Note: This article pertaining to How to View Masterpieces of Art in Madrid — Free of Charge was originally published on Monday, October 20, 2014 at 7:53 in the evening and has been updated.
If you enjoy viewing works of art from as early as the fourteenth century and you happen to be in Madrid, you are in luck: save yourself 15 euros and visit the permanent collection at the Museo Nacional del Prado free of charge.
How to View Masterpieces of Art in Madrid — Free of Charge
You read that correctly: view actual paintings by such Spanish artists as Francisco Goya and Diego Velázquez — as well as actual masterpieces from other artists such as Peter Paul Rubens; Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn; Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio; and El Greco — which is Spanish for The Greek, whose real name was Doménikos Theotokópoulos — who was an important and influential master during the Spanish Renaissance.
Here is how to enter the museum for free: simply show up at the museum from Monday to Saturday between 6:00 and 8:00 in the evening; and on Sundays and holidays between 5:00 and 7:00 in the evening. You can also show up on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 and on International Museum Day during the full opening hours of the museum; but entering the museum is not possible once it reaches full capacity.
Although one of the requirements of earning my Bachelor of Arts degree at one of the top art schools in the world was studying art history — I still have my textbooks — two hours was more than enough for me, as I can only take so much of being in a museum in one visit. This included the Louvre when I was in Paris. As an artist, I appreciate works of art; but I like my museum visits to not take too long. Thanks to the Internet, I can spend my time simply viewing the works of art which I like in person at a museum — studying the brush strokes, noticing the imperfections of the canvas, marvel at how the artist used light in his or her work, imagine what life was like back in the time the work of art was created, and interpret the work my own way — and then learn more about them on my free time at home if I so choose.
The above photograph shows the entrance to the Museo Nacional del Prado. Do not let the queuing barriers deter you.
Final Boarding Call
If you truly enjoy being in a museum, you can easily spend the day in the Museo Nacional del Prado — but then, you must pay the admission fee of 15 euros if you do not meet any of the qualifications and if you are entering the museum alone; and the admission fee might well be worth the experience to you. Besides, the admission fee exactly eleven years ago today was 14 euros; so an increase of only one euro in admission fees since Monday, October 20, 2014 is not bad at all.
When I visited the museum just before 6:00 in the evening, the line was incredibly long; but do not be discouraged: once it started moving, I was in the building viewing works of art within ten minutes…
…and despite all of the people, it really was not that crowded due to the size of the museum — and I cannot stand crowds. In fact, the museum was rather quiet inside.
If you want a quick fix of viewing masterpieces from inches away before dining in Madrid, the Museo Nacional del Prado is the perfect place to spend your time getting lost in the works of art; but two hours should be plenty of time to see the works of art which interests you the most.
Museo Nacional del Prado
Paseo del Prado s/n
28014 Madrid
Spain
+34 910 683 001
+34 913 30 28 00
cav@museodelprado.es
Opening Hours
- Monday through Saturday from 10:00 in the morning through 8:00 in the evening
- Sundays and holidays from 10:00 in the morning through 7:00 in the evening
- Closed on:
- January 1
- May 1
- December 25
- Limited opening hours from 10:00 in the morning through 2:00 in the afternoon on:
- January 6
- December 24
- December 31
Admission Fees
- €15.00 — General admission
- €7.50 — Reduced admission — which does not include temporary exhibitions with capacity control — is available for people who are:
- Older than 65 years of age
- Holders of youth cards
- Members of large families
- Credentials must be shown by the beneficiary of the free ticket at the ticket office on the day of the visit
- Free access at any time — except for temporary exhibitions with capacity control — is available for people who are:
- Younger than 18 years of age
- A student between 18 years of age and 25 years of age
- A citizen who is officially unemployed
- A teacher exercising his or her profession inside the museum
Free Access For Everybody
- Monday to Saturday from 6:00 in the evening through 8:00 in the evening
- Sundays and holidays from 5:00 in the afternoon through 7:00 in the evening
Paid parking is available near the museum. Other transportation options — including Metro, bus, and train — is available at the official Internet web site of Museo Nacional del Prado.
All photographs ©2014 by Brian Cohen.
