# Museo del Prado 8 
Widely considered one of the greatest art museums in the world, the Prado holds numerous masterpieces among its 1,500 displayed works in more than one hundred rooms on 15,400 m2 gallery space.
This is our selection of the ten best paintings of the Prado:
1) The Garden of Earthly Delights, H. Bosch (1495–1505)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
2) Las Meninas, D. Velazquez (1656)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
3) The Descent from the Cross, R. van der Weyden (1435)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
4) The Immaculate Conception, G. Battista Tiepolo (1696–1770)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
5) The Triumph of Death, P. Brueghel the Elder (1562)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
6) The Triumph of Bacchus, D. Velazquez (1628–29)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
7) The Third of May 1808, F. de Goya (1814)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
8) The Adoration of the Shepherds, El Greco (1541–1614)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
9) Saturn Devouring His Son, F. de Goya, (1819–1823)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
10) The Surrender of Breda, D. Velázquez, (1634–35)
by Wikimedia / Public Domain
Art Museum Gallery Space: 15,400 m2 [165,764 ft2] | Galleries: 100 | Opened: 1819 | Visitors [2017]: 2,824,404
# Palacio Real (Royal Palace) 7 
Inhabited by the kings of Spain from the mid-1700s until 1931 the densely decorated Palacio Real is the largest royal palace in Western Europe by floor area. Only fifty of its 3,418 rooms are open to the public.
Highlights include the main stairway, the Salón de Gasparini with its exquisite stucco ceiling, the extravagant Salón del Trono (Throne Room) with its crimson-velvet wall coverings and Tiepolo ceiling, and the Royal Chapel.
Palace Open to the Public: All year | Rooms:3,418 in total / 50 accessible | Pre-booking advised
by Fabio Alessandro Locati / CC BY-SA 3.0
# Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza 6 
Assembled by Baron Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza and his son Hans Heinrich (1921-2002) the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum houses arguably the most important private collection in the world.
It illustrates the history of Western art from the primitive Flemish and Italian painters in the 13th century to 20th-century Pop Art.
The Top 10 highlights of the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza include the following masterpieces:
1) Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni, D. Ghirlandaio (1489–90) 2) The Annunciation Diptych, J. van Eyck (ca. 1433–35) 3) Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Caravaggio (ca. 1598–99) 4) Venus and Cupid, P. P. Rubens (ca. 1606–11) 5) King Henry VIII, H. Holbein (1537) 6) Seated Man, P. Cézanne (1905–1906) 7) Swaying Dancer (Dancer in Green), E. Degas (1877–79) 8) Fränzi in front of Carved Chair, E. L. Kirchner (1910) 9) Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee [...], S. Dalí (1944) 10) Young Knight in a Landscape, V. Carpaccio (ca. 1505)
Art Museum Gallery Space: 8,000 m2 / 86,111 ft2 | Galleries: 60 | Artworks on Display: ca. 1,500 | Established: 1992 | Visitors [2017]: 1.052.014
(Click on images to open in lightbox)
# Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía 6
The main reason people visit this famous museum of modern art is for Pablo Picasso’s enormous (3.49 meters [11 ft 5 in] tall and 7.76 meters [25 ft 6 in] wide) anti-war painting “Guernica,” depicting Basque civilians suffering a bombing raid during the Spanish Civil War.
Spain's national museum of 20th-century art is housed in a vast former 18th-century hospital, which was marvelously expanded in 2005 with a striking red building designed by the famous French architect Jean Nouvel.
Apart from Picasso’s iconic masterpiece “Guernica”, the quality of the collection is significantly lower than in the neighboring Prado or the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza.
1) Guernica, P. Picasso (1937)
2) Face of the great masturbator, S. Dalí (1929)
3) Cubist Self-portrait, S. Dali (1923)
4) Woman in Blue, P. Picasso (1901)
5) Un mundo, A. Santos (1929)
Modern Art Museum Gallery Space: 14,756 m2 / 158,832 ft2 | Opened: 1992 | Visitors [2017]: 3,880,812
# Museo Arqueológico Nacional (National Archaeological Museum) 6
Reopened in 2014 after 6 years of renovation, the impressive collection of the Museo Arqueológico Nacional includes mainly pieces from the Iberian Peninsula, but also Roman mosaics, and pottery from Ancient Greece.
Highlights include the famous limestone bust “Lady of Elche”, the treasure of Guarrazar (composed of twenty-six votive crowns and gold crosses), and a replica of the prehistoric cave paintings of Altamira.
By Jacinta lluch Valero / CC BY-SA 2.0
# Parque del Buen Retiro 5.5 
Among the many fascinating attractions in this large urban park in the east of central Madrid, don't miss the Monument to Alfonso XII next to the boating lake (Estanque), the Crystal Palace, the Fountain of Falling Angel, and the Rosaleda (Rose Garden).
Laid out in the 17th century, the park was originally meant to be a secluded space for kings and queens. It was transformed into a public park in the late 19th century.
Park Land Area: 1.4 km² / 345 acres | Created: 1680
# Cibeles Palace (City Hall) 5.5
Enjoy brilliant views across the city from the rooftop of this striking neo-Gothic building.
# Puerta del Sol (Sun's Gate) 5.5
This impressive semi-oval square in the heart of Madrid's historic center is one of the city's most lively places.
by multisanti / CC BY-SA 2.0
# Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales 5.5
This working royal monastery is luxuriously decorated and filled with high-value objects.
by Dorieo / CC BY-SA 4.0
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