Top 50 best museums in Madrid

El Escorial, located in the Madrid Autonomous Region at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain, is a significant religious and cultural structure. It comprises a monastery, palace, library, and other sections. This complex was used as a residence by King Philip II of Spain, adding to its historical significance.

The Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of the Spanish royalty but is used only for state ceremonies. Visitors can see the marvelous interior decorations, made using various materials, from marble to mahogany. The palace is also home to Royal Armoury of Madrid. Surrounded by large and p

The Royal Palace of Aranjuez is a baroque palace situated in the Spanish city of Aranjuez, approximately 50 kilometers south of Madrid. The palace was built on the remains of a monastery, which was acquired by the Spanish king in the 16th century. Over the centuries, it became one of the summer residences of the royal family.

The Prado National Museum holds and exhibits one of the largest collections of European art in the world. It contains more than 7,600 paintings, some of them on the display here and some on loan in other museums. Being one of the most visited art museums in the world, the Prado National Museum is ho

The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum is a museum in Madrid that houses one of the largest collections of art in the world, with more than 1,600 paintings. The museum pays special attention to Italian primitive and Anglophone art. The highlights of the exhibitions in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum include El

The Queen Sofia Arts Center (Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía) is a museum in Madrid that is named after Queen Sofía. The museum houses a ginormous collection of Spanish art of the 20th century, with works by Dalí, Picasso, Miró and many others. One of the highlights of the permanent exhibi

The Sorolla Museum in Madrid holds and exhibits work by the artist Joaquín Sorolla, as well as members of his family such as his daughter Elena. Sorolla excelled in the painting of portraits, landscapes and monumental works of social and historical themes. The museum is housed in what was originally

The Royal Collections Gallery, which was originally known as the Royal Collections Museum, is an art museum situated in Madrid. It is managed by the Spanish state agency Patrimonio Nacional and is located in a new building above the gardens of the Campo del Moro park, adjacent to the Almudena Cathedral and the Royal Palace.

The National Archaeological Museum Madrid (Museo Arqueológico Nacional) is a museum in Madrid with numismatic, archaeological and ethnographical finds. Visitors can discover four floors of historical artifacts from different periods, from Prehistory and Protohistory, to the Middle Ages and the moder

The CaixaForum in Madrid is a museum of post-modern art that aims to promote Spanish art, culture and science to general public. The CaixaForum is sponsored by Caixa Bank and organizes various exhibitions of both ancient and contemporary art, talks, workshops and concerts.

The Cerralbo Museum is a museum in Madrid that is housed in a historical mansion where it exhibits an extensive collection of artwork (over 50.000 objects). The museum is named after the marquis of Cerralbo, who used to own it. What was once considered the greatest private art collection in Spain, c

This Naval Museum (Museo Naval) in Madrid offers a glimpse of the history of the Spanish navy from the 15th century up to more recent times. The large collection includes many artefacts such as maps, paintings and boat models. The aim of this museum is not only to guide visitors through the history

The Zoo Aquarium de Madrid is a combination of a zoo that spans over is a 20-hectare with over 6000 animals of 500 different species, including Giant Pandas and White Tigers. It is one of the few zoos in the world that is home to giant pandas. The Zoo Aquarium de Madrid features the zoo, a petting z

The Museo Lázaro Galdiano in Madrid features José Lázaro Galdiano´s collection of art from wide range of periods. It contains important collections of valuable works from the prehistoric period to the nineteenth century, with a focus on Iberian work, including paintings by great painters, such as Bo

The faunia park is both a zoo and a botanical garden and was opened in 2001. The 14 hectare park accommodates about 4000 animals of 500 different species. The park is divided into different sections with their own climate and corresponding plants and animals. There is a jungle section with different

The Museo del Romanticismo is a musuem in Madrid that is housed in an 18th-century palace with more than 20 rooms filled with interesting period artifacts from paintings and decorative arts, to furniture and sculptures. Visitors can explore the place where romantic writers used to gather. One of the

The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando is the academy where many notables such as Picasso, Dalí or Goya studied. The academy has been transformed into an exhibition space and now serves as an art museum: the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando Museum. One of the higlights of this pla

The House-Museum of Lope de Vega in Madrid is the house of the famous Spanish playwright and poet Lope de Vega who lived in the 16th century and became a prominent writer of the Golden Age. Rebuilt into a museum in 1935, its exhibition will guide you through both Vega's life and death, as he died in

The Museo del Aire (Museo de Aeronáutica y Astronáutica de España) is an aviation museum in Madrid. The museum has about 150 aircraft on display in its exhibition galleries, over a complete surface of more than 66,000 m2, including outdoor displays. The museum mainly exhibits mainly planes and helic

The Espacio Fundación Telefónica is a "space" in madrid that emerged from Telefónica Foundation’s desire to increase the spread of knowledge and to promote exhibitions, meetings and activities that connect innovation, creativity and technology with society. It includes 6,000 m² for exhibitions, conc

The Madrid Railway Museum (Museo del Ferrocarril de Madrid) is a museum in Madrid that is located in a former railway station. The building itself is interesting, built in the Spanish industrial style. Inside the museum visitors can explore the fascinating world of trains and locomotives where the e

The National Museum of Natural Sciences of Spain (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales de España) is the natural history museum of Madrid. The museum was founded in 1772 by Carlos III at the location where the Prado is now located. Since 1887 the museum has been at its current location in the Palaci

The Museum of the Americas (Museo de América) is an anthropology museum in Madrid of which the main exhibition includes artistic, archaeological and ethnographic collections dedicated to American society, religion and communication dating back to Paleolithic period. The Museum of the Americas in Mad

The Almudena Cathedral is a Catholic church in Madrid that seems to have been built on the site of a medieval mosque that was destroyed in 1083 when Alfonso VI reconquered Madrid. Museo de la Catedral de la Almudena is the museum of the cathedral. A visit starts with two chambers of the Cathedral: t

The Museo Geominero is a geology museum in Madrid that houses collections of minerals, rocks and fossils from Spain and its former colonies, as well as pieces from significant sites elsewhere in the world. This geology museum is housed in the Instituto Geológico y Minero de España building.

The Museum of Costume (Museo del Traje) in Madrid is a museum where you can see collections of costumes dating back to the Middle Ages as well as pieces created by contemporary fashion designers. The exhibitions try to display the evolution of dress and fashion industry in Spain. To enrich the knowl

Museo de Historia de Madrid is the Museum of History of Madrid that illustrates the history of the city from 1561 when Madrid became the capital of Spain to the beginning of the twentieth century. The museum is housed in the former Royal Hospice of San Fernando, built in 1673. The permanent exhibiti

The National Museum of Anthropology is a Spanish National Museum in Madrid that was Spain's first anthropological museum. The museum offers a global view of the different cultures existing on the planet, with collections that cover the five continents. It was inaugurated on April 29, 1875 by King Al

The National Museum of Decorative Arts (Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas) is a museum in Madrid that is one of the oldest museums in the city. The museum illustrates the evolution of industrial arts", including furniture, ceramics, glass, and textiles though its collections of mainly the 16th and

Museo Casa de la Moneda (The Museum of the Royal Mint) is a museum in Madrid that holds and exhibits the collection of the Spanish Royal Mint. The numismatic collection starts from its origins, passing through Greece, Rome, Hispania, the Middle Ages, the Catholic Monarchs, the House of Austria and t

The Biblioteca Nacional de España is the National Library of Spain, located in Madrid. It is a major public library and the largest in Spain and even one of the largest in the world. The Museum of the National Library of Spain (Museo de la Biblioteca Nacional ), formerly the Museum of the Book, is r

The Museum of San Isidro, or the Museum of the Origins of Madrid is a cultural institution that holds and displays a collection that finds its foundation in the collection of the former Archaeological Institute and the Municipal Museum of Madrid. The museum illustrates the history of the city from p

The Madrid Planetarium is a planetarium that belongs to the Madrid City Council, designed by the Madrid architect Salvador Pérez Arroyo. The planetarium is located in the Enrique Tierno Galván Park. It offers free outdoor days and has individual and group sessions on astronomy.

Palacio de Velasquez (Velázquez Palace) is an exhibition hall in Madrid that is located in El Retiro Park. It was once used as a museum promoting ceramics and glass-making, but is now dedicated to temporary exhibitions of Spain's National Museum of Modern Art. Named after the architect Ricardo Veláz