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).

• free
• museum

Address

C/ Santa Isabel, 52

Hours

Mon Wed-Sat 10:00-21:00, Sun 10:00-19:00

Price

€12 (adults), free admission M W-Sa 19:00-21:00, Su 13:30-19:00

Website

museoreinasofia.es (opens in a new tab)