Madrid Museum Opening Hours 2026: Every Museum at a Glance

Madrid's Golden Triangle — the Prado, Reina Sofía, and Thyssen — sits on a single boulevard, but the three museums follow completely different schedules. One closes Tuesdays while the others don't. One is free every evening. One only opens half a day on Mondays. If you're planning a museum day without checking the hours first, you'll waste time walking to locked doors.

This is every major Madrid museum's opening hours for 2026, in one place.

What are the Museo del Prado opening hours?

Monday to Saturday: 10:00–20:00. Sundays and public holidays: 10:00–19:00. Open every day of the week.

Free entry: Monday to Saturday 18:00–20:00, Sundays and holidays 17:00–19:00 (last 2 hours each day), Collection only. Free tickets go at the ticket office only, subject to capacity, and cannot be booked online. No free slot on 6 January, 24 December or 31 December. Also free all day on May 18 (International Museum Day), October 12 (Fiesta Nacional) and November 19 (Prado anniversary).

Closed: January 1, May 1, December 25. Reduced hours (10:00–14:00) on January 6, December 24, December 31.

Ticket: €15. The Prado is free every day — the question is whether you want to fight the 18:00 rush or pay €15 for a calm morning. For the full visit plan, see our Prado Museum guide; for prices across all Madrid museums, see the Madrid museum tickets 2026 guide.

When is the Reina Sofía open in 2026?

Monday, Wednesday to Saturday: 10:00–21:00. Sunday: 10:00–14:30. Closed every Tuesday.

Free entry: Monday and Wednesday to Saturday 19:00–21:00. Sunday 12:30–14:30. Also free all day on April 18, May 18, May 22, October 12, and December 6. You still need a ticket during the free slots, but it costs nothing and you can book it online. Free-slot entry is for individuals only, no groups.

Closed: Every Tuesday, plus January 1, January 6, May 1, May 15, November 9, December 24, 25, 31.

Galleries empty 15 minutes before closing.

Ticket: €12 via museoreinasofia.es or GetYourGuide (free cancellation). The Reina Sofía is the only one of the three Golden Triangle museums that closes a weekday. If Tuesday is your only museum day, skip it and head to the Prado or Thyssen instead.

What are the Thyssen-Bornemisza opening hours?

This is the one Madrid museum with two schedules.

Winter (1 September to 30 June): Tuesday to Friday and Sunday 10:00–19:00. Saturday 10:00–23:00. Monday 12:00–16:00.

Summer (1 July to 31 August): Tuesday to Friday 10:00–21:00. Saturday 10:00–23:00. Sunday 10:00–19:00. Monday stays 12:00–16:00. In summer the Collection itself shuts before the building does: 19:00 Tuesday to Friday and Sunday, 21:00 on Saturday.

Free entry: every Monday 12:00–16:00 for the Collection, and every Saturday 21:00–23:00 for the temporary exhibitions on the ground floor and level -1. No ticket needed for either. The Monday slot is the one that gets you Caravaggio, Van Gogh and Hopper; the Saturday slot only covers whatever temporary show is running.

Closed: January 1, May 1, December 25. Reduced hours (10:00–15:00) on December 24 and 31. Last admission 30 minutes before closing.

Ticket: €14, which covers the permanent collection, the Carmen Thyssen Collection and the temporary exhibitions running that day. Reduced €10 for over-65s, pensioners and students; free under 18. Via museothyssen.org or GetYourGuide (free cancellation). The Thyssen guide covers what to prioritise inside.

What time does the Royal Palace open?

October to March: Monday to Saturday 10:00–18:00, Sunday 10:00–16:00. April to September: Monday to Saturday 10:00–19:00, Sunday 10:00–16:00. The gardens run 10:00–18:00 year-round.

Free entry: Monday to Thursday, 16:00–18:00 from October to March and 17:00–19:00 from April to September. There is a catch that most guides skip: it is restricted to EU citizens, EU residents and work-permit holders, and Latin American citizens who can show a national ID, passport or driving licence. Everyone else pays. Self-guided only, no guided tours, and the Royal Kitchen shuts during the free window. Entry is also free for everyone on May 18 and October 12.

Ticket: €18, reduced €9. Last entry one hour before closing. Occasional closures for state ceremonies, so check the official site before going. The Royal Palace is outside the Golden Triangle area, near Ópera metro station.

When is CaixaForum Madrid open?

Every day including public holidays, 10:00–20:00. Closed December 25 and January 1 and 6. Reduced hours (10:00–18:00) on December 24, December 31 and January 5. Ticket desks stop selling 30 minutes before closing.

Ticket: €6, free for under-16s, European Youth Card holders and CaixaBank customers. Free for everyone on May 15, May 18 and November 9. On the Paseo del Prado, 2 minutes from the Prado. Worth combining if you have a gap between museum visits.

Are the Sorolla, Arqueológico, and Cerralbo open in 2026?

Museo Sorolla: closed, and don't plan around it. The house-museum is shut for an expansion and renovation project, and as of August 2026 the museum publishes no reopening date at all. Its official visit page is where a date will appear first.

Museo Arqueológico Nacional (MAN): Tuesday to Saturday 9:30–20:00. Sunday and public holidays 9:30–15:00. Closed Mondays, plus January 1 and 6, May 1, and December 24, 25 and 31. Ticket: €3, one of Madrid's best deals, and free for everyone on non-holiday Saturdays from 14:00 and on Sunday mornings.

Museo Cerralbo: Tuesday to Saturday 9:30–15:00, plus Thursday 17:00–20:00. Sunday and public holidays 10:00–15:00. Closed Mondays, January 1 and 6, May 1, May 15, May 18, and December 24, 25 and 31. Ticket: €3, free for everyone on Thursdays 17:00–19:00 (not on public holidays) and all day Sunday. Last entry an hour before closing. A 19th-century palace that most tourists walk past. It deserves an hour.

How should you plan your Madrid museum visits?

The Reina Sofía closes Tuesdays. The MAN and Cerralbo close Mondays, and the Sorolla is closed outright. The Prado, Thyssen, CaixaForum, and Royal Palace open every day, though the Thyssen only gives you 12:00–16:00 on Mondays.

For free entry, every day works: the Prado gives you 2 free hours every evening. Monday is the cheapest museum day — the Prado is free after 18:00 and the Thyssen permanent collection is free 12:00–16:00. You can see both without spending anything.

All three Golden Triangle museums are within a 10-minute walk of each other along the Paseo del Prado. The Golden Triangle art route covers the best order and timing. For a broader view, our best art museums in Madrid guide ranks all the options.

Hours and prices change. Always confirm on the official museum website before your visit.

Frequently asked questions

What day are Madrid museums closed?

The Reina Sofía closes every Tuesday. The Arqueológico Nacional and Cerralbo close on Mondays. The Prado, Thyssen, CaixaForum, and Royal Palace open every day of the week, though the Thyssen only runs 12:00–16:00 on Mondays. The Museo Sorolla is closed altogether for renovation.

When are Madrid museums free?

The Prado is free every day during the last 2 hours (Mon–Sat 18:00–20:00, Sun 17:00–19:00). The Thyssen is free every Monday 12:00–16:00 for the Collection and every Saturday 21:00–23:00 for the temporary exhibitions. The Reina Sofía is free Mon and Wed–Sat 19:00–21:00 and Sun 12:30–14:30, plus all day on April 18, May 18, May 22, October 12, and December 6. The Cerralbo is free Thursdays 17:00–19:00 and all day Sunday.

Do Madrid museums have different summer and winter hours?

Two of them do. The Royal Palace closes at 18:00 from October to March and 19:00 from April to September. The Thyssen runs a winter schedule from 1 September to 30 June and a summer one from 1 July to 31 August, when Tuesday to Friday stretches to 21:00. The Prado, Reina Sofía, and CaixaForum keep the same hours year-round.

Can you visit the Prado, Reina Sofía, and Thyssen in one day?

Yes, if you plan it. All three are within a 10-minute walk along the Paseo del Prado. Start at the Prado (opens 10:00), walk to the Thyssen after lunch, and finish at the Reina Sofía before it closes. See our Golden Triangle route for the detailed plan.

Last verified: August 2026