Spain's museum of modern and contemporary art, anchored by Picasso's Guernica. The 20th century Spanish avant-garde — Dalí, Miró, Juan Gris — and the best collection of Spanish surrealism assembled anywhere.
Location
Atocha, Madrid
Map
Insider Intel
Go directly to Guernica (second floor, Room 206). Stand with it for as long as it takes. The context rooms around it — Spanish Civil War photography and documentation — give the painting its full weight. Then the Dalí and Miró collections. The contemporary floors are hit or miss depending on the temporary exhibitions.
Weekday afternoon. Free entry evenings (Monday/Wednesday–Saturday 7-9pm, Sunday 12:30-2:30pm) but Guernica will be crowded. Morning is best for seeing the Picasso room without crowds blocking the sightlines.
Housed in an 18th-century hospital expanded by Jean Nouvel (2005 addition with the striking red overhang). Guernica returned to Spain in 1981 after decades at MoMA — Picasso's will specified it could only return after democracy was restored. The painting is behind glass and cannot be photographed. The Reina Sofía is less essential than the Prado unless Guernica and Spanish modernism are your focus. The rooftop restaurant has good views.