Great museum, can bring water in, no photos allowed, confusing directions to taxi stand…read more The most popular painting by far was the Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch. The only painting that was hard to see due to the crowds! Consider bringing small handheld binoculars or field glasses to better see the Bosch and for some large paintings. People drank from their water bottles in the hallways. Appreciated that we could stand within about a meter (three feet) of each painting and sculpture! We felt that the people of Spain trusted us with their heritage. People behaved well and returned the trust. There is a lesson there.

This is the main Spanish national art museum focusing on 12th to the early 20th century art pieces…read more It makes up the main piece of the golden triangle of art in Madrid. It is a massively large museum housing almost 40,000 peices of art, not limited to paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, and decorative art pieces. Buy your tickets online so you don't have to stand in the queue for hours to buy your ticket, just to stand in line to get into the museum. If your into this stuff great. There is so much to see. A website describes it as "an exhaustive" amount of things to see. And I definitely agree with that assessment. There is just so much to see. They provide you with a map at the entrance, but it lacks so much detail that its basically useless. Yea the portrait paintings and the sculptures are all amazing. The intricate details that went into each work of art. But theres just so much to see that its overwhelming. Also theres so many people here, that your basically bumping people and going around people to get a better view of the art. They only allow you to take pictures in certain areas. And when they say certain areas, its basically a small portion of the museum. So many rooms had strict no photography rules. And the people working there are very strict about not taking photos. According to google searches it says taking selfies with certain famous artwork can create bottlenecks. But no photographs at all? So you want me to stand there and really take it in with my eyes and memorize it and enjoy it, instead of clicking a picture and moving on, so as to enjoy it later. Doesn't really make sense. After 2 hours here it became not enjoyable anymore. And we spent a good 30 min going up and down stairs and asking people there how to get the heck out of there. It was a slog. If there were zombies chasing us in here we would definitely die. Every room we entered trying to get out was a completely new room. Took us forever to get back to the main area with the gift shop. Its just way too much. Oh and dont even get me started on the gift shop. Everything is priced so exorbitant. 34 pounds for a bag? Really? I just walked out. Evidently the last 2 hours before closing is free? The line to get in must have been in the hundreds and basically stretched forever. Its just crazy. Call me uncultured. Call me a barbarian. But I did not enjoy myself here at all. I learned several things by being here. That im not coming back to this museum again. That people back then liked portraying men with micro penises. And that all the kings and queens back in the day were basically all related to each other in one way or another. Glad to say I've been here. But thats about it. Oh and it was super hot and stuffy in here. Like turn the ac on!!!

The palace is absolutely beautiful, but it's currently fully under construction. You aren't able to…read moreenter and there's a lot of scaffolding blocking the beautiful views of the large glass windows.

I walked here from the Museo Nacional del Prado on nice warm summer day. While it was a nice…read morestroll, it was long and it got hot! So, upon arrival to this crystal palace, we were already hot and when entering, it was even hotter! To be honest, was it worth the long walk? Probably not, but if your sole activity of the day is to just explore El Retiro Park, then definitely make your way here to enjoy it's beauty.

We enjoyed our visit! Good to be able to take photos. Favorites: an exhibition of Spanish…read moreRepublican posters, a large Felix Gonzalez-Torres exhibit with unlimited candy (!) and a serious theme of HIV, and an exhibition of woven fabrics and textiles by Aurèlia Muñoz. Their most famous painting is Guernica but I personally did not find it that moving. We enjoyed the photos of sketches showing how Guernica evolved while it was being painted

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

After visiting the Guernica museum (Reina Sofia), I made my way to Thyssen and thoroughly enjoyed…read moremyself. They cost roughly the same for entry but, I don't know, I felt like Thyssen was more my vibe. Super chill, a beautiful building filled with beautiful things. O'Keefe, Toulouse, Lichtenstein, Rothko - our friends are all here. Of the three museums in this literary Huertas 'hood, I highly recommend time at the Thyssen.

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.