10 Best Things to do near Prado Museum in Madrid

Museo del Prado (Madrid) Galería Central – by losmininos – Wikimedia Commons

10 Best Things to do near Prado Museum in Madrid

The Museo Nacional del Prado is the most famous museum in Madrid and one of the most popular and recognized places in the whole world. It receives 3 million annual visitors and has an online presence that exceeds 10 million.

The building that houses the Museo Nacional del Prado was designed by the architect Juan de Villanueva in 1785 as the Natural Sciences Cabinet by order of Carlos III. The Royal Museum, which would soon be renamed the National Museum of Painting and Sculpture and later the National Museum of the Prado, first opened to the public in 1819. The first catalog consisted of 311 paintings, although the museum already held 1510 works from the Royal Sites.

Nowadays, the Prado Museum has a collection of more than 15,000 works of art. There you will find pieces by Spanish, Flemish, and Italian artists, such as Goya, Tiziano, and Velázquez, as well as the Greek El Greco.

Among the principal works present in the museum, the most famous arts are Las Meninas, de Velazquez; Tríptico del Jardín de las Delicias; las pinturas Negras de Goya.

If you are planning to visit the museum or already did it and want to explore the neighborhood, here are the 10 Best Things to do near Prado Museum in Madrid.

Fuente de Neptuno

Fuente de Neptuno iluminada – by Choniron – Wikimedia Commons

The Neptune Fountain is a beautiful neoclassical white marble monument in the Plaza de Neptuno. It is a large fountain inspired by Greco-Roman mythology and built to put Madrid on par with great cities like Paris or Saint Petersburg.

The large circular basin of the Neptune Fountain features a massive sculpture of Neptune, god of the seas, raising a trident while riding on a chariot pulled by two horses with fishtails. Just as the Cibeles Fountain is a symbolic place for Real Madrid followers, the Neptune Fountain is for Atlético de Madrid fans, where the “colchoneros” celebrate all their Titles.

Paseo del Prado

Madrid. Paseo del Prado. – by Rubén Vique – Wikimedia Commons

The Paseo del Prado is a three-lane boulevard adorned with fountains and sculptures. On it are located the three major art galleries that are: the Prado Museum, the Reina Sofia Museum, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.

In the 18th century, it was a field crossed by a stream, but the rustic surroundings were illusory. Moreover, the area had a nasty reputation for burglary and romantic encounters.

The solution created by Carlos IV was a new boulevard between Plaza de Cibeles and Plaza de Atocha with beautiful buildings. Work began in 1775 on a natural history museum (today the Prado museum), the botanical gardens and observatory, and the medical school (today the Reina Sofia).

Plaza Cibeles

Fountain of Cybele at Plaza de Cibeles, Madrid, Spain – by Ank Kumar – Wikimedia Commons

Designed by architect Ventura Rodríguez in 1782, the Cibeles fountain depicts the goddess Cibeles on a cart pulled by lions. Initially, the rush aimed to supply water to Madrid’s citizens. However, in 1895 it was moved to the center of the square and became a simple decorative element.

Probably Madrid’s most representative monument, the fountain is also a place of the Real Madrid titles celebrations. The celebrations can gather more than 50.000 people in the square. The square is also chosen for other sporting celebrations, such as those of the Spanish national soccer and basketball teams.

In the square, you can also find the majestic building of the Palacio de Cibeles. It was formerly known as the Palacio de las Comunicaciones (Communication Palace) and is one of the most important in Madrid’s history.

The building was built in 1919 and used as the central headquarters of the Post Office until it was renovated to house the City Hall and a cultural center. To have good views of the center, you can go to the Rooftop, where you can find an observation deck and the restaurant.

El Retiro

Monumento a Alfonso XII, El Retiro, Madrid – by Onanymous – Wikimedia Commons

El Retiro is the central park of Madrid and one of the favorite places for locals and tourists to gather for picnics or chill out. It is an ample green space of 118 hectares in the heart of Madrid.

This large urban park was built in the mid-17th century for the enjoyment of King Philip IV. Although partially destroyed during the War of Independence, it recovered all its charm and elegance and became a park for the people and royalty.

Retiro Park has hundreds of nooks and crannies to visit and activities to enjoy: puppet shows, musicians, palm readers, and fortune tellers are some of the usual distractions.

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 6 am to 9 pm / Saturday and Sunday From 10 am to 2 pm

Puerta de Alcala

Puerta de Alcalá, Madrid, illuminated with the rainbow colours during the celebrations of WorldPride 2017 – by Wikier – Wikimedia Commons

The Puerta de Alcalá is one of the five ancient royal gates that gave access to the city, built by order of Charles III to replace a previous one dating from the sixteenth century. It receives its name for being located next to the road that led to Alcalá de Henares. This monumental gate, inaugurated in 1778, is located next to the Retiro Park and converges streets as prominent as Alcalá, Alfonso XII, and Serrano.

Designed by Francesco Sabatini, it is a granite triumphal arch of neoclassical style, the first built in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire, a precursor of others known as the Arc de Triomphe in Paris or the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Unlike the Puerta de Toledo or the Puerta de San Vicente, it has five openings instead of the usual three.

The two facades of which the Puerta de Alcalá is composed show different decorations, the inner face being more unadorned (initially the one facing the city, in which the four virtues appear: Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude) than the outer one, presided over by the royal coat of arms and with greater decorative richness, which was the one seen by those entering Madrid.

Real Jardín Botanico

Real Jardín Botánico (Madrid) – by Richie Diesterheft – Wikimedia Commons

The Royal Botanical Garden was founded by Fernando VI in 1755. Designed by the architects Francisco Sabatini and Juan de Villanueva, its elements include the Murillo Gate, the King’s Gate, and the Villanueva Pavilion. The beauty of its neoclassical layout and its location in the city center makes it one of the most unique botanical gardens in Europe.

Since its origins, its function has been the investigation, conservation, and diffusion of the world of plants. Among its collections, the herbarium, the drawings and manuscripts of its archive, and the library stand out. In addition, it holds the material from the scientific expeditions organized in the 18th and 19th centuries to America (Mutiz, Ruiz y Pavón, Malaspina, etc.), among others.

The beds exhibit a valuable display of live plants, with more than 5,000 species. It has two greenhouses: the exhibition greenhouse, with three environments (tropical, humid, and desert), and the palm greenhouse, built in the 19th century. It also has a vital bonsai collection.

Opening hours: Every day from 10 am to 6:30 pm.

Thyssen Museo

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid (Spain) – by Luis García – Wikimedia Commons

Probably the least known Museum, The Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, together with the Museo del Prado and the Reina Sofía, forms the so-called Paseo del Arte(Art Walk).

The Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza has a stunning collection. Rubens, Picasso, Klee, Van Gogh, Dürer, Caravaggio, Van Eyck, and Constable were among the acquisitions of a family of Teuto-Hungarian industrialists.

To find a permanent home for their incredible collection, the Thyssen-Bornemisza barons made a well-stitched deal with the Spanish government, providing the neoclassical Villahermosa Palace.

The country definitively acquired the works in 1993, and in 2004 a new wing was opened to house Baroness Carmen’s collection of European paintings.

Opening hours: every day from 10 am to 7 pm., except on Monday when it opens from 12 pm to 4 pm.

Reina Sofia

Edificio Sabatini. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía – by Museoreinasofia – Wikimedia Commons

The Reina Sofia Museum is the house of more than 18,000 pieces of 20th-century and contemporary art, many of them signed by such famous artists as Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, and Joan Miró. The museum’s most significant piece of art is the Guernica, painted by Pablo Picasso.

The museum is housed in a neoclassical building in Atocha, which was used as a hospital (Hospital San Carlos) since the sixteenth century when Philip II decided to centralize all the hospitals scattered throughout the Court. In the 18th century, Charles III expanded the facilities, giving rise to the current building, for which he counted on the architects José de Hermosilla and, above all, Francisco Sabatini.

The building underwent several modifications and additions until the hospital was closed in 1965. After being declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1977, its restoration began in 1980. In 1986 the Reina Sofia Art Center was opened, using floors 1 and 2 to house temporary exhibition halls. At the end of 1988, the last modifications were carried out, including the creation of the three towers of glass and steel elevators designed by British architect Ian Ritchie.

On September 10, 1992, the Permanent Collection was inaugurated, becoming a museum.

The museum expansion, carried out between 2001 and 2005 by the architect Jean Nouvel, provided it with more exhibition space, in addition to the creation of a library and an auditorium.

Opening hours: Wednesday to Monday, from 10 am to 9 pm.
On Sundays, from 10 am to 7 pm. On Tuesdays, it’s closed.

Free entrance: Monday and from Wednesday to Saturday from 7 to 9 pm – Sunday from 12:30 to 2:30 pm

San Jeronimo El real

San Jerónimo el Real Church – by Steven Cortinovis – Wikimedia Commons

The Monastery of San Jerónimo el Real, popularly known as “Los Jerónimos,” was one of the most important monasteries in Madrid, initially governed by order of St. Jerome. Next to it was the so-called Cuarto Real (during the reign of Philip II), later enlarged as the Buen Retiro Palace during the reign of Philip IV.

From the convent, the church converted into the parish of San Jeronimo, and a Baroque-style cloister still survives today. The church of San Jerónimo el Real is the only representation in Madrid but in a significantly refurbished form.

Church and convent were closely linked to the life of the Court and the Spanish monarchy. The temple was the frequent scene of funerals, oaths of heirs, weddings, and royal proclamations, the last being that of the current King Juan Carlos I.

Opening hours: Every day From 10 am to 1 pm and from 5 pm to 8 pm

Circulo de Bellas Artes and Azotea del circulo

Madrid – Círculo de Bellas Artes – by Zarateman – Wikimedia Commons

The Círculo de Bellas Artes has declared an artistic monument in 1981 thanks to its great architectural value. It was founded in 1880 by a small group of artists and is characterized by its openness to the most innovative artistic currents, encompassing the plastic arts, literature, science, philosophy, and the performing arts.

The Círculo de Bellas Artes has a significant inheritance of more than 1,200 works, including paintings, sculptures, engravings, and movable monuments, in addition to a collection of more than 3,000 books and historical documents.

The building has an urban and monumental image with an eye-catching facade made by influential artists.

On the top floor of the cultural center, you will find the Rooftop Azotea del Círculo, a unique space where you can have a drink and contemplate Madrid’s urban landscape in 360 degrees. Carefully designed, the Azotea is structured so that guests never turn their backs on the magnificent views of the city.

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday from 12 pm to 12:30 am / Friday to Sunday from 12 pm to 2:30 am

Turrones Vicens Prado (Bonus)

Torró d’Agramunt- by Slastic – Wikimedia Commons

You can find various nougat flavors in this store and try samples for free. Located on Paseo del Prado, very close to the museum, the store is the flagship of this family business born in Agramunt (Lleida), which has been making nougat since 1775. Its more than 600 square meters make it the largest nougat store in the world.

Torrens Vicens produces traditional nougat and other specialties. The new creations that it incorporates year after year are the result of research work and an elaboration guided by the solid principles of the brand. Quality, tradition, innovation, and service.