Madrid has three renowned museums (Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, the Reina Sofia and the Prado). We managed to visit two of them during their free admission times during our Madrid trip. Children 18 years and under have free entries at all times. Do not miss these museums for an educational visit with the kids.
Visiting Madrid Museums with Kids
We decided to focus on 3-4 paintings, including each museum’s famous ones because we had time constraints. We knew our kids, at ages 4 and 6 at that time, did not have the patience to spend more than a few hours at the museums.
We included these paintings in their age-appropriate scavenger hunt so they could keep an eye out for them. I also included a bit of information of the paintings for my daughter and to use for her journal.
We visited the gift shops afterwards. They picked out a postcard of their favorite painting as a keepsake.
Reina Sofia Museum
The Reina Sofia Museum was named for the current Queen of Spain. It was a contemporary museum that housed 20th century art including those of famous Spanish artists like Picasso and Dali.
It was around the corner from the Atocha metro stop. There was a plaza in front of the museum surrounded by benches and various family-friendly restaurants. The two glass elevators on the front of the building looked out into the square.
There was a courtyard in the middle of the museum with benches for relaxing and sculptures surrounding it. This 4-story building used to be an old hospital so at most times you could look out into the courtyard from the higher floors’ open hallway.
There were plenty of seats for resting and these were very much appreciated for most of us walking around the city and kids with tired little feet. The gift shop was a bit small but carried enough items and souvenirs of the paintings in the museum to remember the visit.
Picasso’s Guernica painting
The most famous painting at the museum was the Guernica by Picasso and labeled as “modern art’s most powerful antiwar statement”. This incredible black and white painting was huge.
It was displayed in a room by itself taking up an entire wall. Picasso painted this in response to the atrocities inflicted on thousands of Spaniards in the town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War in 1937.
It truly was an extraordinary and inspirational work of art. We also visited several Picasso rooms with many of his incredible sketches. Picture taking was allowed throughout the museum which was greatly appreciated for tourists like us.
There were also numerous Dali paintings but some were pretty disturbing to children due to some sexual and violent content. We made sure our kids stayed a good few yards away.
However, seeing some of these Dali paintings up close was truly amazing. The intricate details and the sheer size of some of them were astonishing.
It was a great learning experience for the kids to see such great works of art especially Picasso’s. Yes, they’ll barely remember this in a few years but it was an honor for my husband and me to see some of these masterpieces in person.
Website: http://www.museoreinasofia.es/index_en.html Address: Calle Santa Isabel, 52, Madrid
METRO Stop: Line 1 – Atocha or Line 3 – Lavapies
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Prado Museum
Madrid’s world famous Prado museum was truly worth a visit for the whole family. We reached the Prado by walking from El Parque de Retiro or El Retiro Park.
There was a side entrance by the Apricot fountain which took us to a little plaza with a fountain and beautiful landscaping. I’m not really sure if this was still part of El Retiro Park.
This was a great place to rest and for the kids to run around. It was a popular spot with families and locals enjoying a warm Sunday afternoon.
There were also some tree bushes shaped like umbrellas and mushrooms. Our kids ran from one to another picking their favorite tree to pose with.
Since we went during the free admission time, there was a long line to get the tickets but went surprisingly fast. The entryway into the museum was another area next to a set of steep stairs leading to a beautiful church called San Jeronimo el Real. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to go into the church.
The kids were fascinated with all the huge and colorful paintings even though most of the paintings were of religious nature. It was a great museum for the classics from renowned artists such as El Greco, Goya and Rembrandt. T his museum was big and can be overwhelming so some planning needs to be done.
The Prado’s famous paintings
We picked a few paintings to look at that we thought our kids would be interested in as well as see the museum’s famous pieces. The most famous painting in the museum was “Las Meninas” by Velasquez which was a portrait of Princess Margarita with her ladies in waiting.
The duchess’ face was in most of the Prado’s brochures and was in a lot of souvenir items in the gift shops. My daughter was particularly drawn to this painting maybe because of the princess subject.
We also searched for the three-panel painting by Bosch called “The Garden of Earthly Delights”. My kids were fascinated with this painting because of its originality, size and colorful pictures.
Yes, there were some disturbing scenes on the third panel depicting the Last Judgment which surprisingly didn’t even phase her. Nonetheless, it was an absolutely mesmerizing painting with intricate details.
Their gift shop was huge which was adjacent to the cafeteria on the ground floor. There was also a smaller one on the second floor near the “Las Meninas” painting. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside the museum but we saw a few visitors sneaking some shots. The kids told us they liked this museum more because the paintings were “bigger and nicer”.
Website: http://www.museodelprado.es/en/ Address: Edificio Villanueva, Paseo del Prado Metro Stop: Atocha or Banco de Espana
That is not a Dali painting. That is: A World by Angeles Santos.