The Prado. Open every day, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays and holidays, closed only on January 1, May 1 and December 25. General entry is €15. The last two hours are free for the permanent collection, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays; the line forms at the Goya entrance by 5:15 p.m. and takes 30 to 45 minutes.
Reina Sofía and Thyssen. The Reina Sofía closes Tuesday. It is €12 and free from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday to Saturday and 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday; reserve the free ticket online. The Thyssen is €14 and free on Monday from noon to 4 p.m. with no ticket needed.
The Royal Palace. Timed tickets online, around €18. EU and Latin American citizens enter free Monday to Thursday in the last two hours, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. from October to March and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. from April to September, from the ticket office only, with a passport or identity card, and self-guided.
The Paseo del Arte ticket. €32 for all three museums, one entry each, valid a year, sold at any of them. It beats €41 at full price and skips the Prado ticket line; it does not cover the Royal Palace.
When Madrid eats. Lunch is 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and dinner from 9 p.m.; a kitchen serving at 7 p.m. is serving tourists. The weekday menú del día, three courses with bread and a drink for €13 to €18, is the best meal of the day. At 7 p.m. do what the city does: a vermouth on tap with a tapa on Calle de la Cava Baja or around Plaza de Chueca, then dinner at 9:30 p.m.
Getting about. Since June 1, 2026 the metro gates take a contactless bank card or phone in every station, €1.50 a ride at launch, no transport card needed. The airport stations still add a €3 supplement; buy that leg at the machine. El Rastro runs Sundays and holidays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in La Latina.
August and tipping. Many family restaurants close for two or three weeks in August; the museums and the palace stay open and the city is empty and hot. Tipping is not expected; leave a euro or two after a good meal and round up a taxi.
On the day. Join the Prado’s free line only if you can stand for 40 minutes; otherwise pay the €15 and go at 10 a.m. when the rooms are empty. Save the palace QR in Waystop’s Documents, eat at 2 p.m. and again at 9:30 p.m., and spend 7 p.m. at a bar like everyone else.