Prado Museum Shop: all you need to know to enjoy it

Considered the most important exhibition and art space in the city, the Museo Nacional del Prado is on every list of recommendations in Madrid, and is an essential visit. You have two options: book your ticket for the Prado Museum or book a guided tour of the Prado Museum.

Whether you choose one or the other, be sure to visit the souvenir shop inside the Prado. Below, I will explain everything you might find interesting about this visit.

Once you have used your ticket to the Prado Museum, bear in mind that the shop is located in the Jerónimos Building, one of the latest and most ambitious extensions to the museum, which was completed in 2007.

This extension connects with the old building designed by architect Alberto Villanueva underground, taking advantage of the unevenness of the terrain. There are two ways to get there:

• With the traditional route, which involves accessing the Museum through the main entrance called Puerta Velázquez. This way the shop is almost at the end of the route.
• You can also reach the Prado shop by entering through the Puerta de los Jerónimos, which will take you directly to the new building, leaving the impressive main entrance for the end of the route. On this route the shop will be directly in the arrival hall.

The Prado Museum Shop was not conceived as a traditional souvenir shop for buying stationery. On the contrary, all the objects exhibited and sold in this space are cultural objects, which means that they are inspired or based on the best paintings exhibited inside the museum -those that you can see up close with your ticket to the Prado Museum- to create mostly everyday objects.

On the other hand, this space was created as an economic resource and additional help for the museum's own expenses. When you shop in the shop, you not only take home a souvenir, but you also contribute to the important work of conservation and dissemination of art, which continues to be carried out as before.

Unlike other shops, the Prado Museum shop has the distinction of having an extensive collection of unique products that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else in Madrid or anywhere else in the world. So, when deciding on something to buy, opt for anything that particularly appeals to you and will help you remember your holiday in Madrid, as well as your ticket to the Prado Museum.

To give you an idea of what to expect at the Prado, the products in the shop can be grouped into the following main categories.

• Books: You'll find everything from original Prado Museum editions to exhibition bibliographies, catalogues and thematic bibliographies.
• Prints: A collection of prints of famous works in different sizes and materials.
• Home objects: Decorative items ranging from magnets to giant murals with the museum's most famous works.
• Stationery: Everything you can imagine, from notebooks, notepads, diaries, calendars, bookmarks, etc.
• Textiles: T-shirts, fashion accessories such as key rings or scarves, and even bags themed around art and famous works.
• Gifts for children: accessories such as backpacks, games and even books for children.

If you decide to visit the shop after buying your ticket to the Prado Museum, which, as I have already mentioned, is highly recommended. Keep in mind that due to the varied nature of the objects that are sold in this space, prices can range from cheap to expensive.

Although prices may be a little more expensive than in other areas of Madrid, remember that you are contributing to the maintenance and growth of the place. Below, I share with you the range of prices divided by categories.

• Books: Very varied prices with products from 1 € to more than 100 €.
• Prints: From 15 € and up.
• Household items: Very varied prices with prices ranging from €3 to €300.
• Stationery: One of the sections with the greatest diversity of products and affordable prices. None of the products are usually more than €25 on average.
• Textiles and fashion accessories: From €5 to €250 for the most elaborate pieces.
• Gifts for children: Almost all products are under 15 € - 20 €.

A visit to the Prado Museum is an essential plan to see and do in Madrid. So take note of the opening hours:

Regular opening hours

• Monday to Saturday: from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.
• Sundays and public holidays: from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Two things to bear in mind: you can enter the Museum up to 30 minutes before closing time, and you can leave the galleries 10 minutes before closing time.

Reduced opening hours

• From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on the following dates: 6 January, for the Three Wise Men's Day; 24 December, for Christmas Day; and 31 December, for New Year's Eve.

I recommend that with your ticket for the Prado Museum you also take the opportunity to take a look at the architecture. Since its foundation in 1819, the museum has contemplated a constant but modest growth plan, until the extensions proposed after the turn of the century, which included the integration of the Jerónimos Building into the complex in the so-called Moneo Plan.

TheMoneo Expansion Plan contemplated the total restoration of the old Jerónimos Cloister building to include four new temporary exhibition rooms, a sculpture room, a new auditorium, a restoration area and a large and beautiful lobby.

From this lobby you can access the restaurant, the ticket offices and, of course, the Prado shop. In addition, a large art storage room and many other areas were also included.

After using your ticket for the Prado Museum in Madrid and after your visit, you might fancy something to eat. Although there are many good restaurants in the surrounding area, the museum itself has a café with a terrace near the Prado Shop, in the Jerónimo Building itself.

The menu includes a selection of coffees, salads, tabbouleh, local cheeses, smoked ham and much more. The terrace is strategically located so that you can enjoy the views while sheltering from the sun if you visit Madrid in summer and is a great way to cool off.

Travelling artists are constantly strolling through this area, showcasing their talent to anyone who is willing to listen. Don't hesitate to visit the Prado Museum during your visit.

The Prado became the first major museum in Europe to create its own portal to sell its products through the popular ecommerce site Amazon Spain. Since then, the official Prado shop on Amazon is a great alternative that allows users to buy from the comfort of their homes.

In my opinion, it is a novel and very practical resource, because if you visit the Museum in Madrid and you see a product or a reproduction of an important painting but you cannot buy it because of the price or the inconvenience of the transfer, it is more convenient and intelligent to buy it directly from the virtual version and receive it directly at home.

A clear example of this are the life-size reproductions of works such as The Garden of Earthly Delights by El Bosco or The Meninas by Velázquez.