Museo del Prado – The Prado Museum in English – is one of the top-rated museums in the entire world. It’s located in the centre of Madrid and attracts millions of visitors every year. In fact, the museum is one of the top attractions in all of Spain.
Under normal circumstances, it costs 15 euros to get in. However, if you show up at the right time, it is also possible to get into the museum completely free of charge.
Free entry times
The Prado Museum is open from 10 am to 8 pm between Monday and Saturday. On Sundays, it once again opens at 10 am, but closes an hour before. On most holidays, the schedule is the same as it is on Sundays.
If you want to get into the Prado Museum for free, you have to go there within the last two opening hours of every day.
That means the museum can be visited for free between 6 pm and 8 pm between Monday and Saturday. On Sunday, it is free between 5 pm and 7 pm.
However, there is a long line for the free entry. This line usually starts forming around an hour and a half before. The line is formed at the southern side of the museum, and it usually gets quite long. If you arrive there at 6 pm, expect to stand in line for around 30 minutes before getting in. That means you have around one and a half hour to discover everything inside the museum.
Entry ends a half hour before closing time, so get there early – that way you also have more time to enjoy the art.
Prices for the normal tickets
A lot of people, both locals and travelers, take advantage of the free opening hours at Museo del Prado. However, since you have to stand in line for at least 30 minutes, it might also make sense to pay if you only have a limited time in Madrid.
Here are the normal entry prices for individual visitors:
- General Ticket: €15,00
- General Ticket + ‘Guide book of the Prado’: €24,00
- Ticket ‘Two visits within a year’: €22,00
- Reduced Ticket: €7,50
- Free Ticket
- Paseo del Arte Ticket: €30,40
If you visit the Prado Museum as a group, there is a big discount, although a maximum of 30 people is allowed in one group.
Educational groups get in for free, assuming they are part of a school that can be classified as ‘formal education’. However, booking is compulsory and must be made at least 24 hours before entry. It can be done online. It’s a very good opportunity if you are traveling to Madrid as part of an official educational trip.
Guided tour in Museo del Prado
It’s possible to book a guided tour in Museo del Prado. You can book one with a worker of the museum, but you can also hire a local art expert to be your guide.
On GetYourGuide, you can book a tour guide to the museum and also skip the line to get in. The price starts at 35 euros per person for this tour. You will be shown the best art pieces and you will learn about Spain’s most famous artists. The tour guides inside Museo del Prado can be booked with Spanish, English or French speech.
Usually, these guided tours will take between 90 and 180 minutes.
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