Reina Sofia Museum Opening Hours

The so-called Art Triangle, the area where the Reina Sofía, Thyssen-Bornemisza and Prado museums are located, should be part of any list you prepare on what to visit in Madrid. In fact, if you wanted to see these museums in depth, you'd definitely need several full days.

In the case of the Reina Sofía museum, which opened in 1992, the collection focuses on modern and contemporary art from around the world. The works in its permanent exhibition are centred on the 20th century, while the temporary exhibitions cover the present day. To visit it comfortably, it is necessary to have some information, starting with the opening and closing times.

The normal opening hours of the main building of the Reina Sofia Museum (comprising the Sabatini building and the Nouvel building) are from 10:00 to 21:00, with the exception of Tuesdays, when it is closed.

Meanwhile, its other venues (the Cristal and Velázquez palaces, both in the Retiro), open every day at 10:00 am. Between April and September, they close at 21:00 in the case of the Palacio de Cristal and at 22:00 in the case of the Palacio de Velázquez.

In October, the two palaces close their doors at 19:00, while the rest of the months they close at 18:00.

All this information is subject to change by decision of the museum, so I recommend that you check it on the official website before planning your visit. In any case, so that you have a clearer idea of these opening times, here is a list of them:

Main Headquarters: Sabatini Building and Nouvel Building

• Monday and Wednesday to Saturday: opening at 10:00 and closing at 21:00
• Tuesday: closed
• Sunday: opening at 10:00 and closing at 14:30.

Headquarters Parque del Retiro: Palacio de Velázquez and Palacio de Cristal

• Open every day of the week
• January and February: from 10:00 to 18:00
• March: between 10:00 and 19:00
• April - September: from 10:00 to 22:00
• October: opens at 10:00 and closes at 19:00
• November - December: between 10:00 and 18:00

Three things to keep in mind

• Ticket sales end 30 minutes before the museum closes.
• The galleries should begin to empty about 15 minutes before closing time, regardless of which venue you are visiting.
• Some days of heavy rain or heat alert may cause the Palacio de Cristal to close due to the characteristics of the building. Therefore, check the weather forecast before you go.

Like other national museums, the Reina Sofía allows free admission on certain days and at certain times. Please note that you will still have to collect your ticket at the ticket office before entering.

• Monday: from 19:00 to 21:00, only for individuals
• Wednesday-Saturday: between 19:00 and 21:00, also only for visitors who are not in groups
• Sunday: from 12:30 to 14:30

You can also enter free of charge on certain public holidays, such as 12 October. I recommend you check these dates on the museum's website, as some of them change every year.

The Reina Sofía Museum closes very few days a year, but it is always a good idea to know the dates so as not to arrive at the door and find it closed:

• 1 and 6 January: on these days the Retiro's premises are open until 17:00 hours
• 1 May: the same as on the previous days
• 24, 25 and 31 December: the Retiro's premises are also open

It may also close on certain holidays in the Community of Madrid, such as San Isidro and La Almudena.

If you want to buy a souvenir of your stay in Madrid (either for yourself or as a gift), the Reina Sofía Museum Shop is a great option. There you will find a lot of interesting products related to the exhibitions and you are sure to find something you like. Opening hours are as follows:

• Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday: the shop is open from 10:00 to 21:00 hours
• Tuesday: closed
• Sunday: the shop opens at 10:00 in the morning and closes at 14:30 hours.

Of course, you can also browse the catalogue before your visit or buy something directly from the online version of the museum shop.

A little-known option offered by the Reina Sofía Museum for some groups of visitors is to book a private visit.

This type of guided tour is aimed at individuals, companies or organisations that wish to organise a tour of the museum in a special way. If desired, the visit can focus on a specific theme, such as architecture, history, pictorial movements or theatre.

The museum also offers the possibility of ending the private visit with a reception, cocktail party, lunch or dinner in the rooms set aside for this purpose in the building itself.

Those interested in this type of event should bear in mind that they can only take place outside normal visiting hours:

• Tuesdays throughout the day
• Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 20:00 hours
• Sundays from 14:30 hours.

It is very common for visitors to the Reina Sofía Museum to combine it with another of the best museums in Madrid and in the whole country: the Prado Museum. Not only because of its geographical proximity, but also because few want to miss the best paintings on display there.

If this is your case and you want to go before or after the Prado Museum, here are its opening hours:

• Monday to Saturday: between 10:00 and 20:00
• Sundays and public holidays: opens at 10:00 and closes at 19:00.

Free entrance hours

• Monday to Saturday: from 18:00 to 20:00
• Sundays and public holidays: between 17:00 and 19:00

It is important to bear in mind that you will only be able to enter the museum 30 minutes before closing time.

The third great museum located in the so-called Art Triangle is the Thyssen Bornemisza. Although it is possibly the least visited of the three, it never hurts to know its opening hours in case you want to take the opportunity to see its collections.

• Permanent collection: Mondays between 12:00 and 16:00 hours and the rest of the days of the week between 10:00 and 19:00 hours.
• Temporary exhibitions: opening times vary depending on the exhibition, so if you are interested in one of them, please visit the website for more information.
• Museum Day and Night: in addition to free admission, the museum is open until 1:00 in the morning.
• 24th and 31st December: open between 10:00 and 15:00 hours
• On 1st January, 1st May and 25th December the museum is closed

This question, frequently asked when planning a tour of Madrid (or any other city), does not have a simple answer. The museum's extensive collection can extend the time spent in the facilities, although most often each person pays more attention to the works that interest them most.

Generally speaking, those who are true fans of modern art will need several hours to be able to see all the works. For those who are less passionate, it can take between 1 and 2 hours to walk through the most important areas and enjoy the main works of the museum.

My advice is not to try to see everything in one day, as you run the risk of becoming too saturated and not enjoying the exhibition in the way it deserves. Plan well which works interest you most and if you find that it is impossible to see them all, you can always start organising your next visit.

Although you can enter the Reina Sofía Museum free of charge at certain times, it is not the most appropriate. If there are usually a lot of people at all times, the number of visitors increases at that time and you will not be able to enjoy the most important works comfortably.

My advice is to plan your visit to the Reina Sofía Museum first thing in the morning, just when it opens. If you have bought a skip-the-line ticket, you won't have to wait at all (apart from the time it takes you to get through security) and you will find many of the rooms still empty or with very few people.