#1 La Reina Sofia
We will begin our tour in the Atocha station as you exit from the Cercanias train platforms. Coming out of the turnstiles, work your way left around the large hall and to the left where you will see the exit signs for the Glorieta de Carlos V. Follow these signs down the broad hallway to the main part of the old train station. Proceed to the far left corner (from where you entered) of the large hall, which is the exit Emperador Carlos V. Exit the old train station hall and walk up to the top of the hill where you can see the glorieta (traffic circle) on your right and a wide street in front of you. Cross to the island in the middle of the street. As you reach the island, the building straight in front of you is the back of the Museo Reina Sofia, the first of the museums we will see today. Turn right on the island, and walk a few paces toward the glorieta where you can now finish crossing the street.As you cross the Plaza del Emperador Carlos V (notice the plaque on the corner of the building), the street immediately in front of you as you finish crossing is the Calle de Santa Isabel. It leads up to the entrance of the Museo Reina Sofia. (The Paseo del Prado, the street where nearly all of today’s tour takes place, can be reached by turning right as soon as you cross the street, and then making a half left after you pass the glorieta. But we will get to the Paseo del Prado after a slight detour here to view the Reina Sofia.) Begin walking up the Calle de Santa Isabel. After a short distance you will be in the rather large plaza in front of the museum. Walk up to the entrance of the museum between the two glass elevators.While here, check out this part of the station, which has been converted into a tropical garden for wandering and for relaxing. Please enjoy the splendid restoration of this cavernous old station. See how many turtles you can count in the pools of water!The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (MNCARS or Museo Reina Sofía) houses a collection of mainly Spanish 20th century art. The are several rotating exhibits, along with the regular collection, two shops and restaurants. If you are interested in Spanish art, this is a must-see.
#2 Caixa Forum
With your back to the entrance, proceed to the short street (Calle del Doctor Druman) to your half right (there is a parking garage entrance in the middle of the street) and walk down to the end. Cross the street straight immediately in front of you. Do not look up at the building in front of you as you cross the street or you might see that there is a McDonalds which has some of the best and cheapest soft ice cream in Europe. After you have crossed the street, and have not noticed McDonalds, the street to the right, around the corner of McDonalds is the Paseo del Prado. This street is wide, with a tree lined pedestrian zone in the middle, a veritable park. As you walk up on the left side of the street, one of the first buildings you will notice is a structure set back a bit from the sidewalk and seemingly hanging in the air.This is a fairly new building with an older looking facade, cantilevered to look like it is suspended. This is the CaixaForum, an exhibit space sponsored by one of Spain’s main banks. The building hosts art events (ancient, modern, and contemporary art, poetry and music festivals, debate forums on current issues, and other exhibitions. It houses two food venues, and a shop/bookstore.
#3 Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza
After marveling at the Caixa Forum, continue walking up the Paseo on the west side (the same side of the street that McDonalds is on, without noticing the Burger King on the left, past the Plaza de la Platería de Martinez and the Ministerio de Sanidad y Politica Social. If you look across the Paseo del Prado at this time you will see the building housing the Museo del Prado through the trees. We will walk past it on the way coming back down the Paseo. The next corner of note will be the Glorieta de Neptuno. This fountain is the middle one of three that have had pride of place in this thoroughfare. The first fountain is back at the beginning of the Paseo and in front of the Atocha train station. The third and final fountain can be seen at the upper end of the Paseo. As you approach the corner you will see a tourist shop on your left. Notice the mannequins in the second story windows that represent some of Velasquez’s characters. Staying of the left side of the Paseo, begin walking around the Glorieta. After you have passed the Palace Hotel look left, up the Plaza de Cortes. On the right side, about half way up the street you will see the Spanish Parliament (Las Cortes) building. Normally it will be the only building on the street that is flying the Spanish flag. The building on the far corner of the Plaza de Cortes and the Glorieta is the back of the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza or Thyssen Museum. Continue up the Paseo to the entrance to the Thyssen Museum.The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum is home to Europe’s largest private art collection. Artistic works found in the permanent Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection (sold to the Spanish government by the Thyssen family) include masters such as Rembrandt, Manet, Van Gogh, Picasso, and others. Both permanent and temporary exhibits are shown here, and the museum hosts numerous educational and cultural activities throughout the year for audiences of all ages. The building housing the art pieces was formerly Villahermosa Palace; renovation on the structure was completed in 1992. Enlarged in 2004, the building now accommodates additional pieces added to the original collection, along with temporary exhibits and displays.
#4 Palacio de Cibeles
Keep walking up the Paseo until you come to the end of the street at the Glorieta de Cibeles, the third of the fountains that mark the Paseo. The buildings that surround Cibeles include the National Bank of Spain and the Madrid City hall. Cross the top of the Paseo del Prado to the other side of the street.In front of you is the Palacio de Cibeles, formerly the Palacio de Comunicaciones, the old post office headquarters. It now serves as the Madrid City Hall with a small post office on the main floor. Turn right and begin walking down the Paseo. Beyond the old post office, in the first street, but up on the right hand side, is the Museo de Artes Decorativas. This museum houses an astonishing collection of furniture, jewelry, ceramics, glass, and textile works. It also has a large Arabic collection as well as period rooms showcasing the decor and styles of different time periods.
#5 Museo Naval de Madrid
A short walk down the Paseo will bring you to an obviously more modern building.The Museo Naval de Madrid delineates the history of the Spanish Navy from the 15th century to the present day and its role in the protection, development, and culture of Spain. In the next block, up and on the left, is the Bolsa de Madrid, the Madrid Stock Exchange, which looks down on the Plaza Lealtad, a small park on the Paseo. Between the Plaza Lealtad and the Museo del Prado is the Hotel Ritz, which lives up to its name. If you have to ask what it costs, you cannot afford it.
#6 El Prado
Walk down the Paseo past the Ritz, and you will see the “Goya” entrance (the north entrance) to the Museo del Prado.The Museo del Prado has a permanent collection and it usually also hosts a temporary exhibit and displays art from many periods. Founded in 1819, the museum's collection is based on the monarchy's taste in art over the 16th and 17th centuries, thereby providing for a rich and varied groups of painters who are showcased in multiple works. It is no doubt the best museum in the world housing a single, private art collection and plays a key role in defining, displaying, and developing Spain's art history. It is a must see!The north entrance is called the “Goya” entrance because opposite the entrance there is a statue of Goya, however, El Prado is not one building but a series of buildings. Turn to your left and walk between the entrance tickets booth and the Goya statue. As you pass between the ticket booth and the Goya statue, look straight ahead; you will see a set of stairs that ascend the hill. Go up those stairs, past the generic statute commemorating a “Prado artist” to the top. At the top of the stairs you will see a famous church, La Iglesia de los Jerónimos, newly restored, and which is traditionally used to confirm the heir to the Spanish throne. From this vantage point you can also see the older additions to the back of the main Prado building and the newest additions next to the church. The entrance to the Museo del Prado is down the hill and to your left, between the older additions and the bottom of the hill. Retrace your steps now to the Paseo, turn left, and continue walking down the street.You will pass the original main entrance to the Prado, Velázquez, named for the painter and signaled by his statue. After the end of the block that the Prado sits on, you will come to the Jardin Botánico of Madrid. Keeping the gardens on your left, continue down the Paseo to the bottom of the street. Here, where the Paseo ends at the Glorieta de Carlos V, is also the end of the museum walk, unless you take the extension.Hopefully you have enjoyed seeing some of the most famous museums in the world. If you have time, go back and wander through a few during your time in Spain, they have a lot to offer.
#7 Tour Extension 1 -- Museo Nacional de Antropología and sites nearby
This extension tour begins at the spot where the Museum walk ended, on the left (east) side of the Paseo del Prado as you look down the Paseo to the Glorieta de Carlos V. Find the statue of Claudio Moyano on the far side of the broad, ascending walkway that marks the end of botanical gardens. Beginning at his left hand side, walk down the street. The Glorieta and Atocha will be across the street on the right.The first building you will come to is the Ministerio de Agricultura, a large and impressive edifice. Continue along the Paseo de la Infanta Isabel; the Atocha train station will be across the street on the right. Soon you will come to the Museo Nacional de Antropología. After the museum, continue down the left side of the Paseo de la Infant Isabel, past a gas station in the middle of the road (on the right), and follow the street as it curves to the left. Immediately after the curve there is a crossing light for pedestrians; this is where the Paseo de la Infanta Isabel turns into Calle Reina Cristina, as the street begins to ascend.Cross the street here and continue ahead, down some stairs, through a schoolyard to the street below. This will be the Avenida de la Ciudad Barcelona. This street is really the extension of the Paseo de la Infanta Isabel. Turn left and walk down the left side of the Avenida. You will come to a church on the left, opposite the Spanish Railroad (RENFE) offices, and on the corner of Calle Julian Gayarre. This is the Real Basílica Nuestra Señora de Atocha, where the royal brides bring their bridal bouquets to present to the Virgin. Walk left around the church and up the Calle Julian Gayarre. When you come to the first street on the right after the Real Baslica there will be on your left-hand side a white and grey mausoleum, the Panteón de Hombres Ilustres, in a neo-Byzantine style. With your back to the Pantéon, cross the street and proceed straight ahead into the Calle de Fuenterrabia. The large building that takes up the entire block on the right is the Real Fábrica de Tapices, the Royal Tapestry Factory. (If you are lucky, you will get to take a tour of this amazing place to see how the tapestries are made. You could even buy a small one if you have lots of money.)Continue to the end of the block and turn right down Calle de Andres Torrejón. Going down this street as it angles right you will see ahead the Metro station “Menendez Pelayo.” This is the end of the museum extension tour. You can either walk back to Atocha or you could hop on the metro and go to Puerta del Sol and explore other parts of Madrid. Enjoy.
#8 Tour Extension 2—Museo Sorolla
To get to the Museo Sorolla you can choose one of two Metro stops. The metro stop Iglesia which is intersection of Calle de Sta. Engracia and the Paseo del General Martínez Campos (Blue line, Línea 1, from Atocha). The museum is at number 37 Paseo del General Martínez Campos. Or you can go to the Metro Ruben Dario, walk to the glorieta and walk up two blocks and turn left on the Paseo del General Martínez Campos (Green line, línea 5- from Opera or from Gran Vía).This delightful Museo Sorolla used to be the private home of the painter Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923) a Valencia-born master that made his mark painting social themes, famous personages, and his version of impressionism known as luminismo, or luminism. You will be quite enchanted with the intimate experience of seeing his paintings (mainly of his family) in their original setting.
