The best museums to visit in Madrid

In Madrid there are a large number of museums, almost 100, so it is impossible to visit them all in a normal tourist visit.

Here we propose a list of the most important things to see in Madrid.

In each section dedicated to the best museums you can find a description of the most important works of art present in the museum, as well as other useful information for the visitor.

The museums of the Paseo del Arte

1. Prado Museum

It is the most important museum in Spain and one of the most visited in Europe. It is so large that only a small part of its collection is on public display. We can see paintings by the best Spanish painters such as Goya, Velázquez, Sorolla or Zurbarán and also by other European figures.

It is located on the Paseo del Arte and in addition to being able to enjoy its art collections, the architecture of the building and of course the environment in which it is located is also very remarkable.

You can find more information in our article about the Prado Museum.

2. Reina Sofia Art Center

The Reina Sofía Art Center is the museum dedicated to modern art and where we can find great works by Picasso, Dalí or Miró among many others. His main work is Guernica and it is one of the best museums to visit in Madrid and an essential visit on your trip to the capital.

In the Reina Sofía Museum, in addition to its permanent collection, we can also enjoy other temporary exhibitions, some of which are truly spectacular.

You can find more information in our article about the Reina Sofía Museum.

3. Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

The third of the great museums of the Paseo del Arte is the Thyssen, known for being the main private art collection in Spain. The works are very varied and are located in a spectacular building, the Palace of Villahermosa.

It is about some of the most important art collections in the world and that you will hardly be able to find anywhere else. Some of the temporary exhibitions it houses and the really surprising visits for children are also very interesting.

If you want to visit this unforgettable museum, you can find more information in our article about the Thyssen Museum.

Other museums to see in Madrid

1. The National Archaeological Museum

Not to be missed is the great collection of archaeological elements that the National Archaeological Museum houses, as well as numismatic, ethnographic and decorative arts elements that review the cultural history of Spain.

The main work of art in this museum and the most famous is the Lady of Elche, which is approximately 2,500 years old.

But it is not the only one and it is surely a museum that you love.

You can find more information in our article dedicated to the National Archaeological Museum.

2. The Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid

The Museum of Natural Sciences is one of the museums where both children and adults can enjoy.

This museum dates from the times of Carlos III and in it we can find three large areas, each one dedicated to an aspect of Natural Sciences.

In this museum we can find a large collection of minerals and fossils, as well as fossilized rocks, naturalized animals, a 7-meter squid or a historical collection that takes you back to the times of Carlos III.

• More information: Museum of Natural Sciences

3. The Museum of America

The Museum of America is located a bit far from the city center which makes it difficult for it to have a large influx of visits, but this museum is one of the most beautiful in Madrid.

In this museum we can see a large archaeological, ethnographic and other arts collection from America and that covers a period as wide as it goes from pre-Columbian to colonial.

The collection is divided into 5 large areas and takes you to the American continent for a few hours.

• More information: Museum of America

4. The Cerralbo Museum

This small museum that is located in a beautiful mansion located very close to the Plaza de España and the Temple of Debod.

The Cerralbo Museum exhibits a large private collection of works of art, antiques and archeology that the Marquis of Cerralbo gathered.

The decoration of the building and the furniture are preserved almost intact as the Marquis had it at the beginning of the 20th century, so a visit to this museum is a unique experience.

• More information: Cerralbo Museum

5. The Museum of Romanticism

The best collection of romantic art that we can find in Spain is in this museum in Madrid.

It is located in a small building on a street near Alonso Martínez and in it we can find paintings, prints, furniture, decorative arts, drawings and engravings from the 19th century from the Romantic era.

Among the paintings we can even find a painting by Francisco de Goya.

• More information: Museum of Romanticism

6. The Madrid Railway Museum

At the Railway Museum, located in the old Delicias station, the building itself is already a museum piece as it is an iron structure dating from 1880.

This museum exhibits trains and locomotives, steam, diesel and electric, which review the railway history of Spain.

In addition, we can also find other railway objects such as clocks, lockers, interlocks and even models.

• More information: Railway Museum