Paintings You Can See in Madrid
Art travel guide · Madrid
Paintings You Can See in Madrid
Madrid packs three of Europe’s great art museums into one walk along the Paseo del Prado: the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Reina Sofía, often called the Golden Triangle of Art. This guide starts with the Prado: nine paintings in its collection that we have written about, each with a full essay, so you know what you are looking at before you stand in front of it.
Museo del Prado
More paintings at the Prado →Museo Nacional del Prado
Paseo del Prado s/n, 28014 Madrid
If you only have two hours
- 1. The Garden of Earthly Delights (Bosch)
- 2. Las Meninas (Velázquez)
- 3. The Third of May (Goya)
- 4. The Black Paintings, with Saturn (Goya)
The cards below follow a chronological walk, from Bosch to Sorolla. Galleries are rehung from time to time, so check the museum map for current rooms.
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1The Garden of Earthly Delights
Hieronymus Bosch
Closed, the altarpiece shows a pale globe floating in grey water. Open it, and Bosch’s triptych moves from Creation to a carnival of bodies to a machine of punishment.
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2Atalanta and Hippomenes
Guido Reni
Atalanta stoops for a golden apple while Hippomenes twists away mid-stride: Reni freezes the cheat that wins a marriage race. Long misattributed as a copy, it was later confirmed at the Prado as his original.
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3The Triumph of Bacchus (Los Borrachos)
Diego Velázquez
A pale, half-dressed Bacchus crowns a kneeling man with vine leaves while rough Spanish faces grin out, cups raised, as if the god had wandered into a Madrid tavern and decided to stay.
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4Las Meninas
Diego Velázquez
Velázquez paints himself at work in the Real Alcázar while everyone in the room looks toward a small, blurred mirror reflecting King Philip IV and Queen Mariana. What is really in that mirror?
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5Witches’ Flight
Francisco de Goya
Three witches haul a naked body through the night air while a man below covers his ears. Goya lets superstition, fear and satire share the same dark sky.
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6The Third of May
Francisco de Goya
Spain’s provisional government asked Goya to immortalize the day ordinary Madrileños rose against Napoleon. He delivered one of the most devastating images of war ever painted, and the government put it in storage.
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7The Black Paintings (Quinta del Sordo)
Francisco de Goya
Goya covered the walls of his own house outside Madrid with images never meant for a salon: Saturn in the dining room, a witches’ sabbath in the gloom. Transferred from the plaster, they are now in the Prado.
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8
Saturn Devouring His Son
Francisco de Goya
A naked giant stuffs a limp, bloody torso into his mouth. Painted as a mural in Goya’s house, this Black Painting was later transferred to canvas and entered the Prado.
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9Children on the Beach
Joaquín Sorolla
Three boys sprawl and wade in the shallows while sunlight turns a child’s shoulder into a small white flame. Sorolla pours Mediterranean noon onto canvas.
Practical tips
- Admission to the collection is free during the last two hours before closing. Check the official page for today’s hours.
- Tickets are timed: you choose the date and time of your visit when you buy. The museum recommends buying online to avoid waiting.
- Download the official museum map before you go and plan your route around the paintings above.
- Read the essays first: each one tells you what to look for, so a short visit goes further.
Where to stay near the Prado
The Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Reina Sofía are all close to one another, so a hotel near the Paseo del Prado keeps the whole Golden Triangle within walking distance.
Madrid through the lens
More Madrid photos →
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