Museums in Spain

Our selection of the 15 best museums to explore in Spain

From the Golden Age masters to Dalí's surrealism, via the titanium shell of the Guggenheim, Spain boasts some of the most visited museums in Europe. Here are the ones worth the trip, from Madrid to Bilbao.

Prado Museum, Madrid

Opened in 1819, the Prado Museum brings together the great masters of Spanish and European painting: Velázquez's Las Meninas, Goya's black paintings, Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights.

It is the must-see museum of a stay in Madrid. Allow at least half a day, and a skip-the-line ticket to avoid the morning queue.

• Address: Paseo del Prado, 28014 Madrid
• Metro: Banco de España (line 2)

Reina Sofía Museum, Madrid

Housed in a former 18th-century hospital, the Reina Sofía is devoted to modern and contemporary art. It holds Picasso's Guernica, painted in 1937 after the bombing of the Basque town.

Dalí, Miró and the Spanish avant-gardes complete a tour ten minutes' walk from the Prado.

• Address: Calle de Santa Isabel 52, 28012 Madrid
• Metro: Estación del Arte (line 1)

Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid

Third point of Madrid's “Golden Triangle of Art”, the Thyssen Museum shows a private collection acquired by the Spanish state in 1993, from Italian Primitives to pop art.

Impressionists and German Expressionists fill the gaps left by the Prado. A good complement for an overview of the history of painting.

• Address: Paseo del Prado 8, 28014 Madrid
• Metro: Banco de España (line 2)

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao

Designed by Frank Gehry and inaugurated in 1997, the Guggenheim Bilbao transformed the image of this former industrial city with its undulating titanium shell on the riverbank.

On show are major contemporary art installations, including Richard Serra's monumental sculptures. Jeff Koons's Puppy, a dog covered in flowers, guards the entrance.

• Address: Abandoibarra Etorbidea 2, 48009 Bilbao
• Metro: Moyua (lines 1 and 2)

Picasso Museum, Barcelona

Housed in five medieval palaces in the Born district, the Picasso Museum in Barcelona opened in 1963, during the artist's lifetime, and brings together more than 4,000 works, mostly from his early years.

You follow the painter's formation up to his series of variations on Velázquez's Las Meninas, made in 1957.

• Address: Carrer de Montcada 15-23, 08003 Barcelona
• Metro: Jaume I (line 4)

National Art Museum of Catalonia, Barcelona

Perched on Montjuïc hill, the National Palace built for the 1929 Exhibition houses the MNAC, famous for its Romanesque frescoes removed from the churches of the Catalan Pyrenees.

The tour extends to Catalan modernisme. From the palace steps, the view over Barcelona is almost worth the trip on its own.

• Address: Palau Nacional, Parc de Montjuïc, 08038 Barcelona
• Metro: Espanya (lines 1 and 3)

Joan Miró Foundation, Barcelona

Wanted by Miró himself and opened in 1975, the foundation occupies a white building by Josep Lluís Sert on Montjuïc hill. Paintings, sculptures and tapestries retrace the artist's entire career.

The terraces, decorated with sculptures, overlook the city and the port. A visit that combines easily with the MNAC.

• Address: Parc de Montjuïc, 08038 Barcelona
• Metro: Paral·lel (lines 2 and 3), then funicular

Dalí Theatre-Museum, Figueres

In his hometown in northern Catalonia, Salvador Dalí designed this surrealist museum himself, opened in 1974 in a former theatre crowned with a glass dome and adorned with giant eggs.

The artist is buried here, in a crypt under the stage. The Mae West Room, the rainy Cadillac: every piece plays with illusions.

• Address: Plaça Gala i Salvador Dalí 5, 17600 Figueres
• Access: train from Barcelona, then a 10-minute walk

Science Museum, Valencia

At the heart of the City of Arts and Sciences imagined by Santiago Calatrava, this interactive science museum occupies an immense white building that resembles a whale skeleton.

Hands-on experiments and exhibitions on the human body, space or climate make it an ideal family outing, to combine with the neighbouring Oceanogràfic.

• Address: Avinguda del Professor López Piñero 7, 46013 Valencia
• Access: bus from the centre or on foot through the Turia gardens

Fine Arts Museum, Seville

Housed in a former convent with flower-filled patios, the Seville Fine Arts Museum holds one of the finest collections of Andalusian Baroque painting, with Murillo and Zurbarán.

The former convent church, covered in frescoes, provides a setting for Murillo's large canvases. A quiet visit, away from the crowds of the Alcázar.

• Address: Plaza del Museo 9, 41001 Seville
• Access: on foot from the historic centre

Picasso Museum, Malaga

In the painter's hometown, the Picasso Museum in Malaga has occupied the Buenavista Palace since 2003. Its collection, largely donated by the artist's family, covers his whole career.

In the basement, Phoenician and Roman remains can also be visited. Picasso's birthplace is a few minutes' walk away.

• Address: Calle San Agustín 8, 29015 Malaga
• Access: on foot, near the cathedral

National Museum of Roman Art, Mérida

In ancient Emerita Augusta, in Extremadura, this museum designed by architect Rafael Moneo presents an exceptional Roman collection: mosaics, statues and everyday objects.

Its large brick arches evoke ancient architecture. It can be visited next to the Roman theatre and amphitheatre, both UNESCO-listed.

• Address: Calle José Ramón Mélida, 06800 Mérida
• Access: on foot from the Roman theatre

Altamira Museum, Santillana del Mar

In Cantabria, this museum reproduces the Altamira cave, nicknamed the Sistine Chapel of prehistoric art, whose original is closed to the public to protect its bison paintings.

The neocueva faithfully recreates the painted ceiling, and the museum explains the life of Palaeolithic hunters. The neighbouring medieval village also deserves a stroll.

• Address: Avenida Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola, 39330 Santillana del Mar
• Access: by car from Santander, about 30 minutes

Chillida Leku, Hernani

Near San Sebastián, the Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida transformed a 16th-century farmhouse and its meadows into an open-air museum, where his monumental steel and granite sculptures dialogue with the landscape.

The restored farmhouse houses his more intimate works. A soothing visit, to combine with a trip to San Sebastián and its Peine del Viento.

• Address: Barrio Jauregui 66, 20120 Hernani
• Access: by car or bus from San Sebastián, about 20 minutes

Rafa Nadal Museum, Mallorca

In Manacor, the champion's hometown, this interactive museum housed in the Rafa Nadal Academy retraces his career, with his 22 Grand Slam trophies and simulators to test his forehand.

A room also pays tribute to other sporting legends. After the visit, you can stroll around the academy.

• Address: Rafa Nadal Academy, 07500 Manacor
• Access: by car from Palma, about 45 minutes