Visiting the Prado

The Prado Museum in Madrid is home to one of the world’s largest collections of European art from the 12^th to the 19^th centuries. Featuring masterpieces by greats from Goya to Velázquez, Titian to Raphael, Bosch to Dürer, the Prado houses one of history’s most important art collections.

The Prado is open Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m., and Sunday until 7 p.m. Instead of paying the €14 admission charge and racing through the museum, consider visiting during the evening, when the museum offers free entry from 6 p.m.–8 p.m. This way you can visit the artwork without worrying if you are getting enough for your money. You may even want to space your visit out across several days.

Pick a few pieces you want to see. Even if you spend several days visiting the museum, it is still nearly impossible to see it all. Use the museum plan to map out an itinerary of your visit in advance, or consider following one of the Prado’s pre-planned masterpiece routes.

The Prado is right next to Madrid’s premier park, Retiro. If you don’t have a few evenings to spend at the Prado, visit the museum in the morning then head over to the park to clear your head. Have a picnic or a bottle of wine (though be careful, police have recently been cracking down on drinking in the street). In the afternoon you can return fresh to the Prado.

Finally, spend the few extra euros to get the audio headset. The history of the artwork and artists is fascinating, and the headset helps the visitor gain a deeper understanding of both. Alternatively, the Prado app provides an in-depth look at the artwork.