The Prado Museum in Madrid is one of the city's top cultural attractions and one of the most incredible galleries and collections in the world, certainly in Spain. In fact, the whole experience of the gallery was so rich and overwhelming that it made this writer well up embarrassingly in public while wandering around. Truly, it is an extraordinary place. Housed in a vast, beautiful and grand 18th century Neoclassical building, it was opened as a museum in 1819 and is home to works by great masters such as Rembrandt, Titian, Goya, Raphael, Rubens, and Bosch, among many others. For one of the best art experiences in all of Europe, just find a vacation rental in Spain and come explore the stunning Prado Museum.
Named for the district where it is located, the area around the museum was formerly a market garden known as the "prado" or meadow. Impressed by the Louvre, the Spanish queen, Isabella of Braganza, decided she also wanted a space in which to display her own remarkable collection. The building had been originally designed by Juan de Villanueva to house the Natural History Cabinet but eventually became home to the royal collections.
Named for the district where it is located, the area around the museum was formerly a market garden known as the "prado" or meadow. Impressed by the Louvre, the Spanish queen, Isabella of Braganza, decided she also wanted a space in which to display her own remarkable collection. The building had been originally designed by Juan de Villanueva to house the Natural History Cabinet but eventually became home to the royal collections.
Private donations and acquisitions enlarged the museum's collection from the initial thousands to almost ten thousand works, displayed across the original building and subsequent extensions that were added to house the growing number of paintings and sculptures. It then opened for the first time on November 10, 1819.
Today, the scale of the museum can be initially daunting. Even if you spend an entire day there, it would be hard to see everything. Many locals visit time and time again to see the museum in bits and pieces but the average visitor spends around two and a half hours at the Prado. The best piece of advice is to make note of works you definitely want to see and to track them down, though the experience of wandering around without any rigid plan and stumbling upon hidden gems is equally enjoyable.
Particular highlights of the collection include the great number of works by Velazquez, especially his very famous "Las Meninas," which shows princess Margarita and her two ladies-in-waiting as well as the artist himself.
Today, the scale of the museum can be initially daunting. Even if you spend an entire day there, it would be hard to see everything. Many locals visit time and time again to see the museum in bits and pieces but the average visitor spends around two and a half hours at the Prado. The best piece of advice is to make note of works you definitely want to see and to track them down, though the experience of wandering around without any rigid plan and stumbling upon hidden gems is equally enjoyable.
Particular highlights of the collection include the great number of works by Velazquez, especially his very famous "Las Meninas," which shows princess Margarita and her two ladies-in-waiting as well as the artist himself.
Another key Spanish artist is Goya, whose works make up such a large part of the museum. Other famous paintings housed at the Prado are Bosch's "The Garden of Delights", Rubens' "The Adoration of the Magi", Rembrandt and Dürer's self-portraits, Fra Angelico's “Annunciation” and Van der Weyden's “Descent from the Cross”.
Access costs €15.00 at the full fee, €7.50 at the reduced rate and there is free access from Monday to Saturday from 6pm – 8pm and Sundays and holidays from 5pm – 7pm. If you were to only make time for one cultural activity in Madrid, this should be it. Just remember to pace yourself and to go for a coffee break should you start to feel overwhelmed!
Access costs €15.00 at the full fee, €7.50 at the reduced rate and there is free access from Monday to Saturday from 6pm – 8pm and Sundays and holidays from 5pm – 7pm. If you were to only make time for one cultural activity in Madrid, this should be it. Just remember to pace yourself and to go for a coffee break should you start to feel overwhelmed!