Prado Museum Madrid: Essential Guide to World-Class Spanish Art

The Prado Museum is one of the world's great art museums, housing the finest collection of Spanish painting anywhere on earth alongside outstanding works from the Flemish, Italian, and French schools. Founded in 1819, the neoclassical building on the Paseo del Prado holds over 20,000 works, with approximately 1,500 on permanent display in galleries that represent the full sweep of Western European painting.

The collection's crown jewels are the works of Velazquez, Goya, and El Greco. Diego Velazquez's Las Meninas, painted in 1656, is arguably the most studied painting in Western art history and hangs in its own room that is always crowded with respectful admirers contemplating its revolutionary spatial games. Francisco Goya is represented with extraordinary depth — from the elegant royal portraits of his early career to the disturbing Black Paintings executed directly onto the walls of his own home in his final years.

Allow at least three hours for the essential highlights, or half a day to explore more broadly. The Prado is busiest between 11am and 3pm; visit when it opens at 10am or after 5pm for a more peaceful experience. Free entry is available in the final two hours before closing each day, though queues can be long. The museum cafe and restaurant are excellent for a break between galleries in this extraordinary national collection.