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Leisure and Culture

The Best Museums in Madrid

Written by Daniella

Madrid is a great city, that has a lot of cultural venues to offer. You can find all kinds of options: from cinema, theater, dance, art galleries, exhibitions, buildings and historical monuments, to music festivals. There is something cultural for everyone. But if there is one thing that characterizes the capital of Spain, it is the large number of museums, and some of which are considered to be the best in Europe. Culturally speaking, Madrid certainly doesn’t have to envy other European capitals. If you live in the city of Madrid, or if you are coming to spend a few days here and want to take make it a cultural visit, the ShMadrid team would like to recommend some of the best museums in the capital to you.

Related article: Curiosities of the Spanish Capital

The best museums situated centrally in Spain’s capital

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The Prado Museum (Calle Ruiz de Alarcón, 23) is probably the best-known museum in the city. It is considered one of the best art galleries in the world, and has, among others, works by artists such as Velázquez, Rubens, El Greco and Goya. It is almost an obligatory visit for all those visitors or residents in the capital, who are interested in culture and art. If there are two other well-known museums in Madrid, they are the Reina Sofía National Art Museum (Calle Santa Isabel, 52) and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (Paseo del Prado, 8). These two museums form the so-called art triangle of the Spanish capital, together with the Prado Museum. The Crystal Palace (Paseo de la República de Cuba, 4) is one of the venues of the Reina Sofia National Art Museum and it is located in the middle of the Retiro Park. It is one of the most charming parts of the park. If you are going to walk around in El Retiro, it is worth visiting this beautiful building, that is one of the best examples in the country of architecture with a metal structure. Walk around it and observe the originality and delicacy of its structure, and then enter the building to look at the special light that enters through all the glass. You can also enjoy some of the exhibitions inside.

Related article: Baroque Churches In Madrid

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The Sorolla Museum (Calle General Martínez Campos, 37) is perhaps not as famous as the previous ones, but it has become one of the best museums in Madrid. Located in the palace where the painter lived, his widow initiated the museum and it was inaugurated in 1932. It still retains the atmosphere and the style it once had, when it was the painter’s home and workshop. An important collection of works by Sorolla himself and other artists, such as Rodin or Mariano Benlliure, are exhibited here. The third most visited museum in Madrid has little to do with artists or painters, but if you are a football lover and a fan of Real Madrid you should not miss the opportunity to visit the Museum of the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (Avenida Concha Espina, 1). You can tour the stadium, enter the locker room, watch the European Cups and get to know the history of the club, as well as buy the shirt of your favorite player. And for history fanatics, we should also recommend the National Archaeological Museum (Calle Serrano, 13). It is the most important archaeological museum in Spain, and has collections from the Iberian Peninsula itself, but also from Egypt, Rome and Greece.

Which museum will you visit first?

About the author

Daniella

Daniella loves to write and translate. Her bucket list is filled with beautiful places she still needs to visit.

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