Spain: Exploring Madrid (Part 1)
❤️ Puerta del Sol
✅ One of Madrid's iconic landmarks and the starting point of Spain's radial road network
👉 Centered around Puerta del Sol, ten major streets radiate outward. On the east side of the square stands the historic Puerta del Sol site, originally Madrid's eastern gate and a city symbol. It has witnessed countless historical events while serving as a vibrant hub for leisure and entertainment.
❤️ Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales
✅ A royal religious monument of Spain
👉 Built during the 16th-century Habsburg era, this monastery epitomizes Spanish royal religious architecture. Highlights include the convent, chapel, royal staircase, balconies, and exquisite frescoes. As a retreat for many Habsburg family members, it houses priceless collections of paintings, tapestries, religious sculptures, and relics.
❤️ Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
✅ The cradle of countless Spanish artists
👉 Madrid's most prestigious art academy, housed in an 18th-century Baroque building. Its renowned museum boasts masterpieces from the 16th to 19th centuries that shaped Spanish art history, with the oil painting "Spring" as its crown jewel.
❤️ Catedral de San Isidro
✅ The cathedral honoring Madrid's patron saint
👉 Dedicated to San Isidro, Madrid's patron saint, whose annual festival is among the city's most important. This 17th-century Baroque cathedral features striking twin towers and enshrines the saint's relics as its most sacred treasure.
❤️ Museo Nacional del Prado
✅ One of the world's most celebrated art museums
👉 Established in the 18th century, it holds Spain's most comprehensive and authoritative collection of paintings and sculptures, boasting over 30,000 priceless works. Highlights include unparalleled collections by Titian, Bosch, Rubens, El Greco, Velázquez, and Goya.
❤️ Museo Reina Sofía
✅ Home to modern artistic masterpieces
👉 One of Madrid's top art museums, housed in a palace-like building with two floors. It showcases seminal works by modern Spanish masters like Picasso, Dalí, Miró, and Tàpies, with Picasso's iconic "Guernica" as its centerpiece.
La verdad que el museo tiene obras espectaculares! El recinto invita a vivir una buena experiencia sobre todo es ideal por la tarde después de comer. Cien por cien recomendado!
This place is amazing! I couldn’t recommend it more, for art lovers! The only bad thing is that I booked tickets on this app before learning that Spain has free hours for their national tourist attractions - and the time I went (unwittingly) ended up being free! What a dork - but also a bit cheeky to not mention this on the ticket page. 🤷🏻♀️
It is well worth going. The museum has a rich collection, including many world-class art treasures, such as paintings by Picasso and Dali. A few hours inside is not enough, especially for the elderly, free tickets, very friendly. It would be a pity to miss this museum.
If Prado is comparable to the Louvre, Sophia is like Pompidou, both modern and post-modern works, the same abstraction, the same surrealism. We went straight to Picasso, Dali and Miro's works. Of course, the most important one is Picasso's handed-down masterpiece Guernica, an abstract painting with only three colors of black, white and grey. At the same time, we saw the beginning and end of the painting, as if we could really feel the artist's mood when he created it. This is the artistic appeal.
The Reina Sofia National Art Center Museum covers an area of 12,505 square meters and is one of the largest museums in the world. The collection focuses on the context and development of Spain's own art style under the European art trend, basically covering a series of changes in Spanish modern art styles from the late 19th century to the 20th century, including surrealism, abstractionism, and the avant-garde after World War II. The art center building was originally a hospital, but after several expansions, its functions have also changed several times. The overall style is neoclassical, but the elevator in the middle of the building is avant-garde design, which is very eye-catching. The two exhibition halls are on the second and fourth floors respectively, and the works divided by 1939 are exhibited separately.
This gallery is a modern art center, close to the railway station, modern architectural appearance, all-glass curtain wall is very fashionable. Museum has many modern works of art, including paintings, sculptures, furniture and so on. Among them, some of the heavyweight works of famous artists are worth visiting.
A Must-Visit for Art Lovers – Picasso & Dalí Shine!The Reina Sofía Museum is a treasure for modern art lovers! Picasso’s Guernica is breathtaking, and Dalí’s surrealist works are mesmerizing. The collection is well-curated, offering a deep dive into Spain’s artistic heritage. A must-visit for any art enthusiast!
beautiful museum, very big, there is modern arts and old, unfortunately is not allowed to do photo inside, I didn’t pay the entrance fee because was a promotion after the 19:00. is a must if you are in Madrid