{"id":80402,"date":"2023-07-21T21:38:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-21T19:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vivremadrid.com\/the-reina-sofia-museum-one-of-madrids-most-famous-museums.html"},"modified":"2025-02-18T21:39:53","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T20:39:53","slug":"the-reina-sofia-museum-one-of-madrids-most-famous-museums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vivremadrid.com\/en\/the-reina-sofia-museum-one-of-madrids-most-famous-museums.html","title":{"rendered":"Visiting the Reina Sof\u00eda Museum, one of Madrid’s most famous museums"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Visiting the Reina Sofia Museum<\/strong> is a must when in Madrid. It is located in the part of Madrid known as the Paseo del Arte<\/strong>, or \u00ab\u00a0art walk\u00a0\u00bb, where the city’s best-known museums are to be found. It runs from the Plaza de Cibeles to Atocha station. Along the way, you’ll find the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum, the Prado and the Reina Sof\u00eda near Atocha station. That’s it! You could say that this is the area for museums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have to visit just one, it’s going to be a tough choice between the Prado and the Reina Sof\u00eda. The Prado is one of Madrid’s most emblematic museums, but the Reina Sof\u00eda will not disappoint. To help you make your choice, or simply to prepare for your visit to Madrid, we take a look at what you can see, what not to miss and practical information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A museum of modern and contemporary art<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Part of the building is a former hospital and convent. The entrance is on the fa\u00e7ade side, with external glass lifts overlooking a pretty square. There is also a more modern section on the other side. This extension was designed by Jean Nouvel and now houses temporary exhibitions and the permanent collection with the most recent works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This museum exhibits works from the 20th century to the present day, while the Prado museum displays older works. These 2 references in terms of museums in Madrid are therefore complementary if you like all these periods. The permanent collection is divided into 3 parts in chronological order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many Spanish artists are on show, with major works. You’ll find paintings by Picasso, Mir\u00f3, Dal\u00ed, Mu\u00f1oz, T\u00e0pies\u2026 but also artists from other countries: Bacon, Delauney, Fernand L\u00e9ger, Diego Rivera\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visiting the Reina Sofia Museum<\/strong> : Not-to-be-missed works <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the centrepiece of the Reina Sof\u00eda museum is Picasso’s Guernica painting of the Spanish Civil War, with all its photos and explanatory sketches. There are always a lot of people in front of it, but fortunately the painting is over 7 metres tall, so it’s not too difficult to admire! This painting is on the 2nd floor, where collection 1 is located, i.e. the section covering the period 1900-1945, entitled \u00ab\u00a0The irruption of the 20th century: utopias and conflicts\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don’t have much time, you can concentrate on the 2nd floor, where you’ll find fine collections of paintings by Juan Gris, Mir\u00f3 and Dal\u00ed. You’ll get a great overview of contemporary Spanish art.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Palais de Cristal (cr\u00e9dit photo : Vivre Madrid)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Two branches: the Palacio de Vel\u00e1zquez and the Palacio de Cristal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

he Reina Sof\u00eda museum, located near Atocha station, hosts temporary exhibitions, but there are also 2 other sites attached to this museum that host temporary exhibitions. The Palacio de Velazquez and the Palacio de Cristal are both in the Retiro park, about 25 minutes’ walk away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Palacio de Cristal, with its large glass and metal structure, is impressive and very well known in Madrid for being particularly photogenic. The place itself is really very pretty. In front, there’s a small lake, guaranteed to make for some superb photos! The temporary exhibitions at this venue tend to be installations. The ones we saw were nice and striking. They were even fun enough for children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Palacio de Vel\u00e1zquez is also worth a visit. It’s a beautiful brick building with a glass roof and huge volumes. An excellent venue for the Reina Sof\u00eda museum’s temporary exhibitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Admission tickets and guided tours<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Free visit to the Reina Sof\u00eda Museum<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The good news is that the Reina Sof\u00eda museum is free at certain times, as are other museums in Madrid. You’ll still have to queue to get your free tickets and to go through bag checks and so on. But depending on the time and the day, you don’t necessarily have to queue a lot. For example, we went on a Sunday at 2pm, at Spanish lunchtime. We didn’t queue, but I suppose that’s just chance too. On the other hand, when we went out around 3.30pm, there was a bit of a queue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don’t want to take the risk, you can opt for a queue-break ticket<\/a>. Please note: to reserve this ticket you must choose a date, but you can use the ticket up to one year after it has been issued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Book Ticket online<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Free days and times :<\/p>\n\n\n\n