Madrid Museums

(Madrid, Spain)

As the proud Spanish capital, there is certainly no shortage of excellent museums in Madrid, with many of the oldest residing in the heart of the city. Close to the campus of the Complutense University of Madrid (Universidad Complutense), the Museo de América (America Museum) on Avenida Reyes Católicos offers something quite different to Spanish dancing and bullfighting, while those who prefer to learn more about archaeology in Spain may like to check out the Palacio de Bibliotecas y Museos (National Library).

Visitors should examine media listings for up-to-date details regarding exhibitions. On occasion, temporary displays at museums in Madrid may be of special interest, even when the permanent collection is not. Do bear in mind that free entry to some attractions is available at specific times to EU citizens, when passports are shown.

Museo de América (America Museum)

Address: Avenida Reyes Católicos 6, Madrid, Spain
Tel: +34 91 543 94 37
The America museum is one of the city's top attractions, with a varied collection of information, presentations and objects from Pre-Columbian to Hispanic artifacts from Latin America. This exhibition has been housed in this building since 1993 and the collection is spread over two floors. Highlights include the Treasure of the Quimbayas with spectacular gold figures, skull cap helmets and trumpets from Columbia, and also the Trocortesiano Maya codex, which details the arrival of the Spaniards in the New World in great detail.
Open hours: Tuesday to Saturday - 10:00 to 15:00, Sunday and public holidays - 10:00 to 14:30
Admission: charge, reasonably priced, free on Sunday
Disabled facilities: first-rate
Nearest metro station: Moncloa
Nearest bus route: Circular

Museo Cerralbo (Cerralbo Museum)

Address: Calle Ventura Rodriguez 17, Madrid, Spain
Tel: +34 91 547 36 46
This small palace displays the private collection of the 17th Marqués de Cerralbo who died in 1922. Dating from 1884, Cerralbo's collection includes paintings, many by famous artists, sculptures, tapestries, armour, furniture, glassware and many other fascinating artifacts. As you enter the building you are greeted by a magnificent grand staircase. There are many superb examples of Saxon porcelain and also some very mechanically detailed clocks are exhibited in the splendid mirrored ballroom on the ground floor.
Open hours: Tuesday to Saturday - 09:30 to 19:30, Sunday - 10:00 to 14:00, public holidays and August - closed
Admission: charge, reasonably priced, free on Wednesday and Sunday
Disabled facilities: some
Nearest metro station: Ventura Rodriguez and Plaza de Espana
Other nearby points of interest: Parque del Oeste

Palacio de Bibliotecas y Museos (National Library and Museum)

Address: Serrano 13, Madrid, Spain
Tel: +34 91 577 79 12
The Palacio de Bibliotecas y Museos was completed in 1892 in time to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus discovering America. The building with its neoclassical frontage is home to the Museo Arqueológico Nacional (National Archaeological Museum), founded by Felipe III, and the Biblioteca Nacional (National Library), established in 1867 by Isabel II. The National Archaeological Museum, which was moved to this site in 1895, has displays traversing the prehistoric era to the 19th century. The highlight of the collection is a the Iberian Dama de Elche (Lady of Elche), a stone figure thought to be 2,500 years old which was discovered in the Alicante Province in 1897. Entry to the museum is via the back of the building.

A replica of cave paintings, found in the Cuevas de Altamira (Caves of Altamira), Cantabria in Northern Spain, are located below the gardens. These are some of the oldest examples of such paintings in Europe, dating approximately from 12,000 B.C. and illustrate a herd of bison. The National Library, showing temporary displays of tombs, houses several million books with 120,000 being added annually. In the area leading to the library are sculptures of famous literary and historical persons, such as Cervantes. It is recommended for visitors to the Palacio de Bibliotecas y Museos to purchase an up-to-date catalogue of the displays, these are in numerous languages, since all exhibit labelling is in Castilian.
Open hours: Tuesday to Saturday - 10:00 to 21:00, Sunday and public holidays - 10:00 to 14:00
Admission: charge, reasonably priced, free Saturday afternoon and Sunday
Highlights: sculpture of Livia, sundial and the Guarrazar Crowns
Disabled facilities: none
Nearest metro station: Serrano and Colón
Nearest railway station: Recoletos
Other nearby points of interest: Jardines del Descubrimiento

Museo Sorolla (Sorolla Museum)

Address: Paseo del General Martinez Campos, Madrid, Spain
Tel: +34 91 310 15 84
The famous Valencian impressionist painter, Joaquin Soralla, who died in 1923, commissioned this large house in 1910. When it was converted into this museum, after his widow donated the house to the state in 1932, few changes were made in an attempt to retain much of its original charm and atmosphere. This has helped to give a real insight into the lifestyle of the artist and his family and the museum shows the development of his art, set on two floors, in seven rooms. There are also two small gardens which Sorolla designed, where his extensive collection of fountains and fonts are displayed. In his studio Sorolla's Turkish bed still remains and it is here where he took his daily siestas.
Open hours: Tuesday to Saturday - 10:00 to 15:00, Sunday and public holidays - 10:00 to 14:00
Admission: charge, reasonably priced, free Sunday
Disabled facilities: some
Nearest metro station: Iglesia and Rubén Dario

Museo de Antropologia (National Anthropology Museum)

Address: Calle Alfonso XII 68, Madrid, Spain
Tel: +34 91 530 64 18
Also known as the Ethnological Museum, the Museo de Antropologia was created by the Spanish scientist Gonzalez Velasco in 1875. It contains interesting ethnic group collections from each of the continents and highlights include a skeleton of a 2.28-metres / 7.5-foot man from Badajoz, Zairean masks and also shrunken heads from the Amazon.
Open hours: Tuesday to Saturday - 10:00 to 19:30, Sunday and public holidays - 10:00 to 14:00
Admission: charge, reasonably priced
Disabled facilities: none
Nearest metro station: Atocha and Atocha RENFE

Museo de la Ciudad (City Museum)

Address: Calle Principe de Vergara 140, Madrid, Spain
Tel: +34 91 588 65 77
This spacious museum opened in 1992 and exhibitions include detailed explanations of Madrid's transport, telephone and water systems. With four floors of interesting displays, including some superb scale models and many interactive features, there are also often some good temporary exhibitions.
Open hours: Tuesday to Friday - 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 18:00, Saturday and Sunday - 10:00 to 14:00
Admission: free
Disabled facilities: first-rate
Nearest metro station: Cruz del Rayo

Museo Municipal (Municipal Museum)

Address: Calle Fuencarral 78, Madrid, Spain
Tel: +34 91 588 86 72
The Museo Municipal was built almost 300 years ago on the site of an old hospice. With many archeological discoveries on display, together with paintings and maps of the city, the history of Madrid is traced. There are some particularly interesting older landscape paintings of the city, which show how much greener it used to be many years ago. Other highlights include a very detailed model of the city which was made in 1830, and a fine example of a baroque doorway, built by Pedro Ribera, one of Madrid's finest architects of the past.
Open hours: Tuesday to Friday - 09:30 to 20:00, Saturday and Sunday - 10:00 to 14:00, public holidays - closed
Admission: charge, reasonably priced, free on Wednesday and Sunday
Disabled facilities: none
Nearest metro station: Tribunal

Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (National Natural History Museum)

Address: José Gutierrez Abascal 2, Madrid, Spain
Tel: +34 91 411 13 28
Madrid's National Natural History Museum was one of the first buildings in the city to be constructed with large amounts of glass and metal. This grand building was built in 1881 and has many different sections, including hunting trophies, stuffed animals and in the older section, an animal which, in 1788, was the first extinct animal to be scientifically classified. There are also a variety of audiovisuals, permanent and temporary exhibitions of natural sciences, and many displays specifically designed for young people.
Open hours: Tuesday to Friday - 10:00 to 18:00, Saturday - 10:00 to 20:00, Sunday and public holidays - 10:00 to 14:00
Admission: charge, reasonably priced
Disabled facilities: some, there are steps into the museum
Nearest metro station: Nuevos Ministerios

Museo Romántico (Romantic Museum)

Address: Calle San Mateo 13, Madrid, Spain
Tel: +34 91 448 10 45
This elegant and large mansion house is home to a collection of the Romantic period established by the Marqués de Véga-Inclán. The museum was founded in 1924 and features mainly 18th-century art and also other items of romantic significance, such as Goya's Saint Gregory the Great and a collection of Isabelline and Imperial furniture.
Open hours: Tuesday to Saturday - 09:00 to 15:00, Sunday and public holidays - 10:00 to 14:00, August - closed
Admission: charge, reasonably priced, free on Sunday
Disabled facilities: very good
Nearest metro station: Tribunal