Visiting el Museo Del Prado, for free!

Between 6-8pm (5-7pm on Sundays) the museum is free to visit! There are actually a few ways to visit for free, like if you are a student 25 years or under, for example.

This beautiful museum is the main Spanish national art museum, and is located is Central Madrid. Museo del Prado (or The Prado Museum) was founded as a museum of paintings and sculptures in 1819, which is awesome since I got to visit during the bicentennial. The free entrance timeframe is well known too. And while the line to get in can get really long, it surprisingly goes by super fast.

The museum is currently going through a renovation/extension, scheduled to open in 2019. Because of this, a lot of the outside is covered in tarp.. albeit with printed art, but still tarp. The wait in line allows for some nice pics though.

After finally getting my entrance ticket, then you walk a little further to the actual entrance (the first pic of this post). The beautiful architecture during this little walk is breathtaking.

Real Academia Española (The Royal Spanish Academy) The purpose of this royal institution is to ensure the stability of the Spanish language.

San Jerónimo el Real (St. Jerome the Royal) is a Roman Catholic church from the early 16th-century.

With the sun setting and only 2 hours before closing, I snapped some quick pics, and finally made my way in. They have coat/bag check in, and you do need to go through security. I checked in my coat, went though the metal detectors, and made my way through the many rooms filled was beautiful art.

For this portrait above, historians did not know who the subject was, since they didn't find any details. Because of the way she is sitting, it is known to be part of a marital portrait tradition at that time. This is where a husband and wife would have their portraits drawn at separate times but would most likely be hung together, facing each other. The presence of the pet dog in the picture, confirms this, since this was a symbol of fidelity.

Shortly after taking these pics I was reprimanded, for trying to take picture of this beautiful sculpture. Oops! In my defense, I didn't see any "no photography" signs. Which is good, since pictures don't do the art justice.

If you choose to visit during the free hours, I would recommend at least a couple of visits to really be able to see everything. Plus arrive early, since you will have to wait in line. Of course, paying the entrance fee is always an option. The cost right now is 15 euros, (with today's exchange rate, just over $17). The museum has a beautiful library, gift shop, and cafeteria too, so you can really make a day of it.

I really enjoyed my visit. The museum has benches throughout the different rooms, so you can also sit and take it all in. The large paintings were amongst my favorites. Looking at the details, the expressions on faces, the colors, just appreciating the time it took to paint or sculpt the art, it really did move me. There's a reason why it's Spain's most popular museum!

xoxo,

Tiana

Planning a visit? View all the details about this beautiful museum at https://www.museodelprado.es/