de las Descalzas, s/n, 28013 Madrid, Spain Get directions Phone +34 914 54 88 00 Web Visit website A convent with a famous art collection. More: Convento de las Descalzas Continue to 9 of 9 below. 09 of 09 Museo Lazaro Galdiano (c) Damian Corrigan View Map Address C. de Serrano, 122, 28006 Madrid, Spain Get directions Phone +34 915 61 60 84 Web Visit website Private art collection belonging to José Lázaro Galdiano. Read more about this Madrid art museum: Museo Lazaro Galdiano Relax and Enjoy Madrid's Retiro Park Like a Local Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! Submit