Another visit that was high on the list of things to do in Madrid…read more I bought passes that came with an English guide. I enjoyed having that, but you could easily come through on your own without a guide and be fine. Our guided tour was about 90 minutes, but you could also stay as long after as you desired. We ended up staying about another hour to catch some of the things the tour didn't stop at. Note that you cannot take photos inside. It also seems to get pretty busy early, so it might be a good idea to go fairly early or closer to closing. Would highly recommend the Prado.

If you ask for museum recommendations, Museo Nacional del Prado often pops up. Its iconic halls are…read morefilled with historic art from the royals and others. If you love art or architecture, it's worth going for 1-2 hours. I arrived at the museum on a Sunday at 5pm when the free hours start. (The last two hours each day is free.) The line was 45-60 minutes deep. I waited an hour and got a ticket right away. That left me an hour to explore. The free hours extend to the permanent collection only, but there's plenty to see across three floors and over 100 rooms. Signs clearly mark what kind of art it is from paintings to sculptures. The only thing going during the free hours is that it's crowded. Most restrooms have lines and the gift shop is packed. It's still worth it.

The last time Jamie W and I vacationed in Madrid over 15 years ago, we made the big mistake of…read moretrying to squeeze this museum and the Prado into the same afternoon. We had to race through the Reina Sofia without allowing the requisite time to appreciate the masterworks constantly hidden by the crowds. We didn't make the same mistake last week and decided to focus a full afternoon here. There was no avoiding the long line that snaked around the plaza even though we bought the 32,8€ Paseo del Arte passes which covers all three of Madrid's essential museums. We still had to redeem our passes to get our museum tickets. It only took about 25 minutes before we made the beeline to the museum's spotlight masterwork, Picasso's "Guernica" on the second floor. Viewing was packed and unmovable, but it's still the definitive visualization of the horrors of war made striking by the monochromatic palette (Video 1). The building was once an 18th-century hospital before it became an art museum as recently as 1988. It houses Spain's most significant collection of 20th-century art. Along with Picasso, other contemporary masters are also on display here. Artists represented include Salvador Dali (Photos 3 & 5), Joan Miro (Photo 2), and Rene Magritte (Photo 7). Up on the third floor is even more contemporary art dating back only to 1975 including works by Andy Warhol (Photo 6) and Robert Mapplethorpe (Photo 4). This was our favorite of Madrid's Golden Triangle which includes the Prado and the Thyssen-Bornemisza. Definitely take your time perusing. RELATED - Exploring Madrid? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/qwUK6nAE-z

If you're into 20th century art, pop by this famous art museum. Near many other sites in Madrid,…read morethis museum is big. It's 3-4 floors of exhibits with art from some famous artists like Picasso. On a Friday afternoon in September, I walked in, paid 12 Euros, and explored for 1.5 hours. The museum is easy to navigate with signs everywhere, elevators and stairs taking you up and down. Don't miss the courtyard in the middle. There are benches and more art there.

Of the three museums that make up Madrid's Golden Triangle of Art, this is the one people tend to…read moreforget. Indeed this was the third big museum Jamie W and I visited since we didn't have enough time until our 4th day in Madrid. The museum's unpronounceable name doesn't help much. It also houses a broad collection of art that isn't as easy to categorize as the Prado (classical Spanish masters) and the Reina Sofía (contemporary 20th-century art). The museum spans eight centuries of Western art across four floors from 13th-century medieval works on the top floor to 20th-century pop art at the bottom. Richard Estes' Telephone Booths (Photo 8) and Charles Bell's Thunder Smash (Photo 9) are personal favorites of mine. In between are works from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, as well as Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, German Expressionism, and Early Avant-Garde movements. The most familiar paintings are on the middle and main floors where works by Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Dalí, Degas, Manet and Hopper are spotlighted. Unlike the other two museums, this one started as a private collection amassed by two generations of one wealthy Hungarian-German family, which explains why it covers multiple genres not covered by the other two. Admission is 14€ or alternatively 32,8€ for the entire Golden Triangle of Art. RELATED - Exploring Madrid? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/P0_zGgWaQT

One of the golden triangle of Madrid art museums, you need three to four hours for this one. The…read morebest order, if possible, is the Prado the first day (which takes all day) because one can learn so much from the very detailed descriptions there that will help frame the order the art here is arranged in. The collection spans from a couple of pieces from the 13th century to contemporary, with especially good collections of Spanish medieval, Dutch masters, French impressionist, expressionist, cubist, modernism, post abstract realism, and 20th century sculpture. Although we bought tickets for all three when we went to the Prado, we found ourselves in line before Noon on free day Monday. The line was daunting it was so long, but once they opened we were in within about 20 minutes. The crowd wasn't as stifling as in the Prado, but worse than the Sofia, but you just don't want to miss this amazing art musuem just because it's too popular. Lots of sick people cough and sneezing, I would mask up.

I love history and museums. However, I am not a huge fan of prehistory. I can't get fully onboard…read morewith the objectivity of such subjective items. Nevertheless, this was a good experience and our tour guide made it even better. The museum is packed with objects, most of which are authentic and not replicas. There are even some objects that are on display that are known fakes. There story behind them and how the museum acquired such objects is interesting. The best part was the digital display that overlays a topographical map of the Iberian peninsula. It tells the story of the Iberian migration of peoples over the centuries. Overall, not a bad museum, kind of boring in some areas but still a good experience.

One of the finest archeology museums anywhere. Every artificact here is from the Iberian…read morepenninsula or excavated by Spanish Archeologists. Good explanations from either physical or cultural anthropology, very up to date information on the evolution of humans. The descriptions and explanations are truly excellent. If you start downstairs you can work your way up in time from milliions of years ago to early modernity. Check for free concerts and lectures, I saw an interesting and talented saxophone quartet in the evening.

In the shadow of Madrid's most famous museums is this cultural center that really doesn't compete…read morewith the likes of the Prado and the Reina Sofia. Of all the local museums, it has the most striking exterior with its dramatic rusted steel top and vertical plant wall. Jamie and I were hoping the interior would match the exterior. Instead it felt more like a quiet community center granted with a very cool staircase (Photo 5). Looking closer at the exhibition posters (Photo 2), we realized they rotate over time. That meant only one exhibition was on display when we stopped by, and frankly, it wasn't that interesting to us. It covered a journey through the life of an Assyrian ruler. His name was Asurbanipal, and he ruled Assyria between 669 and 631 BC. Yeah, we didn't know who that was either. They "animated" ancient stone tablets with the colors the archeologists think were used at the time (Video). The one exhibition was pretty much the 6€ admission fee. You won't be surprised to know we didn't stay very long. RELATED - Exploring Madrid? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/AQO8KDtbTY

Not sure whether to call this a museum or a gallery because it's not an official museum. For now…read morewe'll just say gallery. And man what a nice one it is! They hold several exhibitions at a time and though relatively small they are impactful. I saw the tattoo exhibit and it was very nicely curated. I learned a lot and it was great to see how tattoo culture is different all across the world. The caixa forum building is stunning! The staircase is a centerpiece in itself and the design is architecturally stunning. I was left with a really great impression of this place!

I do not understand how the naval museum has only 25 reviews so hi! Let me tell you why you need to…read morevisit here: The museum is donation based, I gave 5€ because history. It's not as big of a museum as you might think walking in because when you think Spanish navy, you think armada, and so I was thinking it'd be in a bigger space than it is, but what space it is in, it's crammed full of artifacts and history. I loved seeing all the old flags and cannonry, it's definitely something you need to see if you're a history lover like me. The gift shop has some cute ornaments inside it too, def be sure to check those out!

Loved it. But, then, I love all military museums. The…read moreSpanish are very proud of their naval history. There are myriad models ranging from 200 years old to yesterday. It was not crowded. €6 for 2

This is a landmark in central Madrid. It is an actual Egyptian temple that was moved to Spain when…read moreflooding from building the Aswan Dam was going to destroy many archaeological sites. It is surrounded by a beautiful park, easily accessible by public transportation.

Sunset at Temple De Bod is a daily celebration of life. As the sun's last rays cast down on the…read morecity, throngs of people do a pilgrimage to view the splendor.

What a gorgeous space in the middle of the park! And they have free art exhibits everyday. There's…read morean impressive modernism exhibit going on right now by some well-known Spanish painters; I'd seriously love to purchase some of the paintings if I were a bazillionaire.

not sure why this is called the "palacio de velazquez" as it's more of an exhibition hall/museum…read morefilled with works of spanish art. it is more of a temporary collection of works as they frequently rotate artists whose work is on display. when i visited, they had works that reflected american culture, as most of the subjects were african-americans in harlem, a neighborhood in new york city. this was not one of my favourite museums to visit in madrid, since i'd prefer to see works based in spain, or europe at least, since i live in the states and have easy access to works based in america. once again, another free museum and you can easily see everything in about 30 minutes.

So I love dec arts. I visited this museum for the first time…read more They had a wonderful show of jewelry by Chus Bures on the ground floor. BUT if you want to get into the 1st or second floor you must deposit your bag in the lockers. Not having a euro coin I could not do this. Even though No hablo espsanol, the lady spouted screeds of Spanish to me. WTF? It turns out only the ground floor was worth the visit. A very weird museum, with no climate controls. Do not go out of your way.