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.

If you've been to Madrid a few times already you may be interested in checking out this lesser…read moreknown museum. While it may not have the abundance of show stopping masterpieces of the Prado, Reina Sofia or Thyssen, it like the latter is a former private collection which is fascinating of itself as you marvel at how one person chose/accumulated all these works. Unlike the Thyssen, there is a lot here besides paintings, including textiles, pottery, ceramics, bronzes, silverware... The information about Galdiano's life is also impressive - how did he find time to buy ALL that art as well as founding a publishing house, being a banker, journalist etc etc. I popped in for about two hours on a Friday from around 1.15pm and the museum was basically deserted so it was very cool to have the place to myself (plus the docents awkwardly checking that I wasn't breaking or stealing anything). Admission is only 6 euros so do check it out and then walk back down high fashion the Calle de Serrano afterwards!

Jose Lazaro Galdiano was a publishing millionaire who left his private art collection to the…read moreSpanish state in 1942. His palatial home has been converted into a wonderful museum. Many of the rooms have richly decorated ceilings. The collection is vast but the museum retains a small intimate atmosphere. There are collections of jewelery, armour, items from ancient Greece and Rome, porcelain, coins, furniture, textiles and, of course, wonderful paintings. Goya, el Greco, Bosch and Constable amongst them. Most of the rooms also had handy information sheets in various languages, including English. Well worth a visit!