Paseo del Prado, two kilometres and three world-class museums.

The Paseo del Prado stretches for close to two kilometres and brings together three of the finest museums in the world, according to the Madrid tourist office. Unlike the lively neighbourhoods of the centre, it moves at the pace of a museum visit: gardens, monumental fountains and museum façades rather than packed terraces.

History & origins

In July 2021, the ensemble formed by the Paseo del Prado and Retiro Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name "Landscape of Light".

Heritage & architecture

The Prado Museum, opened in 1819, holds one of the most important painting collections in the world: Velázquez, Goya, El Greco, Titian, Rubens, Hieronymus Bosch. The Cibeles Fountain, designed in 1777 by Ventura Rodríguez on commission from Charles III and sculpted by Francisco Gutiérrez and Roberto Michel, and the Neptune Fountain (1777–1786), by the same architect, originally faced one another before being moved to their current locations in the late 19th century.

Culture & living traditions

The Paseo del Arte Pass ($36, 2025 rate) gives one-time access to the Prado, the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen-Bornemisza, with a 20% discount on official prices. Prado in the morning, Thyssen in the afternoon remains the most coherent chronological order for visiting the collections.

Suggested itinerary

Morning · 9.30am–1pm: Prado Museum

Prioritise the permanent collection (Velázquez, Goya).

Afternoon · 2pm–6pm: Thyssen, then the gardens

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, then a break at the Royal Botanical Garden or by the Cibeles Fountain.

Evening · 6pm onwards: Reina Sofía and CaixaForum

Reina Sofía until closing (Guernica first), then the vertical garden at CaixaForum.

Suggested itinerary, not field-tested.

Frequently asked questions