The Prado Museum is Spain’s top art museum and a must-see when you visit Madrid. It’s a huge museum that can feel overwhelming, but with a little planning it’s an amazing place to experience art. You’ll see Renaissance masterpieces, fine portraits of the royal family, and emotional works by the greatest Spanish painters. Here’s how to make the most of your visit to the Prado Museum.
Overview of the Prado Museum
The Prado Museum (Museo Nacional del Prado) is one of the world’s great art museums, covering European art from the medieval era through the early 20th century. The museum was established by Queen María Isabel de Braganza as the Royal Museum of Paintings and Sculptures. The queen wanted a place to show off Spain’s vast royal collection to the public, but she tragically died before the museum opened in 1819.
Today, the Prado Museum is famous for its collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings. The museum also houses many works by Spain’s great masters like Diego Velazquez and Francisco Goya. There’s plenty more to see from medieval altarpieces to classical sculptures, not to mention temporary exhibits.
If this sounds like a lot of art to see, well, it is. The Prado Museum is way too big to see in a single day. You need to go in with a plan to avoid getting overwhelmed (don’t worry, I have one). And make sure to buy your timed ticket in advance so you can actually get in. But first, let’s run down a few highlights of this amazing art museum.
Highlights of the Prado Museum
Italian Renaissance
During the Renaissance period, the rulers of Spain took an interest in Italian art and amassed a fine collection. Below are a few standout works worth a look. I love Renaissance painting, so I’m gonna try not to make this section go on forever.
Check out my post on the Uffitzi Gallery for more background on the Italian Renaissance!
Annunciation by Fra Angelico (1426)
My favorite painting at the Prado! It shows the angel Gabriel “announcing” the upcoming birth of Jesus to Mary. (On the left is a flashback to Adam and Eve getting kicked out of Eden.) Fra Angelico’s painting has some typical features of the early renaissance: a medieval 3-part composition but with an effort to represent a realistic, three-dimensional space. The colors are incredibly vibrant in person. The blue tempera paint used in Mary’s robe is made from finely ground lapis lazuli, a precious stone imported from Afghanistan. And all the golden details are real gold that shimmers in the light!
Death of the Virgin by Andrea Mantegna (1464)
Mantegna is an under-appreciated master of perspective and composition. This painting visually draws the viewer into the scene of the apostles mourning Mary, the mother of Jesus. The figures are posed so realistically that even their halos look 3D. In the background Mantegna painted a detailed depiction of 1400s Mantua.
“La Perla” (The Holy Family) by Raphael (1520)
King Philip IV nicknamed this painting “La Perla” (“the pearl”) because it was his favorite in the royal collection. Renaissance superstar Raphael uses a pyramid composition of figures that’s typical for the Renaissance. However, the dramatic lighting and dark background foreshadow the next era of art. It was completed in 1520, near the end of Raphael’s life.
The Prado Mona Lisa (c. 1500)
The museum has a copy of the famous Mona Lisa that was painted in Leonardo da Vinci’s workshop. It was most likely painted by his students, possibly at the same time as the original. Believe it or not, this was only discovered in 2012 after the painting was restored! The portrait’s composition is the same but the clothing and background are different. And I kinda like them better.
Northern Renaissance
As the Renaissance movement spread north, artists took inspiration from the Italian painters and infused their own artistic ideas. Many northern artists embraced newly developed oil paints that allowed them to achieve extreme levels of detail.
The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1500)
Ready for a weird one? Hieronymus Bosch is an artist who found his unique style with many fanciful elements. The Garden of Earthly Delights is a huge triptych with depictions of the Biblical garden of Eden, earthly life, and the darkness of hell. This painting has it all: nude people, weird pink fountains, larger-than-life fruits, and an unusually large number of owls. The most famous part of this complex work is the right panel deputing a truly surreal hellscape where people are subjected to various forms of torment.
Self Portrait by Albrecht Dürer (1498)
This portrait shows Dürer in fine nobleman’s clothing. The fancy gloves and gold-trimmed fabrics were perhaps fit for someone of higher social status than Dürer. Combined with his self-assured expression, we see an artist confident in his abilities and convinced of his own worth.
Descent from the Cross by Rogier van der Weyden (c. 1435)
The Descent from the Cross shows Van der Weyden’s mastery of perspective and captures the painful emotions of the scene. You’ll see a level of tiny detail that’s characteristic of Northern Renaissance painting. The fabrics seem impossibly realistic with their various textures and meticulously shaded folds. If you look closely, you’ll see transparent tears that were made possible with the latest in oil paint technology.
Velazquez and the Baroque Era
Diego Velazquez was a Spanish master of the 18th century who became a court painter for King Philip IV. He traveled around Italy and absorbed elements of other artists.
Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez (1656)
Las Meninas is a legendary painting of Margaret Theresa, daughter of King Philip IV, and her attendants captured as if frozen in a moment in time. On the left you see the artist at work painting a portrait, while in the back is a mirror that reflects the king and queen. Are they standing where we the viewer are standing? And who is that mysterious figure at the far back? This painting has sparked extensive debate about its meaning.
Royal portraits by Diego Velazquez
You can check out other royal portraits to see what paid the bills for Velazquez. My favorite is this equestrian portrait of King Philip IV. The armor, the hat, the majestic horse–this is the type of portrait I’d want if I were king!
The Judgement of Paris by Peter Paul Rubens (1638)
The Prado Museum also has the largest collection of paintings by Peter Paul Rubens (over 90 paintings!). As the leading artist of the Flemish Baroque, Rubens received commissions from royals and nobles across Europe. When he visited Madrid in 1628 he became friends with Diego Velasquez. It’s hard to pick a top Rubens painting, but I like the all the cool mythological elements in The Judgement of Paris.
Francisco Goya
Francisco Goya was an acclaimed Spanish painter of the mid 18th century who became a court painter to Charles III in 1783. By the time the Prado Museum opened in 1819, a few of Goya’s paintings were already on display there. He worked extensively for Spain’s royal family and other noble families, so it’s worth checking out some of his masterful portraits.
The Third of May 1808 by Franciso Goya (1814)
One of Goya’s most famous works is a dramatic painting that shows a scene from Napoleon’s invasion of Spain in 1808. On the right you’ll see a firing squad of Napoleon’s soldiers facing away from the viewer. On the left are members of the Spanish resistance, all condemned to death. In the background you can see the occupied city of Madrid in darkness. Overall, Goya shows the brutality of war in a way that must have been shocking back in 1814.
Planning Your Visit to the Prado Museum
Prado Museum Tickets
If you’re planning to visit the Prado Museum, you should really get timed tickets in advance. You can buy them online up to two months in advance. The early time slots tend to sell out first, so don’t wait to get them. Tickets are €15. Make sure to book them on the official Prado Museum website and not some weird third-party site. You’ll select the number of tickets you want and then pick an entry time. I’ve heard the museum isn’t very strict with timing, but I recommend sticking to your scheduled time.
My plan was to get an early time and go on a guided tour. Official guided tours in English start at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm daily. The tour is available as an add-on after you pick your entry time and costs €10.
You could also do an audio guide for €5, but be aware that it doesn’t guide you from place to place around the museum.
You can also buy tickets in person by the Goya Entrance, but that could take a while. If you’re stuck for last-minute tickets, I would try booking a third party tour through Viatour or GetYourGuide. This will cost more, but it’s better than waiting in long lines.
Touring the Museum
The Prado Museum is massive, so trying to see all the galleries in one day is crazy. It’s better to spend time enjoying a smaller number of artworks.
As mentioned, I think the best strategy for a first time visit is a guided tour with a little extra exploring. Most of the museum’s galleries are big, so going around with a group isn’t bad. Official tour guides use a headphone system to make it easier to hear them.
If you’d prefer exploring on your own, you can use the highlights above as a guide. They’re all on the ground floor (Floor 0) and first floor (Floor 1–that’s how they do it in Europe). Look for them in the museum map or ask the staff for assistance. Just wandering around can be frustrating, since there’s no logical path to follow through the museum.
More Tips for Visiting the Prado Museum
- Free entry times– The Prado Museum has free entry from 6-8 pm Monday through Saturday and 5-7 pm Sundays. I would line up a half hour before for best results.
- Don’t bring a big bag – Backpacks and luggage larger than 40×40 cm are not allowed at the museum. If you have a smaller bag with you, there’s a coatroom with lockers where you can store it. Purses and cross-body bags should be fine.
- No photos – Photography and filming are not allowed in the galleries. I know this is a controversial subject for museums, but personally I try to follow the rules.
- Museum cafe – There’s a handy cafeteria-style restaurant on the ground floor of the museum. The prices are a little high, but I thought the food was pretty good. There’s also a snack stand in the courtyard and tiny cafe up on the first floor. If you’re planning on spending several hours at the museum, I’d definitely take a break for a snack.
