Attractions in Madrid
Convento de las Descalzas Reales (Monastery of the Royal Barefoot Sisters)
This monastery, founded in 1564 by Johanna of Austria, the daughter of Charles V, housed nuns of royal and noble origin for several hundred years. It is still used as a monastery and is an excellent example of baroque architecture. The monastery is a real treasure chest and contains splendid tapestries, jewelry, Italian and Flemish art as well as a great exhibition of ecclesiastical Spanish art. A tiny picture is attributed to Goya. The monastery can only be visited on a guided tour.
Address: Plaza de las Descalzas 3, Madrid
Telephone: (91) 542 00 59
Opening hours:
Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm, Sun 9am-2pm (October-March); Mon-Sat 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sun 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (April-Sept.)
Website: http://www.patrimonionacional.es
Entry fee: With admission fee.
Disabled access: No
UNESCO: No
Faunia Parque Biológico de Madrid (Faunia Biology Park)
The theme of this pretty landscape park is biodiversity. Each of the ten pavilions represents a different natural biotope. The aim is to show how life forms – especially fauna – have adapted to the most diverse ecosystems. Thanks to the latest technical possibilities, visitors can “experience” a tropical storm, take a walk through the rainforest or observe magma flows that flow 1,000 m below the surface of the earth.
Address: Avenida de las Comunidades 28, Madrid
Telephone: (91) 301 62 10
Opening hours: Vary depending on the season, daylight-dependent.
Website: http://www.faunia.es
Entry fee: With admission fee.
Disabled access: No
UNESCO: No
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (State Art Museum and Center Reina Sofia)
The museum, housed in the former San Carlos Hospital, is almost exclusively dedicated to 20th century Spanish art and was designed as a Spanish counterpart to the French Center Pompidou and the London Tate Gallery. Opened by Queen Sofía in 1986, it received the glass elevators designed by British architect Ian Ritchie in 1990 and the icing on the cake two years later – Picassos Guernica, the main attraction. This picture shows the terrible bombing raids by the Nazis on the traditional capital of the Basque Country in April 1937 (they supported Franco in the Spanish Civil War). The museum was expanded by a building designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, which houses the museum library, an auditorium with 450 people and rooms for special exhibitions.
Address: Calle de Santa Isabel, 52, Madrid
Telephone: (91) 467 50 62.
Opening hours:
Mon, Wed, Thu and Sat 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fri 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sun 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Closed on Tuesdays.
Website: http://www.museoreinasofia.es
Entry fee: With admission fee.
Disabled access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum)
After nine and a half years on loan, the city bought the private collection of Hans-Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, which was an enormous asset to Madrid’s supply of art treasures. The collection of the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza includes over 800 paintings, sculptures, carvings and tapestries, which range from old Flemish works to contemporary pieces. The highlights include works by Fra Angelico, Van Eyck, Dürer, Caravaggio and Rubens.
Address: Palacio de Villahermosa, Paseo del Prado 8, Madrid
Telephone: (91) 369 01 51
Opening hours: Mon 12 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Tue-Sun 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Website: http://www.museothyssen.org
Entrance Fee: With admission fee.
Disabled access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Prado Museum
The 213-year-old Prado underwent extensive renovation and expansion to make it one of the best art museums in Europe again. Art lovers can view famous works by Spanish artists from Velazquez to Goya in an exhibition space that has been enlarged by half. The centerpiece of the expansion is the inclusion of the adjacent St. Jerome monastery in the museum. The paintings from the 16th to the early 19th century include masterpieces by Fra Angelico, Botticelli, El Bosco, Tizian, Rembrandt and Velázquez. Also worth seeing are the works of Goya that demonstrate his astonishing development – from his early sun-drenched pictures with dancers and festivities to the grim madness of his black period.
Address: Paseo del Prado, Madrid
Telephone: (91) 330 28 00 or 2900.
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sundays and public holidays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Website: http://www.museodelprado.es
Entry fee: With admission fee.
Disabled access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Palacio Real (Royal Palace)
Philip V commissioned the Italian architects Giambattista Sacchetti and Francesco Sabatina to build the Royal Palace based on the model of the magnificent Versailles Palace in France. Since the less opulent Zarzuela Palace is the residence of the current King Juan Carlos, the imposing 3000-room palace of Philip V is only used for official occasions. At other times, guided tours take place in this striking white building made of granite and Colmenar stone. The highlights include the hall of the halberd bearers and the pillared hall (with its beautiful frescoes), the throne room(with sculptures from the 17th century) and the lavishly furnished private apartments of Charles II. Right next to the courtyard is the Royal Arms Collection and the pharmacy – one of the oldest in Europe. A visit lasts around two hours. If you don’t want to visit the palace from the inside, you can at least enjoy a fantastic view over Madrid from the gardens of the palace.
Address: Plaza de Oriente and Calle Bailén, Madrid
Telephone: (91) 542 00 59
Opening hours:
Mon-Sat 9 am-5.30pm, Sun 9 am-2pm (October-March), Mon-Sat 9 am-6pm, Sun 9 am-3pm (April-Sept); closed at official celebrations.
Website: http://www.patrimonionacional.es
Entry fee: With admission fee.
Disabled access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Parque del Buen Retiro (Retiro Park)
The lush 118-hectare Retiro Park in the heart of Madrid used to be Philipp IV’s private garden.Visitors can have a walk under the trees and in the rose garden, take a boat trip on the lake, play a game of chess or have a picnic in the green organize. Art lovers may want to visit one of the exhibition venues, including the Palacio de Cristal , the Palacio de Velázquez , the Casa de Vacas or the notorious statue of Angel Caído (fallen angel) on the avenue south of the Palacio de Cristal.
Address: Puerta de Alcalá, Plaza de la Independencia, Madrid
Opening times: Daily 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Entry fee: Free entry.
Disabled access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Plaza Mayor
This beautifully proportioned and cobbled cobbled courtyard was once the location of an exotic market where Arab traders offered their goods. The construction was initiated by Philip II and completed under Philip III. in 1619 – its statue stands proudly in the middle of the square. The Plaza Mayor was intended as a market and venue. Here bread was sold, heretics were burned at the stake, and Christian advocates were canonized. Today there are more tourists than locals in the Plaza Mayor, but it is still lively as it was then.
Address: Madrid
Disabled Access: Yes
UNESCO: No
Tourist offices
Oficina Municipal de Turismo
There are branches in
– Duque de Medinaceli 2 (Tel: 91 429 49 51),
– in Barajas Airport, Terminal 1 (Tel: 91 305 86 56, open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.),
– in Chamartín train stations (Tel : 91 315 99 76, open daily from 9.30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Atocha (Tel: 90 210 00 07, open daily from 9.30 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and on
– Mercado Puerta de Toledo (Rondo de Toledo 1. Tel: 91 364 18 76, open daily from 9.30 a.m. to 8 p.m.).
In addition, the Patronato Municipal de Turismo, Mayor 69 (Tel: 91 588 29 00, open Mon-Thu 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Fri 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.).
Address: Plaza Mayor 27, Madrid
Telephone: 91 366 54 77
Opening hours: Daily 9 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.
Website: http://www.esmadrid.com
Visitor passes
The Madrid Card (Internet: www.madridcard.com ), valid for 1, 2 or 3 days, offers the following advantages: access to the entire cultural range of Madrid and the surrounding area, free entry to over 40 of the most important museums, unlimited use of public transport (underground Train, bus and S-Bahn), the use of Shuttle Madrid and Tele Taxi, a free tour of the Madrid of the Habsburgs (Saturdays), Faunia, Imax-Kino etc. The card also offers interesting discounts in shops, restaurants, shows and Leisure facilities. With the Madrid Cardyou will also receive a guide with information about the museums and other members of the program and a city map. Madrid Card is available from tourist information offices and travel agencies in Madrid. It can also be ordered by phone at Tel: (+34) (091) 600 21 21 or online on the website above.