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!!!

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

3rd of the major 3 museums in Madrid. I really dont know why on Sundays they close at 2pm, when…read moreall the other ones have normal business hours. But just be aware on Sundays they close at 2. Its a smaller (then Thyssen or Prado) museum, which Im grateful for. Seeing all 3 in 3 days made me all museum'd out. On the first floor they have some really "abstract" peices of art that I just didnt get. Like a mound of candy I a corner of the room. Or a string of vertical lights. Or a stack of basically printer paper. Didnt make any sense to me. Culminates with basically 2 mirrors side by side. So I guess art is basically anything you say it is? Who knows. I think i could've put a shirt with a pasta stain on it and say it was art, and have hundreds if not thousands of people looking at it. I dont get it. 2nd floor had some real art. Like Picasso's post war depiction of the town of Guernica. A massive painting, highlighting the horrors of war. As well as other works by Dali and Miro. The part I enjoyed the most about this museum was the outside area where you can sit in nature, quietly, away from the crowds. I was basically all museum'd out so we spent the least amount of time here. The map here again proves to be useless. Im usually pretty good at reading them but it was useless here. But sitting outside I noticed that its basically just a big square with the outside courtyard in the middle, so not too complicated. Glad to hit the golden triangle of art. To be able to say I've been there. Some great stuff. But not my thing. And probably wouldn't do it again, in that there are so many other things to be seen and experienced in Madrid

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

2nd of the major 3 museums in Madrid. This one is much smaller then the Prado. And much more…read moreinteresting (in my personal opinion). Evidently its known as the bridge museum, bridging the old in the Prado with the new in the Reina Sophia museum. There's works here by Vincent Van Gogh, Monet and Pablo Picasso as well as many other well known and lesser known artists. I feel that I enjoyed the art here more as there were drawings of nature, flowers, scenery and other things besides just portraits and nudes. More up my alley and my liking. Not only is it more interesting and smaller. But theres also a lot less people here as well. Thoroughly enjoyed my time here at the Thyssen Bornemisza museum!!

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.

Amazing, from start to finish! I was greeted by a very friendly receptionist who explained…read moreeverything we needed to know to navigate the museum including the use of the audio guide. Once beginning I was so impressed with the time and detail that was put in to every explanation for each point of the audio guide. They clearly really wanted you to understand the material and took great efforts to make that happen. Once I entered the museum I was wowed by all of the artifacts that they had preserved and showcased. Again, the attention to detail paid in every display including the description of each item's significance, really helped establish a holistic understanding of the various facets of the mint and how it worked. One of the really cool things was seeing the components of how the water wheel worked form the interior of the building and then viewing it from the exterior of the building, again so a holistic understanding of the mechanism at play could be understood. Absolutely top notch museum, if traveling to or through Segovia, neglecting to come here would be a huge mistake.

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.

Inside the 17th century building of an old orphanage, the Madrid History Museum is free for all…read more Walk inside and staff will direct you where to start. Over the course of three floors, the permanent collection gives a good history of the city of Madrid from the 16th century on. One fascinating exhibit is the map of Madrid from the 1500s on and how it grew from a small villa to a large capital. There are clean restrooms, places to sit, and a good gift shop.

I wouldn't call this museum a must see, but it is an excellent history museum with some fabulous…read moreart. The history of Madrid is largely told by art, but also maps, sketches models, artifacts, and eventually at the top, photographs. The history ends at industrialization, maybe because that's all they had room for. The grounds and entrance are picturesque. We went on a free day, but it's worth the regular admission. One to two hours, you could easily visit here and the nearby Romantic Museum in an afternoon. A good choice for after the three days of the Golden Triangle of big Madrid art museums. The neighborhood has lots of cafes, pastry shops, affordable dining, bookstores, and Michalin star restaurants so maybe make an afternoon and evening of the Chambri area. If you are staying nearby I think this is a must see stop. Very close to Hotel Sardinero and the Tribunal Metro stop.

While randomly walking through Segovia, my friend and I ran across this museum. For 3 euros, you…read morecan tour the museum and do a food tasting of cheese, wine, and iberian ham. The museum isn't that big and has 3 major sections. There are translations in English, so you can find out what is going on. They have information about some of their spirits industry, wheat, and food. Afterwards, you watch a short video about Segovia, then do the tasting. To me, the most charming thing about the museum is the owner. He is super nice and answers all of your questions about Segovia or just food in general. Caveat though, the owner speaks mainly Spanish, so you will get the most out of your experience conversing in Spanish rather than English.

This food museum was next to our hotel so immediately after checking in, we checked out this…read moremuseum. The museum itself is quite small, and features a few old items but it has a lot of interesting information regarding the history of food in Segovia printed on colourful displays on the walls in both Spanish and English. I have the feeling that the Spanish version is a tad more comprehensive, but nevertheless, you get a real sense of the scope of food production, tradition and importance that is held in this little walled city - both for the city itself, as well as for the rest of Spain. If you pay 5 Euro, following your walk around the museum (you'll need no more than an hour), you are treated to a tasting of local cheeses, bread, meats and a "sweet treat". I won't spoil what that is, but we did pick up a box of these to eat later! The staff are supremely helpful and informative. And whilst their English isn't great, and my Spanish is basically non-existent - we made do just fine.The foyer also sells a range of local dairy products, meats, wine and beers. We took away a few Segovian beers to drink on our hotel's terrace and they went down a treat!

2.5 stars I really…read morewish I'd known ahead of time that nothing here was written in English. It seems like a cool collection with lots of historical explanations that I could only vaguely follow. It's probably worth a trip if you speak Spanish, but it's definitely not worth it if you don't.

This is a good museum (Spanish only other than a short English guide) that in a sparcly attended…read morebuilding documents one of the greatest conquests and destructive processes in human history. While they couldn't call it the "Museum of the Conquest" that is the topic here. While the treatment of native people is acceptable the critical edge of the avarice and greed of the Conquistadors seems subdued but what to expect from a museum in Spain - the country that took so much silver and gold and much more from Mexico, Central, and South America. For perspective it is worth visiting.