10 Awesome Madrid Museums

with natural beauty to compliment them all.

The National Archaeological Museum, located in Madrid, Spain, is addressed at the Columbus square. This embodiment of historical amazements shares its building with the National Library. Established in the year 1867, the museum is termed as a ‘monument.' It was found as a depository for archaeological, numismatic, and decorative art collections that were associated with the Spanish monarchs. After being closed for renovation in the year 2008, it opened on April 2014, focusing on the archaeological role and not concerning much with decorative arts.

The pieces housed by the National Archaeological Museum range from Prehistoric and Liberian to medieval, roman, and Visigothic origins. The wealth of exhibits hosted by this monument has made it one of the most renowned Madrid Museums. It is important to know that the museum remains closed on Monday and is open from 9:30 am-3 pm on all days except Sunday when the timings are 9:30-3 pm. The tickets range between Euro 1-3, and the entry is free for individuals older than 65 years of age. Also, besides being wheelchair friendly, the museum offers a disability discount for individuals who carry a valid disability card. On Sunday mornings, the visitors can all enjoy free entry in the National Archaeological Museum.

The Museo Del Prado is located in central Madrid. Officially known as the Museo Nacional Del Prado, it is the most prominent Spain national art museum. It was founded as a museum of paintings and sculptures in the year 1819. However, the displays at this Madrid museum have not been limited to these two segments of artifacts, and other objects of historical importance can also be found thereby. It is known to house some of the world’s finest collections relating to European art. The collections range from as early as the 12^th century to the 20th century. For saving time, buying a ticket online is highly advisable. If the visitor is looking for free visiting hours, i.e. 6-8 pm from Monday to Saturday and 5-6 pm on Sundays, then being ready to face a huge crowd is a must. As soon as you enter the museum, make sure to take up a free map of the monument and draft your way accordingly. The Museo Del Prado receives a whopping footfall of around 2 million tourists every year. The most populated months to visit this Madrid museum are April, May, September, and October. Therefore, plan your trip accordingly.

It is nearly impossible to get across a mention of Madrid and not let Real Madrid cross the conversation. The Real Madrid museum takes you through the journey of this intensively successful team by featuring the cups won and details inscribed next to each section of the display. One can find details histories of matches and their journey. Tourists that hold a special fascination for the sport can visit the museum also as a part of the Real Madrid Tour that will enable them not only to access a view of the victorious gallery of the museum but also to visit parts of the stadium that are otherwise limited to the visitors. The museum also hosts a not-to-miss photo wall that has images of all the players that have ever been associated with, played for Real Madrid. The entry fee for this Madrid museum is 25 Euro for adults and 18 Euro for children under the age of 14 years. However, entering with a Madrid card can enable you to account for free entry at the museum. With the Madridista card, the charges go down to 17 and 13 euros, respectively.

The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, abbreviated as MNCARS is also known as the Queen Sofia museum. Officially inaugurated in the year 1992, the MNCARS is majorly dedicated to Spanish art. The museum also hosts a free-access library that specializes in art along with a whopping collection of around 100,000 books, 1000 videos, and some 3,500 sound recordings. ‘Guernica' by Pablo Picasso and ‘The great masturbator' by Salvador Dali are some prominent works displayed in the Madrid museum. Cultural volunteers run a variety of cultural programs because of a learning objective set to make this museum an effective teaching tool for educational work. It is located in Madrid, at the southern end of the Golden triangle of art. The ticket prices begin from 8.90 euros, and the museum remains closed on Tuesdays. On April 18^th, May 18^th, October 12^th, and December 6^th, the museum is open free for the entire day.

Marking its origin to September 28^th, 1792, the Naval Museum, Madrid belongs to the Ministry of Defense. The curators study the naval objects and use them as a mode of education and in-depth understanding of the working. The museum is a quintessence of the supremacy that Spain's naval power is known to hold. It has an incredible collection of historical artifacts, navigation instruments, maps, paintings, ships, canons, weapons, that mark their origin as back as the beginning of the Spanish Amanda. The ‘map of Juan de la Cosa' that is the earliest preserved map of the Americas is on display in this museum and is a major attraction. The ticket prices range between 1-3 Euros, and the visits are closed on Mondays. The naval museum of Madrid is known as one of the best naval museums in the world and for reasons that are justifiable.

Named after its founder Thyssen, the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum is located near the Prado museum, which is known as one of the most famous boulevards of the city of Madrid. This art museum is an essential part of the “Golden Triangle of Art” including Reina Sofia national gallery and Prado museum. The collection of Thyssen museum was known to be the second-largest art collection in the world, while the first was the British Royal collection. Heinrich Freiherr Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva was a German-Hungarian art collector and entrepreneur. He started the museum with some of his collections and later kept on collecting the most famous works of renowned artists, and later his son carried on his legacy and filled the museum with art, which is one of its kind. In 1992, The Madrid museum officially opened with 715 works of art, which have been renewed and updated regularly since then. The museum holds 1600 works of art from all over the globe in recent times. The ticket to Thyssen museum costs around €9, and you may visit it from Tuesday to Sunday between 10:00 to 19:00 and 10:00 to 21:00 on Saturdays as it observes holiday on Monday.

The Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales is an art paradise situated in the center of Madrid, Spain, which depicts the national heritage and natural history of Spain. Acquainted with various research departments like Biodiversity and Evolutionary Ecology, Paleobiology, Vulcanology, and Geology, this museum has an abundant collection of art models and contemporary works of art that make it one of the most talked-about art places in the world. This Madrid museum holds an intriguing and engaging collection, including the ‘Megatherium’ bought from Argentina in 1789 and a Diplodocus donated by Andrew Carnegie to Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1913. It is open for visits from Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 17:00 and from 10:00 to 20:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. The place is closed on Mondays except on any holidays falling on Monday. Visiting this wonderful art gallery is very cost beneficial as it costs only 7€. Before visiting this Madrid museum, you must keep a check on all the improvement works going on in the building due to which some sections could be closed temporarily.

Known as one of the largest historic railroad collections in Europe, the Museo del Ferrocarril, also known as the Railway Museum is located near the center of Madrid. This museum in Madrid was opened after the collections of Las Delicias station were transferred to Las Delicias in 1984. The station was taken over by various parties, but amidst all the hustle and bustle, Delicias could not generate proper traffic of passengers and thus had to shut down in 1969. The Madrid museum also runs a service called “strawberry train” where it uses its vintage rolling stock. It has been known as the most eye-catching museum and also promoted the inclination of passengers towards railways. From October to May, the museum is open for visitors from 09:30 to 15:00 from Monday to Friday and from 10:00 to 19:00 on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. While in June to September, you can visit the museum from 10:00 to 15:00 on all days of the week. However, the museum observes an off on December 25^th, January 1^st, and 6^th. Before planning to pay a visit here, one must read all the rules and regulations very carefully and must also check for its availability for the day.

Museo Cerralbo also is known as Museum Cerralbo, which houses the historical and art collections of Enrique de Aguilera y Gamboa, who descended in 1922, is located in Madrid, Spain. Built according to the Italian taste in the 19^th century, the building of this museum was embellished with expensive chandeliers, wall paintings, and baroque furniture in a luxurious manner, which gave the building its extravagant look. To date, the building retained a large extent of its initial aesthetics and was crowned as the Bien de Interés Cultural in 1962. Highlights of this Madrid museum include works by Jacopo Palma the Younger, Jacopo Tintoretto, El Greco, Alonso Cano, Zurbarán, Ludovico Carracci, Luis Paret and many more. It also has an intriguing collection of archaeology, furniture, and paintings from all over the globe. In order to visit this paradise of art, adults have to pay a mere amount of €3 while the youth under 18, students under 25, and seniors over 65 can enjoy the art collection of this museum at just €1.50. The place is open from Tuesday to Saturday between 09:30 to 15:00 and between 10:00 to 15:00 on Sundays and special holidays. Before visiting the museum, you must check for its opening timings and must have a look at all the rules and regulations thoroughly.

Caixa Forum is a cultural and historical center in Paseo del Prado, Madrid sponsored by Caixa Bank. Built between 2001 and 2007 by Ferrovial, the building was based on swiss architecture, which had its eye-pleasing and scenic view with all its intricacies falling into perfection. Located at the square, the vertical garden is also a very famous attraction nearby for all the tourists. This building used to be an old power station called Central Del Mediodia, which has now been transformed into a masterpiece that resembles an architectural fantasy. This Madrid museum is very hi-tech and also provides an audio tour for all the visitors who are interested to know the details of various works of art being displayed on the forum. You can pay a visit to the museum on all days of the week between 10:00 to 20:00. Before planning a trip to the Caixa Forum, keep in mind the timings for the day as they may differ concerning special holidays and vacations.

History always repeats itself, and thus, in order to have a clear view of the future, one must be acquainted with the beauty of its past. Museums are the urban-magnets that attract all the art lovers towards their beauty and rich heritage. Whenever visiting Spain, never miss out on these intriguing museums of Madrid as they are full of information richness and also keep you connected with the roots of the world. Before paying a visit to any of the Madrid museums, one must always be aware of the rules and regulations prevailing in the particular museum in order to avoid any ruckus and enjoy a hassle-free and enlightening trip.