What to see and do Free in Madrid

The Madrid tourism website is excellent and comprehensive. As regards free or discounted entry, you can find all the information you need here (free always) and here (free sometimes).

General Information

Free for EU citizens/free for all

Spain has a policy on edificios BIC (Bien de Interés Cultural) which aims to ensure that these buildings, which receive financing from the State, are free to the public at least four times a month. Most of these occasions are available to all EU citizens although there are some notable and understandable exceptions  - the Alhambra of Granada only for local residents, for example.

"La ley no se negocia y establece que, cuando se trate de edificios BIC (Bien de Interés Cultural), se permitirán las visitas públicas y gratuitas al menos cuatro días al mes, en días y horas señalados, una información que debe ser pública y accesible".

https://www.diariodealmeria.es/almeria/Ley-gratuitas-edificios-declarados-BIC_0_1107189373.html 

Interpretation varies but you can be reasonably sure that for the vast majority of monuments, if you are on a ‘slow travel’ holiday, you are likely to be able to visit free at some point during the week, although it can be useful to get up early (especially for cathedrals) or adapt your meal times/siesta (museums and art galleries).

For free entry times sometimes you can or must book online; for other attractions you have to be in a physical queue/line. Work out how long you are prepared to wait according to how much you will save.

Free or discounted for over 65s.

It’s also worth always checking free or discounted entry requirements. Many museums/monuments are free or discounted for those over 65 (not just for EU residents). There’s no one rule which covers everywhere, so check the specific website, reading who is entitled to a free or reduced priced ticket.

If you buy a discounted/free ticket online – for example because you are over 65, you will have to go to the ticket office anyway to get it validated by showing documentation. You can’t just turn up at the gate and go in. This is worth bearing in mind if you are travelling when there are likely to be queues. Again, decide if the saving is worth it.

Be cautious in buying the so-called ‘skip-the-line’ tickets. The most popular monuments and museums have two lines/queues – one for the ticket office which you can usually skip by buying your ticket online yourself, and the second for security (not always present) which can’t be skipped anyway.

Cards and passes

Many are not worth it. Be very careful before you buy and read the small print. Some cards may ‘offer’ you free admission when there would be free admission anyway. Many include transport – but if you are staying in the centre and visiting attractions in the centre (a likely scenario) will you even need that transport?

Saving on entry fees in Madrid

So my post here is based on a week’s stay in Madrid in January (after 6th January so low season), spending as little as possible and seeing the main attractions with an emphasis on art. It doesn't include everything - see the Madrid website links above for everything. Our main priority was to see El Prado at least twice but without too many crowds and without waiting outside in a long line/queue in the cold.

Always free anyway:

• Mercado San Miguel and other markets
• El Rastro market on Sunday mornings
• Parque El Retiro
• Parque Oeste
• Cathedral La Almudena (1 euro donation) and Crypt

• Palacio di Cibeles (Centro de Interpretacion, Galleria de Critsla, Antigua Capilla) Free Tues-Sunday 10.30-14 and 16-19.30. Nearby is Fontana de Cibeles and Paseo del Arte for a stroll.

Easy to access free times (correct at time of writing but check the websites - free times can change:

• Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza: Free on Mondays from 12 to 16. We walked straight in at about 12.15. Not overly crowded – sometimes there was somebody else looking at the painting we wanted to see – not usually.
• Templo di Debod: free but you need to register on the dedicated website and book in advance. If you want to go, book. There are only a few tickets available for each time slot. I didn’t realise and I couldn’t get them for the next day even in January.
• Real Jardin Botanico: Free on Tuesday mornings
• Real Academia Bellas Artes San Fernando: From February 1, 2025, access to the Permanent Collection will be free from Tuesday to Sunday from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and on May 18 (International Museum Day), October 12 (National Holiday) and December 6 (Constitution Day).

State Museums in Madrid:

• Museo Arqueológico Nacional
• Museo Cerralbo
• Museo de América
• Museo del Traje. CIPE
• Museo Nacional de Antropología
• Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas
• Museo del Romanticismo
• Museo Sorolla

Opening times of these museums vary and it’s best to look at the website for updated times. They are all free on Saturday afternoons and Sundays. Normal entry to all the above would be 3 euros per person (1.50 for over 65s). 

Expect a queue:

Palacio Real: Monday – Thursday two hours before closing (check the website for updated times)

Free times but no personal experience of accessing at free times:

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (see below) Free for those over 65 anyway and for everybody Monday to Saturday two hours before closing and Sunday 12.30-14.30 (check the website for updated times)

Museo Nacional del Prado (see below) Free for everyone the last two hours of opening every day. On a Wednesday afternoon in mid-January there was already a queue halfway back down the side of the building about 45 minutes before.

Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales and Real Monasterio de la Encarnación are both free Wednesday and Thursday afternoons (check the websites for updated times)

Tarjeta anual de Museos Estatales

Taking into consideration the free times, the fact that Andrea is over 65 and therefore could access Reina Sofia and the other museums in the list below free anyway, I (under 65) bought the Tarjeta anual de Museos Estatales which means I could access El Prado as many times as you want, as well as Reina Sofia and the other museums listed below. Andrea didn’t buy it because he could enter all  free except El Prado which is just 7.50 euros for over 65s.

This card is valid for visiting all the State Museums, along with the Museo Nacional del Prado and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, as many times as you wish and costs €36.06. It is valid for one year from the date of purchase. It isn’t available online but at the ticket office of any of the museums listed. Once you have the tarjeta you need to go physically to the ticket office of whichever museum you want to visit to get your ticket. You can’t use it online. To enter the museums, you must present the card together with your ID, passport or official identification document (essential to prove ownership of the card).

Museums included in the Annual State Museum Card in Madrid: Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Museo Cerralbo, Museo de América, Museo del Traje, Museo Nacional de Antropología, Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas, Museo del Romanticismo, Museo Sorolla. Some other museums in Cartagena, Mérida, Santillana del Mar, Toledo, Valencia and Valladolid are also included. More information here.