Prado Museum

Located in the historic Prado de los Jerónimos (hence its nickname, which eventually became its official name), the National Prado Museum houses one of the finest collections of European art in the world. Together with the Reina Sofía National Museum and Arts Centre and the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum it forms the Art Walk, also known as Madrid's "Art Triangle".

The Prado is what it is almost by accident. After the Napoleonic invasion of Spain at the beginning of the 19th century, the idea of a picture gallery was planted in the time of Ferdinand VII. Decades later, however, the complex was in a marked state of disrepair and neglect. The central government once again paid it due attention thanks to a column invented by the journalist Mariano de Cavia in the newspaper El Liberal: in the face of popular panic over the supposed fire it had suffered, funding and activities for the Prado were increased.

After suffering the transfer of most of its great works to Switzerland during the Spanish Civil War, in 2019 it was able to celebrate its bicentenary with great fanfare. Despite storing eight times more than it exhibits to the public, the jewels in its galleries leave tourists from all over the world in awe. Year after year it remains the most visited museum in Spain.

Its most exceptional sections are those of baroque and romantic art of different schools and genres. The Prado has the largest collections of masters such as Velázquez and Goya, as well as very important works by other geniuses such as Rubens, Zurbarán, Murillo, Titian, Raphael, Fra Angelico, Madrazo, Bosch, van der Weyden and Brueghel.

All these names speak not only of the variety and quality of art at El Prado, but also of the political and cultural history of Spain. The rooms of this museum give an account of its great imperial era, its Golden Age, its civil wars and its influence on Western culture. As in any great museum, we recommend you choose which rooms you want to visit so that you can devote the attention they deserve, and we also recommend you keep an eye out for the temporary exhibitions, another strong point of the Prado's organisation!