How to get there
The museum is located in Paseo del Prado s/n.
You can get there by public transport:
MetroLine 2, Banco de España station. Or from Atocha station, line 1.
Bus. The lines that pass in front of the building are: 9, 10, 14, 19, 27, 34, 37 and 45.
Renfe commuter trains. EAtocha station.
Access to the Prado Museum
To enter, you have to enter through the Jeronimos Gate, on Calle Felipe IV. And during the free access hours, you can also access through the stairs of the Puerta de Goya. There are other accesses, for school groups or educational visits through the Doors of Murillo or Velázquez on the Paseo del Prado.
Timetables
It is open from Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm. Sundays and public holidays until 19.00 h.
Closed
Public holidays such as 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.
Reduced opening hours
6 January and 24 and 25 December, which closes at 14.00.
Prices
Normal rate15 euros With this ticket you can enter the temporary exhibitions and the permanent collection.
Reduced rate: 7,50 €
. Large families
. Youth Card holders
. Over 65 years old
Free Prado Museum
Free admission
. Under 18 years of age
. Students up to 25 years old
. Unemployed
. People with disabilities
. Teaching staff
. Journalists
. ICOM members
. Official Tourist Guide
Monday to Saturday, From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., admission to the Prado Museum is also free. It does not include temporary exhibitions, but these have a discount of 50%.
Sundays and public holidays, free admission from 5 to 7 p.m.
Where can I buy tickets for the Prado Museum?
Tickets can be purchased at the ticket offices of the Puerta de Goya, in Calle Felipe IV, on the official website or by calling: 902 10 70 77
The tour of its rooms is chosen by each visitor according to his or her preference for one author or another. It is advisable to enter first thing in the morning, as soon as the museum opens at 10 am, so as to be able to visit without noise or crowds. Lunchtime is also a good time to enter the Prado and avoid having to dodge the heads of visitors to see the most famous paintings such as Las Meninas, The Garden of Earthly Delights o The shootings Enjoy your visit without rushing!
A little History of the Prado Museum
Considered one of the best art galleries in the world, the Prado turned 200 years old in 2019. Let's take a look back over two hundred years, to find out how this building has become what it is today.
The Museo del Prado opened its doors on 19 November 1819, and it did so as a Royal Museum of Painting and Sculpture thanks to King Ferdinand VII. However, its origin is due to another monarch, Charles III, who in 1785 commissioned the architect Juan de Villanueva to build it as a Cabinet of Natural Sciences. The first catalogue was of 311 paintings, although more than 1,500 pictorial works were preserved. Throughout its history, both the House of Habsburg and the House of Bourbon were responsible for collecting and enriching the collection with paintings, sculptures, drawings and decorative works of art. Many of these works were purchased by the monarchs and many others were donations from private individuals or bequests. This is how, for example, the following were obtained, Goya's Black Paintings in the 19th century thanks to the donation of an important baron of Belgian origin or the purchases of paintings such as The Countess of Chinchón in 2000 and The Pope's barber by Velázquez in 2003.
The Prado and its collections are a clear reflection of the history of Spain. Of the relationship between the court and other countries and the interest shown by each monarch in art and culture. In case you are interested in knowing each details of the museum's acquisitions, donations or purchases, their website gives details of the collection year by year.
A must-see tour
The Prado Museum undoubtedly houses the most important collection of Spanish painting in the world, from Antiquity to the 19th century. From the royal collections come such outstanding works as The Garden of Earthly Delights of Bosch, The Holy Family of Rafael, The three Graces by Rubens, the Self-portrait by Dürer, Las Meninas by Velázquez or The family of Charles IV of Goya. But it is one of the places that receives the most visits every year, specifically some 2.824.404 in 2017, it is also for the collections of other schools.
Goya
The collection of works by Francisco de Goya is displayed in different rooms and on different floors of the building. The Prado houses the largest and most varied legacy of the magnificent Spanish artist. From his portraits of the court of Charles IV and Ferdinand VII, his religious paintings, everyday life in Madrid, the horrors of the War of Independence and his collection of black paintings. Almost a thousand works that the museum holds within its walls.
Velázquez
He is the other major figure in this gallery, which exhibits a total of 79 works by the Sevillian artist. Painter to Philip IV, he produced his masterpiece, Las Meninas, four years before his death in Madrid. To see this portrait you must go to room 12, where most of Velázquez's most important works are on display.
Flemish Painting
Works from the 15th to the 17th centuries, among which the following stand out:
. Rubens
. Van Dyck
. Van der Weyden
. Hans Memling
. Bosch
. Dürer
. Bruegel the Elder
. Rembrant
Italian School
. Titian was the first painter to be collected by the kings of Spain.
. Tintoretto
. Paolo Veronese
. Fra Angelico
. Caravaggio
. Luca Giordano
. Carracci
. Guido Reni
. Boticcelli
. Messina
. Rafael
18th century painting
With Goya at the forefront, there are about 1,000 paintings from this period. The Bourbon monarchs brought in the French school to Spain, with portraitists such as:
. Jean Ranc
. Van Loo
. Houasse
. Watteau
. Vernet
English and German painting is also prominent, with Mengs as the leading artist.
19th century painting
Its rooms contain works by portraitists, Spanish landscape painters and followers of Romanticism.
. Goya
. Federico de Madrazo
. Antonio María Esquivel
. Pradilla and Ortiz
. Suárez de Urbina
. Rosebushes Hens
. Vicente López Portaña
. Joaquín Sorolla
Current temporary exhibitions
Two temporary exhibitions dedicated to two very different portraitists in their style are currently on show. The Spanish Esquivel and the Italian Lorenzo Lotto.
Antonio María Esquivel
Until 20 January 2019, all of his works can be seen in Room 60, three of which are of a religious nature, little known to the public, and which have recently been restored.
Portraits Lorenzo Lotto
It can be visited until 30 September. It is a monographic exhibition of portraits by this Italian artist from the Cinquecento. Thanks to the Prado Museum and the National Gallery of London, who have joined forces in this initiative.
