Places to visit in Madrid

The Prado Museum, located in the heart of the Art Walk, is much more than just a museum: it's a journey through 8 centuries of history where Velázquez, Goya, and Bosch are waiting for you. The building, designed by Juan de Villanueva for Charles III in 1785, was initially intended to be a science cabinet, but Ferdinand VII and his wife María Isabel de Braganza transformed it into a temple of art in 1819. Today, its halls hold secrets like Las Meninas, Velázquez's masterpiece that mesmerizes with its mirrors and crossed gazes, or Goya's dark Black Paintings, painted on the walls of his home.

• Practical Tip: You can enter for free from Monday to Saturday from 18:00 to 20:00 and on Sundays from 17:00 to 19:00. If you're traveling in October, November, or December, remember there are free admission days like October 12th or December 6th, although you should expect to wait in a significant line.
• How to get around Madrid: Take the Metro to Banco de España (line 2) or Atocha (line 1). Pair it with a visit to Retiro Park (5 minutes away) and the Reina Sofía Museum (10 minutes on foot) to complete the Art Triangle.

Don't leave the museum without seeing The Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch, a triptych that resembles a medieval science fiction movie. If you're traveling with kids, look for the fantastic creatures hidden in its panels: they'll love playing the find-and-seek game. After your visit, relax at the Café del Prado or take a stroll to Botín, the oldest restaurant in the world, where Goya worked as a cook before becoming a painter.

The Prado is essential in any Madrid itinerary, but if you're short on time, prioritize the ground floor: that's where you'll find Las Meninas, Goya's executions, and El Greco's noblemen. And if you're seeking alternative routes, cross the street to the Barrio de las Letras, where Cervantes and Lope de Vega found inspiration for their works. Madrid without the Prado would be like Retiro without its pond: it would lack its soul.

The Retiro Park is one of the largest parks of the city, very close to the Puerta de Alcalá and not far from the Prado Museum. The park belonged to the Spanish Monarchy until the late 19th century, when it became a public park.

A magnificent park, filled with beautiful sculpture and monuments, galleries, a peaceful lake and host to a variety of events, it is one of Madrid's premier attractions. The park is entirely surrounded by the present-day city.

The Royal Palace is the official residence of the Spanish Royal Family, but it is only used for state ceremonies. The Royal Family do not reside in the palace.

The interior of the palace is notable for its wealth of art and the use of many types of fine materials in the construction and the decoration of its rooms. These include paintings by artists such as Caravaggio, Francisco de Goya, and Velázquez, and frescoes by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Juan de Flandes, Corrado Giaquinto, and Anton Raphael Mengs. Other collections of great historical and artistic importance preserved in the building include the Royal Armoury of Madrid, porcelain, watches, furniture, silverware, and the world's only complete Stradivarius string quintet.

The palace is the largest royal palace in Europe by floor area. Several rooms in the palace are regularly open to the public except during state functions.

The Sofia is mainly dedicated to Spanish art, it include excellent collections of Picasso and Dalí. The most famous masterpiece in the museum is Picasso's painting Guernica.

Along with its extensive collection, it offers national and international temporary exhibitions, making it one of the world's largest museums for modern and contemporary art.

The Reina Sofía collection has works by artists such as Eduardo Chillida, Pablo Gargallo, Julio González, Luis Gordillo, Juan Gris, José Gutiérrez Solana, Joan Miró, Lucio Muñoz, Jorge Oteiza, Pablo Serrano, and Antoni Tàpies.