K

On a whirlwind trip through Spain this fall I will have one free day in Madrid. I would like to visit the Prado. Does anyone have advice on the most efficient way to go about it? Such as - purchasing advance tickets, least crowded time of the day, particularly good guide books, do they offer self-guided tour recordings or personally escorted tours, best transportation method to reach the museum, etc, etc. Any advice from your personal experience(s) at the Prado is appreciated.

Escritora

El Prado is open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 9:00-7:00 and Sundays/holidays from 9:00-2:00. General admission is 500 pesetas. The museum has a terrific Web site in English at http://museoprado.mcu.es/prado/html/ihome.html -- well worth checking out. <BR> <BR>As far as crowds are concerned, you don't say whether you'll be there on a weekday or weekend. If the former, try to go earlier in the day; more people may schedule their visits at midday, when shops & etc may be closed and tourist alternatives are more limited.

Nancy

K <BR> <BR>We were there last May so this info is from our experience then. When we arrived there was quite a line that we waited in only to realize that was for a special exhibit only. Go up the steps for entrance/admission to the museum. There was an English speaking guide that approached us, but we elected to take our own tour. A few minutes into it, we realized we definitely needed a guide book, which we purchased at the gift shop. The book was informative, but the exhibits were not in the same order (my understanding is there was recent rearranging), but we did have a photocopy of the current placement, so it was a matter of matching up the book to the sheet given at admission. <BR> <BR>There are recordings set up in various rooms that you can listen to. <BR> <BR>By the way, we encountered the guide several times through our tour and he was pointing out the same items of interest as in the guidebook we purchased. <BR> <BR>We stayed at Carlos V so we were in walking distance of the museum. <BR> <BR>A friend of ours had been there and I believe he paid about $40 USD for a guided tour that he felt was well worth it.

Simone

There is a website www.museoprado.mcu.es <BR>(with an english version) that provides all information you need. They list the 50 paintings you should not miss. Very good!

Maribel

K, <BR>I'd also suggest looking at the Prado web site before you go to try to get a "lay of the land" to maximize your time and decide what most interests you from this vast collection. <BR>In June I took a friend on a whirlwind first time tour of the Prado, and while she only had 2 1/2 hrs. to dedicate to the visit, we did manage to hit the highlights for her, those masterpieces that she wanted most to see-Velazquez, Goya, El Greco and Bosch's (called "El Bosco" in Spanish) Garden of Earthly Delights. <BR>If your one free day is a weekend, the museum will be packed (but more so on Sunday when it's free all day; free on Sat. after 2:30 p.m.), so like Escritora, I'd strongly suggest arriving early, at or a bit before 9 if you can. I would enter through one of the two side doors, either the Puerta Goya, which faces the Ritz hotel or the even less crowded Puerta Murillo, facing the Botanical Gardens rather than the Puerta Velazquez in the center on the Paseo del Prado (if it's open these days). Although you can't purchase your ticket ahead of time, the lines at 9, particularly on a weekday, shouldn't be bad. <BR>If you enter through the Goya door, it will take you to the 2nd floor (called primera planta) and you can walk straight down to the enormous center gallery where the huge 17th c Flemish canvases hang (Rubens, Van Dyck), then visit the magnificent side rms on the left dedicated to Velazquez, then the south end of the floor dedicated to the large court paintings of Goya and his gloomy "black paintings". Then there's more Goya on the floor above (unless they've reconfigured it all, which they do from time to time). El Greco is (or was) downstairs on the ground floor (planta baja) along with the Italian School (Tintoretto, Titian, Raphael). The largest crowds tend to gather in the Velazquez/Goya galleries, so I would see those first, after a brief stop off at the gift shop to purchase a "Quick Visit Guide" which explains 50 of the most famous works. I don't recall seeing any self-guided tour recordings to rent-the Prado hasn't been known over the years for being particularly "user friendly" in that way. But there's a decent bar/cafeteria downstairs for a refreshment/bathroom break. <BR>Have a wonderful time in Spain!