Madrid is a city that is famous for being a collection point of people and cultures from around the world. It is a blend of both the historical and modern attractions with museums full of Renaissance and contemporary artworks gathered from around Europe.
This diverse and welcoming city has an authenticity that is hard to compare to. For art lovers, this is a dream destination that should be atop your bucket list. A Madrid museum pass is the best way to see all the different museums in the area. There are also a host of free things to do in Madrid so that you can save some extra funds for more museum trips.
Highlights:
- Pasa del Arte walk
- Masterpieces by famous artists
- Entry into three museums
- A cultural hub with works from all over Europe
Know before you book::
- Includes admission to all the permanent and temporary exhibitions
- Pass is valid for one year
- Pass is only valid for one entry per museum
- Wheelchair accessible
- Queues can get very long to get into the museums
Lying at the heart of the Iberian Peninsula is the capital city of Spain, Madrid. This is a city of contrasting styles, each reflecting a different period of time and development. The picturesque landscapes come with a host of museums that lend to highlighting the different periods of art.
There is a half-mile (1km) stretch in Madrid called the Paseo del Arte, which translates to ‘Art Walk’, where you will find three of the finest museums in the world. It is a city of joy with a unique aesthetic and each neighbourhood offering a different experience. A Madrid Tourist card, or Madrid City pass, will be the best way for you to get around on public transport. Don’t forget to take a break to enjoy the Madrid tapas along the way.
There is a wide variety of museums in the city of Madrid, even a few unusual ones such as the military and railways museums. The three most important are the Prado Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Reina Sofia Museum. The city’s museums are rich with artistic masterpieces within, a Picasso being of particular interest.
Madrid Museum Passes | Paseo del Arte Ticket Prices 2024
The cost of the Museum pass ticket, known locally as the Paseo del Arte card, starts at around €30 ($35 USD). The pass is valid for one year and will allow you one visit to each of the three museums, Prado, Reina Sofia, and Thyssen-Bornemisza, to witness their permanent collections. There are, however, individual guided tours available, as well as general entry tickets.
Compare prices across the ticket providers below:
Madrid City Museum Times
The opening times of the different museums do vary depending on the day of the week. The Reina Sofia for example is only open on Monday and Wednesday during the week. You will have to check for specific times for each museum, but in general, most operate between 10 am and 8 pm with some variances.
Monday – Friday: 10am – 8pm
Saturday – Sunday: 10am – 4pm
Best Time to Go
The best time to visit the museums would be in the early hours of the opening times if you want to try and avoid the large crowds. The three most popular ones should either be first or last on your list to miss the mid-day influx of tourists. This should give you a little more breathing space and freedom to walk around with almost uninterrupted views of the artwork.
If you do happen to go in the winter months, the colder temperatures outside will deter more tourists from visiting Madrid during this time, so the museums will be less crowded overall.
Madrid Museum Tickets for Tours
There are a number of other museums in Madrid as well, some quirky, but others that pay more attention to specific niches of art. For something a little different and a good laugh with friends and family, there is an alternative with a unique experience for all that is the Museum of Illusions. Below is some more information about these museums and what to expect.
The Prado Museum
The Prado Museum is over 200 years old, opening in 1819, and a top-tier and extremely popular tourist spot. This neoclassical building is home to over 8,600 paintings and over 700 sculptures. It is also ranked as one of the most popular attractions in Europe amongst the Louvre and Victoria & Albert Museum.
The Prado is considered by some as a significantly important museum in the world for European painting. It is home to the largest collection of Spanish Art and features masterpieces from the likes of Rubens, El Greco, and Raphael.
- Skip the line ticket
- 2 hour tour
- Private group
- Meals and drinks
A majority of the displays at the Prado Museum originate from Spain’s monarchs, including the two most iconic paintings being Las Meninas by Velázquez and The Family of Charles IV by Goya. If you’d prefer to make this Madrid, Spain attraction more insightful, a guided tour is ideal.
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Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum
If you are looking for a melting pot of differing styles from different periods, the Thyssen-Bornemisza is a must-visit. The museum and its collections were transferred over to the ownership of the Kingdom of Spain, following which the Baron and his wife went on to expand the collection.
The entire collection was curated initially by the Baroness, and this is reflected in the presentations. There is a mix of landscape 19th-century paintings, works from American artists, and both Post-Impressionist and Impressionist works of art. There is even a little 20th-century avant-garde art.
This is an all-inclusive tour and includes the price of entry into the museum.
- Entrance to museum
- Guided tour
- No private tour option
Reina Sofia Museum
For all the Salvador Dali and Picasso lovers, the Reina Sofia museum should be on the top of your list of places to visit. This museum was opened in 1990 and currently houses over 22,400 works, with most coming from the 20th-century.
What is special about this museum is that it has two other separate locations in Madrid, the Crystal Palace and Velázquez Palace in Retiro Park. Here, you will find some temporary exhibitions and other art installations created specifically for these spaces.
Hot tip: You can find Picasso’s Guernica in Room 206
- Skip-the-line entry ticket
- Instant confirmation
- Headphones for groups larger than 5
- Pickup service
This tour is wheelchair-friendly, and photos are allowed without the use of a flash or any form of tripod.
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Madrid Museum of Illusions
This is something that is a little different. With the Museum of Illusion, you will be questioning the reality of what is real and what isn’t. Challenge your senses with both optical and photographic illusions, all with the purpose of teaching you about vision and perception.
These mind-bending illusions are designed to surprise you and also happen to be extremely Instagram-worthy.
- Entrance ticket
- Ticket is valid for one month
- Tour guide
Specification: The Best Madrid Museum Pass for Visitors | Tourist Tickets 2024
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Photos: The Best Madrid Museum Pass for Visitors | Tourist Tickets 2024
Pamela_T –
The castle in Segovia was my favorite part of the trip, although too many groups were in there at once! Would have liked to have time for shopping along the way as we walked through Segovia!
hyun_k –
Had a fantastic time with a wonderful guide! Remember the tapa is a tapas portion so maybe bring snacks. But it's an excellent way to be guided through two cities well in one day!
Cord_S –
We enjoyed Segovia the most. This was a family trip with two teenagers. My only recommendation would be to spend more time in Segovia
Roberta_h –
Our guide, Stefi, has an incredible depth of knowledge of art history. Her command of both English and Spanish is remarkable and she was able to seamlessly move back and forth between them as our group required
Jilly_B –
The 4 of us joined a group of about 10 Spanish speakers – we were led by "Amanda". We met exactly as arranged, on time, and we were led into the Prado Art Museum. Our problem was mainly with the fact that because we were a English /Spanish speaking group, Amanda had to address us first in Spanish & then in English – this process wasted our time and as a result, we only had time for a total of 5 painting! Not Amanda's fault but we needed a wholly English speaking group, so being able to see & learn more!! The same can be said of Reina Sophie except the we were too many in the group (2). We would not recommend such a tour to our friends.
julia_g –
I booked a Prado/Reyna Sofia guided tour with Viator expecting a private/small group experience in one language. The tour was for a much bigger group, about 15 people most of whom spoke Spanish, while our group spoke English. The tour was rushed and the English translation were inadequate and became briefer as the tour progressed. Booking 2 museums was not a good idea because more people were picked up there, while some dropper off from the Prado group. We would have had a much better experience with an audio guide.