Spain’s most impressive art gallery is home to thousands of masterpieces

Seven wonders within Museo del Prado, Madrid

Spain’s most impressive art gallery houses a vast range of masterpieces from across Europe, while also making up part of Madrid’s famed Golden Triangle of Art.

1 See the big-hitters

“Saturn Devouring His Son”, one of the black paintings by Francisco de Goya.Credit: Alamy

There are three works that everyone wants to see when they visit Spain’s largest and most important art gallery, and there’s no shame in ticking them off your list. Begin with Diego Velazquez’s masterpiece Las Meninas, one of the most important paintings in the history of Western art. Move on to room 67, which houses Francisco Goya’s Black Paintings, a series of 14 dark, moving works. And finally, visit room 56A to see Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights, a triptych that moves from heaven to hell.

2 Dig deeper

“The Descent from the Cross” by Rogier Van Der Weyden.Credit: Alamy

It would be a crime to come all this way and only see three paintings. It’s far better to leave yourself at least half a day to dig deeper into the Prado collection, with more than 3000 pieces to peruse, many of them Renaissance masterpieces from Spanish, Italian, French and Flemish artists. See many more works from Velazquez and Goya, as well as The Cardinal by Raphael, Equestrian Portrait of Charles V by Titian, and The Descent from the Cross by Rogier van der Weyden. If all this sounds overwhelming, there are 90-minute guided tours, in English, offered twice daily.

3 Don’t miss the Dauphin’s Treasure

The rooms housing the Prado’s most famous paintings will be crowded, so it’s always worth getting off the beaten track to see what you can discover – and you can begin on level 2 of the north wing. Here you will discover paintings by Rubens and Rembrandt, but also the Tesoro del Delfin, or the Dauphin’s Treasure. This is a collection of finely crafted and priceless decorative objects that were once owned by Louis, the Grand Dauphin of France, later passed to his son, Phillip V of Spain. The level of detail in these pieces is astonishing.

4 See the sculptures, and wander

Room of the Muses – see the sculptures.Credit: Alamy

Over in the southern wing, meanwhile, you will find yet more treasure often overlooked by the Bosch-seeking masses: the Prado’s sculpture collection. There are almost 1000 works here stretching from ancient Greece, to the Renaissance period, to Baroque, to neo-classical. Many of these sculptures are on display in the southern wing on the ground floor, though the Ionian pieces are on level 1, and there are more on level 2. It’s nice to leave plenty of time to wander through these collections, not to mention to take the sights along the way.

5 Dine at Vinoteca Moratin

Strolling the streets of the Barrio de las Letras neighbourhood.Credit: iStock

This is Spain, so you need to know two things: it will soon be time to eat, and there are many options around. Those visiting the Prado can stroll five minutes to Vinoteca Moratin, a cosy, classy wine bar in the nearby Barrio de las Letras neighbourhood. The food here is high-end though affordable, a range of dishes served in a sit-down environment, paired with interesting wines from across Spain. The perfect place to digest all that culture.

6 Visit the Golden Triangle

The Museo Reina Sofia for works by 20th century masters such as Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso.Credit: iStock

The Prado isn’t Madrid’s only world-class gallery, but forms part of what is known as the “Golden Triangle of Art”. The other two points on this painterly polygon are Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, and the Museo Reina Sofia. The former houses a collection of art that spans the 13th to 20th century era, and includes plenty of early-Renaissance Italian works, 19th-century American works, and paintings by French impressionists such as Monet, Renoir and Cezanne. The latter features works by 20th-century masters such as Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso.

7 Stroll the Retiro Park

Retiro Park… well worth exploring.Credit: iStock

Until 1868, the sprawling space just behind the Prado Museum belonged to the Spanish monarchy. These days, the Retiro Park is open to the public, and well worth exploring either before or after your visit to the Prado. Walk the grounds, check out various sculptures and fountains, look for events such as book fairs or free concerts, and paddle a rowboat around the lake.

See museodelprado.es