The free tours of Monumental Madrid are an excellent way to get to know the history and culture of the city. There are many emblematic buildings in the Spanish capital and many monuments in its streets and squares, so you'll need a good guide to make sure you don't miss a thing. At Guruwalk we present you the best Free Tours to get to know Monumental Madrid.
Madrid is a vibrant city with a rich mix of art, culture and history. These three things go hand in hand in creating the beautiful city that Madrileños call home.
Madrid's art triangle is an area that includes three major museums: the Prado Museum, the Reina Sofia Museum and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. As it could not be otherwise, its 3 buildings and surroundings are part of Madrid's monumental heritage.
The Prado Museum is known for having one of the best collections of European painting from 1250 to 1800. It has more than 7,600 paintings on display, including works by El Greco, Goya, Rubens and Van Dyck.
The Reina Sofía is Spain's and Europe's leading museum of modern art. It has modern galleries, artists' studios and an open-air space where the work of the great masters can be admired indefinitely.
The museum was built in 1992 to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Queen Sofia. It occupies a large area of the Royal Site in Madrid and was designed by architects Rafael Moneo of Barcelona and Richard Meier of New York.
The sculptures are arranged chronologically so that visitors can follow their development over time. At one end are works by Rodin and Maillol; at the other end is a room devoted exclusively to Picasso's Guernica. The museum's permanent collection also includes works by other important 20th century artists.
The Thyssen Museum is the last of five art museums around the world to bear the same name, and is also known as the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. The museum, which opened on 23 January 1992, houses an extensive collection of European paintings from a variety of schools and periods.
The museum was inaugurated in 1977 by Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza as a personal gift to Spain for its bicentenary. It was then donated to the Spanish government in 1993 on the condition that it would only be used to exhibit international art.
But in addition to the museums you will also find monumental spaces in Madrid, such as the Retiro Park and the squares of Cibeles and Neptuno.