Things to do in Madrid
Top sights and attractions to build your days around once you know when to go.
Bernabéu
Bernabéu, formerly known as Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, is a retractable roof football stadium in Hispanoamérica, district of Chamartín, Madrid, Spain. With a seating capacity of 83,186 following its extensive renovation completed in late 2024, the stadium has the second-largest seating capacity for a football stadium in Spain, behind Camp Nou in Barcelona. It has been the home stadium of Real Madrid since its completion in 1947.
Museo del Prado
The Museo del Prado, officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century, based on the former Spanish royal collection, and is the single best collection of Spanish art. Founded as a museum of paintings and sculpture in 1819, it also contains important collections of other types of works. The numerous works by Francisco Goya, the single most extensively represented artist, as well as by Hieronymus Bosch, El Greco, Peter Paul Rubens, Titian, and Diego Velázquez, are some of the highlights of the collection. Velázquez and his keen eye and sensibility were also responsible for bringing much of the museum's fine collection of Italian masters to Spain, now one of the largest outside of Italy.
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía is Spain's national museum of 20th-century art. The museum was officially inaugurated on September 10, 1992, and is named for Queen Sofía. It is located in Madrid, near the Atocha train and metro stations, at the southern end of what is known as the Golden Triangle of Art.
Royal Spanish Academy
The Royal Spanish Academy is Spain's official royal institution with a mission to ensure the stability of the Spanish language. This is the official language regulating organ of Spain. It is based in Madrid, Spain, and is affiliated with national language academies in 22 other Hispanophone nations through the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language.
Royal Palace of Madrid
The Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of the Spanish royal family and is used primarily for state ceremonies. With over 135,000 m2 (1,450,000 sq ft) of floor space and 3,418 rooms, the Royal Palace of Madrid is the largest palace in Western Europe, the largest royal palace in Europe, and among the largest palaces in the world.
Almudena Cathedral
The Cathedral of Saint Mary the Royal of the Almudena, commonly known as the Almudena Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in Madrid, Spain. It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Madrid. Its construction began in 1883 and finished over a century later, when it was consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1993.
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
The Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, or simply the Thyssen, is an art museum in Madrid, Spain, located near the Prado Museum on one of the city's main boulevards. It is known as part of the "Golden Triangle of Art", which also includes the Prado and the Reina Sofía national galleries. The Thyssen-Bornemisza fills the historical gaps in its counterparts' collections: in the Prado's case this includes Italian primitives and works from the English, Dutch and German schools, while in the case of the Reina Sofía it concerns Impressionists, Expressionists, and European and American paintings from the 20th century.
El Retiro Park
The Retiro Park, also known as Buen Retiro Park or simply El Retiro, is one of the largest city parks in Madrid, Spain. The park belonged to the Spanish monarchy until 1868, when it became a public park following the Glorious Revolution. The park is located at the edge of the city centre, near both the Alcalá Gate and the Museo del Prado, and covers 1.4 km2. It has gardens, monuments, galleries, an artificial lake, and event-hosting venues. In 2021, Buen Retiro Park became part of a combined UNESCO World Heritage Site that also includes Paseo del Prado.
Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium
The Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium (Spanish: Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano) is a football stadium in Madrid, Spain. It is named after Real Madrid's former player Alfredo Di Stéfano (1926–2014).
Estadio Coliseum
Estadio Coliseum is a municipally owned football stadium in Getafe, Spain. It is the home ground of Getafe CF.
National Museum of Archaeology
The National Museum of Archaeology is a archaeology museum in Madrid, Spain. It is located on Calle de Serrano beside the Plaza de Colón, sharing its building with the National Library of Spain. It is one of the National Museums of Spain and it is attached to the Ministry of Culture.
Temple of Debod
The Temple of Debod is an ancient Nubian temple currently located in Madrid, Spain. The temple was originally erected in the early 2nd century BC 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Aswan, Egypt. The Egyptian government donated the temple to Spain in 1968 as a sign of gratitude for their participation in the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia. It was taken apart, transported, and rebuilt in the Parque de la Montaña in 1970–1972. It is one of the few works of ancient Egyptian architecture relocated outside Egypt and the only one of its kind in Spain.
Places from Wikidata and Wikipedia.
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