Prado Museum

Relax at the B&B HOTEL Madrid Centro Puerta del Sol and soak up fascinating art at the Prado Museum

Lovers of fine arts can soak up the best art in the capital of Madrid because it houses world-famous museums. The main one is the Prado Museum, which you can walk to from our B&B HOTEL Madrid Centro Puerta del Sol, in a westerly direction. Without a doubt, this is one of the essential stops if you are walking around the city and decide to stay at a B&B Hotel because this museum can boast of being one of the best art galleries in the world. The Prado Museum is one of the most visited in the main cities of Spain. It was inaugurated in 1819 with a grandiose neoclassical façade designed by the architect Juan de Villanueva. If you have the possibility of crossing its doors during a bridge, on holidays such as San Juan or on a trip near the capital, here are useful tips to visit this great museum.

When is the best time to visit the Prado Museum?

The quietest time for your visit is first thing in the morning, as well as at noon, between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. With fewer people, you will also have to wait less. To avoid queues, the most convenient thing is to buy tickets in advance. The Prado Museum building opens every day from Monday to Saturday between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., and on Sundays and holidays from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. On December 24, December 31 and January 6 the museum has reduced public hours from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and remains closed on January 1, May 1 and December 25.

What time is admission free?

The time of greatest agglomeration takes place in the free visiting hours: from Monday to Saturday from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and on Sundays and holidays from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Why is the Prado Museum so famous?

The Prado Museum is world renowned because it houses the richest and most complete collection of Spanish painting on the planet, including masterpieces of Italian and Flemish art. It has a permanent art collection that features more than 5,000 drawings and more than 2,000 works of art, 700 sculptures and more than 1,000 medals and coins. The paintings of the Prado Museum offer a fascinating vision of the Spanish artistic panorama with works by the great masters. The Prado Museum has the world's most comprehensive collection of works by Velázquez, Francisco de Goya and El Greco. During your visit to the museum, you can also explore paintings by Raphael, Hiëronymus Bosch, Paolo Veronese, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Tintoretto, Anthony Van Dyck, Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt, Antoine Watteau, Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain. It also exhibits temporary exhibitions that complete and enrich its permanent offer. Some of the cultural themes that are explored in this outstanding museum are saints, the New Testament and the apocryphal, the royal portrait, the nude, the secular portrait, trades and professions, the iconography of the Virgin and the mythological gods/deities, among others.

What works should you not miss at the Prado Museum?

The paintings that you should not miss are Las Meninas by Velázquez, The Garden of Earthly Delights by El Bosco, The Three Graces by Rubens, The Nude Maja by Goya and The Gentleman with his Hand on his Chest by El Greco, among many others. Among the most important works in history, there are also sculptures and Renaissance and Baroque works from the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as some Oriental and medieval pieces.

Plan your visit to the museum according to the time you can dedicate to it

A good tip is to plan your visit to the museum in advance, according to the time you can dedicate to it. On the website you can download the recommended routes so as not to miss any of the great works. Thus, in the 1-hour itinerary in the Museum, you can see 15 masterpieces; in the 2-hour itinerary, the 30 works are recommended and in the 3-hour itinerary, 54 works are selected to dedicate a morning or afternoon to the tour of the exhibition room. If you want to make the most of the time in the museum, the best thing is to take a guided tour. The guide will tell you the secrets of the building, as well as the milestones that have marked its evolution.

An ideal plan while staying in Madrid

Whether you are interested in discovering the Madrid art scene or simply want to admire the work of the Spanish masters, fascinating art awaits you at the Prado Museum. It is ideal to go with your partner or family to discover this gallery in the center of Madrid, while you relax in the comfortable rooms of our B&B HOTEL Madrid Centro Puerta del Sol. From taking a walk through Retiro Park that ends at Puerta de Alcalá, to visiting Puerta del Sol and touring the endless leisure offer of Gran Vía, which you can reach on foot from our hotel. Our hotels in Madrid are located in the best areas of the city, so you can explore the best that Madrid has to offer, whether you travel for business or pleasure. The capital is waiting for you!