The Musea del Prado in Madrid, which will be reaching its 200th anniversary in 2019, is world-renowned as one of the finest and most extensive collections of European art. The museum is named after the meadow on which it stood (‘Prado’ meaning ‘meadow), and was designed by the architect of the Enlightenment in Spain, Juan de Villanueva.
Take your time and explore thousands of drawings, paintings and sculptures from world-famous, groundbreaking artists like Goya, El Greco, Titian, and Velazquez – all kept in immaculate condition for centuries. The Prado, Madrid should be the number one stop on your tour of Spain, if you hold any interest at all in Spanish and European art history.
Highlights
- Visit the largest and most vital collection of Spanish art, worldwide
- See originals by Rembrandt, Dürer, Titian, and Goya
- Explore Prado’s extensive sculpture collection, with hundreds of sculptures and a few hundred fragments too
- Learn about European and Spanish art movements and schools between the 15th and 19th century
- See the Dauphin’s Treasure
Know before you book
- The skip-the-line ticket does not have an option for discounted seniors ticket
- If you are under 18, a student aged 19-25 with valid student ID, or a teacher accompanying a school group you can enter the Museum for free
- Access to the Museum takes place up until 30 minutes before closing time
- Food and drinks are not permitted inside the museum, except in the café
Prado Museum Information:
Here’s a breakdown of what the tour of the museum might look like. In the event you get hungry, there is a cafeteria on site, however, no food or drinks are permitted outside of the cafeteria. There are also a number of restaurants and eateries close by.
El Prado Tour Times
The museum is open from 10 am to 8 pm daily.
Duration of Prado Museum Guided Tour
There are half-day and full-day Prado Museum ticket options. The duration of the tour is entirely up to you and depends on how long you would prefer to stay there.
Cost of Prado Museum Madrid Tickets
Tickets start at $20 for adults. However, free admission is provided for persons under 18, students aged 19-25 and carrying valid student ID, and teachers accompanying school groups.
Price Includes
Skip the line access and entry to all temporary exhibitions. Check out the different options below:
Prado Museum
First opened to the public in 1819, the Museo del Prado in Madrid is a hallmark of Spanish and European art over the centuries. It holds the world’s largest collection of art from that region, and houses thousands of pieces of art from hundreds of years ago, all in an incredibly well-maintained and curated museum. It’s also home to a large number of historic documents of interest.
The museum holds a number of incredibly precious artworks such as a huge collection of pieces by Francisco Goya, famous for his central role in the Romanticism art movement. They also undertake a number of intense art restoration and research projects, such as their study of the Mona Lisa (La Gioconda) in 2012, which used infrared technology to create a restored image of what the Mona Lisa may have looked like when it was first painted!
On your tour, you can expect to see thousands of artworks currently on display in the main building. Since it can be difficult to decide what to see first and where to go, there are three organised routes that focus on the masterpieces, and what the museum considers to be their most important works of art.
These tours date all the way from the Romanesque period to the 19th Century. Also on display is the Dauphin’s Treasure, a collection of gorgeous Royal jewels from Spain’s monarchy.
You can also purchase an audio guide in many different languages, to swiftly show you to the works of artists such as Bartolomé Bermejo, Pedro Berruguete, Sánchez Coello, El Greco, Ribera, and Zurbarán. The museum will be expanding with new buildings and collections for their bicentenary this year!
The Museo Nacional del Prado would be a mistake to miss for any travelers with an interest in Spanish / European art history, with a chance to see such well-kept, seminal artworks in person. The museum is a Spanish national treasure, and an icon in Europe too, so be sure to include it on your itinerary!
Facilities at El Prado, Madrid
There is a cafeteria in the museum, as well as bathrooms, all of which are accessible for persons with limited mobility.
Capacity
There are no limits on group size or capacity, so this tour is perfect for school or college tour groups.
Specification: Skip the Line: Prado Museum Tickets & Guided Tours
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lauferha –
We were extremely happy with Marta, our guide. She was knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We all learned a lt about the collection and Spanish history. We would not hestitie to recommend the tour and Marat. She as great!
jcars0n29 –
The tour was fantastic! Enrique was knowledgeable, excited to share his knowledge, friendly, and knew how to keep our attention. We learned so much from him and thoroughly enjoyed his company! I would recommend this tour to all, especially if Enrique is your guide.
Rosalinda_s –
Excellent experience! Museo del prado is a wonderful museum. We had the best guide, Knowledgeable in art history and history of Madrid. Showed us hidden secrets of the museum. Fluent in English. We enjoyed this experience very much. Definitely recommend this tour with her. It is a must if you want to really understand the museum and not just walk around. It is needed the context of history and art techniques.
raulcpa –
La guía del Tour (Macarena) muy conocedora del tema, hizo un excelente trabajo. Hubiese deseado estar más tiempo aprendiendo de las obras que están en el Museo. Mi opinión, el entrar al Museo del Prado sin un guía sería perderse de la oportunidad de ver y conocer los detalles de obras de arte. Fue una experiencia educativa y muy enriquecedora. Lo recomiendo sin ninguna duda.
Excursion66117671082 –
Our tour guide made the visit so smooth with our three kids who range from 6 to 15 years old. Would absolutely recommend.
Wilfredo_M –
It was a good tour. The Prado Museum is a place to visit at least once in any trip to Spain. It is full of history and it gives the opportunity to appreciate the many beautiful works of art on the Spanish masters and also they’ve works from all over the world. Having that said, the time having with the guided tour was to short even though our tour guide was excellent and knowledgeable of the masterpieces she took us to appreciate.
shargill –
My guide, Fernando, was an excellent choice by Viator. He is well educated in history of Spain, the art history and knew the background stories of each Artist and details of their lives and speaks excellent English. He has a very cordial, very polite and has a friendly personality. He started the tour with asking if I had any special needs (elevator instead of stairs), paced to my tempo, and especially asked if I had any 'favorite' pieces or requests to see certain pieces or artists in the Prado. Fernando is very well informed and intelligent and answered my million questions about Spain's history, culturally, politically, etc. and how it was influenced by events in the Old World and New World. He brought insight into each artist, their training, art patrons, etc. that made them vibrant and real. Fernando is an excellent guide/teacher and communicated before the tour and send a reminder that morning before the tour. Fernando gave me the best private tour of any museum I have ever experienced around the globe!
SoloTraveler –
Francisco is extremely knowledgeable and knows his way around the Prado museum. We covered a lot of ground in 2 hours. I have done Prado and other museums before but highly recommend the private visit/tour.