Free things to do in Madrid

Free things to do in Madrid

1. SeeChamberí-Castellana

   Estación de Chamberí

   Chamberí Ghost Station

   Former metro station designed by architect Antonio Palacios (creator of the Palacio de Cibeles, Círculo de Bellas Artes and Hospital de Maudes). It was inaugurated in 1919, but closed in 1966, thereby becoming a "ghost station". Since 2008 it has been converted to a museum, exhibiting original counters, signs, maps and advertising posters from earlier ages.

   Fri 16:00-20:00, Sat 10:00-1400&16:00-20:00 Sun 10:00-14:00·Free, booking from website (Spanish) linked from English site.

2. SeeSalamanca

   Fundación Juan March

   Juan March Institute

   A few blocks off high-end shopping street Calle Serrano, this private foundation houses free temporary exhibitions of (mostly 20th-century) art which are often worth checking out. 10-15 min walk from either Museo Lázaro Galdiano or National Archaeology Museum.

   Mon-Fri 11:00-20:00, Sat 11:00-14:00·Free

3. SeeChamberí-Castellana

   Museo Geominero

   Geo-mining Museum

   Part of the Spanish Institute of Geology and Mining, this museum is dedicated to Geology (with a focus on Mineralogy) and Paleontology, containing an impressive collection of fossils and minerals discovered on the territory of Spain and abroad. Also contains educational exhibits, although all are described in Spanish only. The interior of the building is just as impressive and may be worth a quick tour even if you are not particularly interested in Paleontology and Mineralogy.

   Free

4. SeeSalamanca

   Museo Lázaro Galdiano

   Museum of Lázaro Galdiano

   This museum houses the stunning collection of Spanish entrepreneur José Lázaro Galdiano (1862-1947) and is considered to be one of the best private collections in Spain. Not only will you find works by Goya, Velázquez, El Greco and others - the museum is also filled with jewelry, furniture, sculpture and ceramics. It is located in Lázaro Galdiano's rather lavish former residence. This is an excellent museum that is usually not crowded and well worth the price of admission.

   Tue-Sat 10:00-16:30, Sun 10:00-15:00; closed Jan 1, Easter Thu and Fri, May 2 and 3, Nov 1, Dec 6 and 25·€6 (adults), €3 (seniors/students/disabled), free (children under 12); free admission Tu-Sa 15:30-16:30 and Su 14:00-15:00

5. SeeRetiro-Paseo del Arte

   Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía

   Museo Reina Sofía / Reina Sofía National Museum and Art Center

   Housed in a former public hospital with an adjacent modern wing, this museum contains Spain's largest collection of 20th century art. Created to house Pablo Picasso's renowned Guernica, allowed after the return of democracy to Spain, the work was initially behind armoured glass. That's gone, but you are kept further away from it that anywhere else in the gallery, and another room includes some Picasso etchings that were damaged in a 1971 political attack. The Reina Sofía also houses masterpieces by other Spanish masters including Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí, Juan Gris, and others, as well as works by a number of international artists, including Vasily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Francis Bacon, and more. Purchasing tickets in advance no longer gives you a discounted entry but is a way to beat the queues. During free admission periods, it is still required to pick up a ticket at the ticket office; these times are especially busy and it is best to arrive a bit before the free period actually begins. Photography is permitted, except for the work of Oskar Schlemmer (even though he died in 1943). Backpacks are not permitted, but there are free lockers after both entrances (in the older and modern wings).

   Mon Wed-Sat 10:00-21:00, Sun 10:00-19:00·€12 (adults), free admission M W-Sa 19:00-21:00, Su 13:30-19:00

6. SeeRetiro-Paseo del Arte

   Museo Naval de Madrid

   Naval Museum of Madrid

   A beautiful museum with a large interesting collection about Spanish naval history, from the efforts of kingdoms of Aragon and Castilia, the many successes and few failures (what's known in English as the defeat of the Spanish Armarda has a section) in the 15th-17th centuries, the drastic decline in the 19th century and its consequences in terms of losing the country's empire, the division of the navy into opposing sides in the 1930s Civil War, to today. It's almost all labelled in English as well as Spanish. A temporary exhibition traces today's Spanish flag from its origin as the navy's attempt to have one that contrasted well with other navy's flags, and the museum has the very large flag flown by the Spanish flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar (the loss is blamed on the French admiral for insisting on sailing out of Cadiz to fight it!)

   Sep- Jul: Tue-Sun 10:00-19:00; Aug: Tue-Sun 10:00-15:00·Free (donations requested)

7. SeeChamberí-Castellana

   Museo Sorolla

   This museum is in what was the impressionist painter's house and features fine furniture and porcelain as well as his paintings.

   Tue-Sat 09:30-20:00, Sun and holidays 10:00-15:00·€3 (adults), €1.50 (concessions); free admission Sa after 14:00 and all day Su

8. SeeMalasaña-Chueca

   Museo de Historia de Madrid

   Museum of History of Madrid

   This museum is dedicated to the history of Madrid from 1561 to present. Much of the history is explained by referencing exhibited paintings depicting people or events from the time, so it is also an art museum. Several maps and models (including two large ones in the basement) show how Madrid grew since the 16th century. All exhibits are explained in both English and Spanish.

   Tue-Sun 10:00-20:00·Free

9. SeeLa Latina-Austrias

   Museo de San Isidro

   Los Orígenes de Madrid / San Isidro Museum

   This is a museum of two parts. One part is dedicated to Saint Isidore the Laborer, while the other part is dedicated to the paleontology and archaeology of the region of Madrid from prehistory to 1561 (when Philip II made Madrid the seat of the court). Most of the exhibits are explained in both Spanish and English.

   Mid-Sep - Jun: Tue-Sun and holidays 09:30-20:00; Jul - mid-Sep: Tue-Sun 10:00-19:00, closed Jan 1 and 6, May 1 and Dec 24, 25 and 31.·Free

10. SeeRetiro-Paseo del Arte

    Museo del Prado

    Prado Museum

    One of the finest art collections in the world and the best collection of classical art in Madrid. It includes many different collections: the Spanish (El Greco, Velázquez, and Goya), the Flemish and Dutch (Rubens, van Dyck, and Brueghel), Italian (Botticelli, Tintoretto, Titian, Caravaggio, and Veronese) and German (Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, and Baldung Grien). Some highlights not to miss at the Prado include the Bosch masterpiece The Garden of Earthly Delights, Velázquez's masterpiece Las Meninas, the Black Paintings, The Third of May 1808, and a pair of paintings known as The Clothed Maja and The Naked Maja by Goya, Adoration of the Shepards by El Greco, and David with the Head of Goliath by Caravaggio. Be sure to walk along Paseo del Prado, a pedestrian walkway full of fountains and trees near the museum. Visitors can bypass the often extremely long queues by purchasing tickets beforehand by phone or online, for an additional €.90 fee per ticket. Tickets purchased online can be printed or downloaded onto a smart phone; all pre-purchased tickets can be picked up (with a reference number) or presented at the main (Jerónimos) entrance in the northeast corner of the building. If you are planning to spend a full day at the museum, it is possible to leave (e.g. for lunch) and reenter by getting your ticket stamped at the 'Educación' counter just inside the main entrance. An affordable café and cafeteria-style restaurant are on the ground floor, along with a gift shop. No food, drinks, backpacks or umbrellas are permitted (a bag check is just inside the main entrance). Photography not permitted.

    Mon-Sat 10:00-20:00, Sun 10:00-19:00; closed/shortened hrs on some holidays; extended hrs for special exhibits; last admission 30 min before closing·€15 (adults), €7.50 (seniors 65+), free (children/students under 25); free admission within 2 hours of closure; additional obligatory fee for special exhibits

11. SeeMoncloa

    Palacio de la Moncloa

    A rather nondescript complex of buildings on the outskirts of Madrid, since 1977 it has served as the official residence and workplace of the Prime Minister of Spain. Its name has since become synonymous with the Spanish government as a whole. Off-limits to the public for many years, in 2018 it was opened to guided visits during the summer only for Spanish citizens and foreigners resident in Spain. Registration is required to participate, and while the Prime Minister's Office announces available tour dates in advance on its website, slots are limited and run out very quickly.

    Free

12. SeeRetiro-Paseo del Arte

    Parque del Retiro

    El Retiro Park

    The main park of Madrid, the perfect place to take a rest during a sunny day, or take part in the drum circles around the statue of Alphonso XII on summer evenings. There is a large boating lake where one can hire a rowing boat - great fun for the children! There is a monument to the victims of the Madrid 3/11 terrorist bombings, the Forest of the Absent, and the Crystal Palace, a large structure entirely made of glass. Sunday afternoons in summer are a treat in the park, where young hippies play bongos and dance.

    Free (park)

13. SeeMoncloa

    Real Ermita de San Antonio de la Florida

    Royal Chapel of St. Anthony of La Florida

    This small church is famous for its murals, painted by Goya. It's also the mausoleum of the painter.

    Closed in 2025 for conservation until further notice·Free

14. SeeMoncloa

    Rosaleda del Parque del Oeste

    Jardín de Ramón Ortiz / Rosaleda Gardens

    The rose garden of Madrid, located in the same park as the Templo de Debod. If you like roses and are in Madrid when they have flowered, definitely worth a visit. The garden holds an international competition yearly.

    Daily 10:00-21:00·Free

15. SeeMoncloa

    Templo de Debod

    An Egyptian temple in one of Madrid′s most beautiful parks. Near the Royal Palace and Plaza de España, it was a present given by Egypt to Spain for its role in saving the temple of Abu Simbel from the floodwaters of Lake Nasser following the construction of the Aswan Dam in southern Egypt. A great place to watch the sunset. Usually a queue. Only 30 people allowed in the area at a time

    Oct-Mar: Tue-Fri 10:00-14:00 16:00-18:00, Sat Sun and holidays 09:30-20:00; Apr-Sep: Tue-Fri 10:00-14:00 18:00-20:00, Sat Sun and holidays 09:30-20:00; last admission 15 min before closing·Free

16. SeeChamberí-Castellana Not mapped

    Monumento a Rizal

    José Rizal Monument

    Honors Filipino national hero José Rizal (1861-1896), a revolutionary who was executed by the Spanish in Manila. This is a replica of the more famous "Motto Stella", which is located near his execution site at Rizal Park. This replica was built and inaugurated in 1996, marking the 100 year anniversary of Rizal's death. In the decades since its inauguration, it's become an important landmark for Filipinos visiting Madrid, and is a great opportunity for all to learn a bit more about this era of Spanish history.

    free

17. DrinkMalasaña-Chueca

    Demode

    Cool electronic sounds for 20s-30s.

    From 00:00 to 04:00AM·Free

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Madrid (CC BY-SA 4.0).