If one of the indispensable museums to visit in Madrid is the Prado Museum (which we already talked about in this article), another of these is undoubtedly the Reina Sofía Museum, which forms next to the thyssen Museum, the famous Art Triangle.
The Reina Sofia Museum
You’ve heard a lot about the museum, but you’re not sure whether to go or not. Won’t the visit be too long for the short time we have? Aren’t the kids going to get bored?
This article will help you and give you ideas to plan your visit to the museum.

The museum opened to the public in 1992, although the building is much older (it was the old general hospital of Madrid) And has a collection composed of 21000 pieces that allow us to give a review of the entire history of Spanish art of the twentieth century. Chronologically, the Reina Sofía collection is an extension of that of the Prado Museum and covers the period from the late 19th century to the present day.
Reina Sofia Museum: Price, schedules and location
Where is it and how to get there?
The Reina Sofía Museum is located next to Atocha Station, ten minutes from the Prado Museum and at the beginning of what is known as the Art Walk. The nearest metro stop is Paseo del Arte (line 1) however if you are staying in the city center, you can walk quietly across the atocha street, the Las letras neighborhood, or the Lavapiés neighborhood, all of interest areas.
When to go and how much does it cost? Schedule and price of the Reina Sofia Museum
10 Euros. Free for children and teenagers up to 18 years old and for over 65 s years old.
The Reina Sofia Museum is open every day except Tuesday from 10 to 9. Attention because on Sundays, they close at 7.
You know what? The Reina Sofia Museum is free!
The museum is free daily from 19 to 21h and on Sundays from 13:30 to 19h

Is Queen Sofia worth going when it’s free?
Well, this is going to be up to you. If you want to make a complete and calm visit of the museum, we advise you to pay the entrance and go another time, for an express visit, visit the essentials, and focus especially on the 2nd floor, of course, two horitas will suffice. keep in mind, however, that to access medium soon and take advantage of those 2 hours you will have to go well in advance.
So when is the best time? When to visit the Reina Sofía Museum?
Without The best time to visit the museum is usually from 2pm to 6pm. From 10am to 2pm we will find large organized groups of tourists and schoolchildren, so to visit it with tranquility, it is better to go there once they are gone and before the start of the free tours. 4 hours should be enough to have seen the whole collection!
Which artists can be discovered in Reina Sofia?
The museum’s collection features a significant number of works by 20th-century Spanish artists, including Picasso, Dalí and Miró. You will also find works by artists such as René Magritte, Francis Bacon, Kandinsky or Diego Rivera.
The collection is divided into three floors and grouped into three chapters of our recent history.
- Collection 1 from 1900 to 1945
- Collection 2 from 1945 to 1968
- Collection 3 from 1962 to 1982
Is it a building or are there two?
The Reina Sofia Museum is divided into two buildings that are connected to each other. The Sabatini building, former general hospital of Madrid, and the nouvel building.
We have very little time and want to focus on one of the collections. What is the best option to choose?
It is a matter of taste, but broadly speaking, the collection 1 is the one that arouses the most interest. It is the period of great teachers, as Salvador Dalí, Luis Buñuel, but especially Pablo Picasso, whose masterpiece, Guernica, is the most visited works of the museum. This period is fully exposed on the second floor.