Can I buy tickets online for the Prado Museum?

Yes, you can buy your tickets on our website. To do this you should select a date and time of the visit and the audioguide language.

What documentation do I need for access to Prado Museum?

To access the Prado Museum, you must present the corresponding ticket, either in digital or printed format.

Is there a cloakroom service at the Prado Museum?

Yes, the Prado Museum offers a free cloakroom service where visitors can leave coats and personal items that cannot be taken into the exhibition rooms. This service is available at all museum entrances.

If I book a Prado Museum Guided Tour, is the ticket included?

Yes, reservations that include a guided tour generally cover both the guide service and the museum entrance.

Unmissable Royal Collections at the Palace of Madrid

One of the main reasons why you should not miss a visit to the Royal Palace of Madrid is that it houses various Royal Collections. These are a valuable set of period artworks and objects of inestimable cultural and historical value. Would you like to discover with us the Royal Palace of Madrid and the Royal Collections Gallery in one of our guided tours?

The Royal Armory

The collection of the Royal Armory is one of the great treasures of Spanish heritage and a must-see during your visit to the Royal Palace of Madrid. Its pieces date back to the 15th century and beyond, and it is considered one of the most important collections of its kind worldwide.

The collection originated during the reign of King Philip II, who ordered that it could not be sold, as had been customary before his decree. It is an exceptional collection of luxury weapons, which has been enriched and expanded over different reigns.

The most important part of the collection is the armory of Emperor Charles V, which also includes weapons belonging to his father, Philip I, and his grandparents, Ferdinand the Catholic and Emperor Maximilian I of Austria. To this collection, Philip II added his personal armory and the medieval weapons from the royal treasury of the Trastámara dynasty, which were kept in the Alcázar of Segovia.

Musical Instruments of the Royal Palace

The collection of musical instruments features pieces dating from the 16th to the 20th centuries. Its most important piece is the set of Stradivarius Palatinos. This is the most significant set of instruments in the world made by the renowned Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari. Additionally, the Royal Palace also houses another cello by the same maker, dating back to 1700.

Other period instruments in the collection include guitars, violas, violins, organs, harmoniums, pianos, trumpets, cornets, player pianos, phonographs, and gramophones with their cylinders, rolls, and records. There is also a 19th-century hand gymnasium used by pianists to exercise their fingers.

The Paintings of the Royal Palace of Madrid

If you love painting, you cannot miss the artworks housed in the Royal Palace. The collection includes period works by the leading artists of their time: Goya, Velázquez, Caravaggio, Bassano, Rubens, Giordano, Sorolla, and others.

Most of the collection consists of portraits of kings and noble figures, such as the portrait of Philip the Good by Van der Weyden, Isabella the Catholic by Juan de Flandes, the portraits of Charles IV and his wife María Luisa by Francisco de Goya, and the miniature of the Count-Duke of Olivares painted by Velázquez.

You can see these royal collection pieces displayed on the walls of various rooms throughout the Palace, as well as in a dedicated museum-style exhibition space within the building.

The Sculptures of the Royal Palace

In addition to its vast collection of paintings, the Royal Palace also features an important collection of sculptures spanning several centuries of history, which you can admire during your guided visit.

Notably, the 17th-century collection stands out. This collection comes from the old Royal Alcázar of Madrid, which was destroyed in a fire in 1734. The current Royal Palace was built on its foundations by order of King Philip V.

Some of the prominent sculptors featured in this collection include Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Mariano Benlliure, Antoine Coysevox, and Agustín Querol.

The Period Furnishings of the Royal Palace

One of the reasons you will love visiting the Royal Palace is the excellent state of conservation of its furniture. Most of the pieces are original and date back to the time of the Palace's construction, as well as from various reigns when new additions were made.

We recommend paying close attention to the furniture in the Gasparini Room, the Throne Room, and the Hall of Mirrors, which house some of the most valuable pieces. Also, don't miss the “Table of the Sphinxes” in the Crown Room, an Empire-style table where Spain's treaty of accession to the European Union was signed, as well as the abdication of King Juan Carlos I.

The Clock Collection of the Royal Palace Madrid

One of the most impressive collections in the Royal Palace is its collection of clocks. It is considered the largest and finest collection in Spain and one of the most important in the world, featuring pieces dating from the 16th to the 20th centuries.

Some of the must-see clocks include "El Calvario," a 17th-century clock built in Nuremberg, and the clock gifted by the President of Peru to King Alfonso XIII in 1906, built in 1878 and crafted from precious materials such as gold, silver, and ivory.

The Carriages of the Royal Palace

One of the most fascinating and popular collections among visitors is the collection of royal carriages. These carriages come from the private estates of Spanish monarchs and were accumulated until 1931.

The collection is remarkable for both the quantity and variety of its pieces, which date from different periods. Among them, the most notable is the "Royal Crown Carriage" of Ferdinand VII, a luxurious horse-drawn carriage that was the first in the Royal Stables to feature a double suspension system, providing exceptional comfort.

Another interesting piece is the so-called "Black Carriage," a horse-drawn coach that belonged to Queen Mariana of Austria and serves as a prime example of 17th-century carriage craftsmanship, a style popularized by the French absolutist monarch Louis XIV.

The Porcelain Collection of the Royal Palace

Lastly, we don't want you to miss the exquisite porcelain collection housed in the Royal Palace of Madrid. This collection spans various periods, styles, and origins, gathered by the Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties. Some pieces were manufactured at prestigious locations such as the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres (France) and the Royal Factory of Buen Retiro.

The tableware-related pieces are the most emblematic, despite many sets being incomplete due to their fragility. Notable highlights include the remnants of the wedding china set of Charles III and Maria Amalia of Saxony, which is particularly beautiful. Also noteworthy is the hand-painted porcelain tableware of Philip V, originally comprising about 2,000 pieces, of which only 72 have survived.