Information about the institution, its organization and planning
Services Charter
Museum Information and Goals
The Museo del Prado opened to the public in 1819 in the building designed by architect Juan de Villanueva in 1785. Its first catalogue consisted of 311 paintings, all by Spanish artists, even though at the time the Museum was used to store 1,510 works from Royal Sites. The prized Royal Collections, which later gave life to the Museum’s Collection, started to take shape in the 16th century under Emperor Charles V, and were enriched over the years by all of the monarchs following him both from the Asturias and Bourbon dynasties. The Collection of the Museo Real [royal museum], which later became the Museo Nacional de Pintura y Escultura [national museum of painting and sculpture] (1868) and later the Museo Nacional del Prado, progressively absorbed works from other museums no longer in existence, including the Museo de la Trinidad (1872) and Spanish Museum of Modern Art (1971), along with more than 2,300 paintings and a large number of sculptures, stamps, drawings and decorative works of art gifted to it through important bequests and donations as well as through purchases, ultimately culminating in the more than 30,000 works of art that make up the Museo del Prado’s current holdings.
However, the Museum’s Collection isn’t the only thing that has grown over its lengthy history: its number of visitors has also grown considerably, especially over the past decades. For this reason, the Museo del Prado has been forced to undergo a series of expansions of the Villanueva Building, including the incorporation into the Museum of the surrounding buildings during the late 20th century, an undertaking that included the ambitious expansion project managed by Rafael Moneo in relation to the Jerónimos Cloister (2001–2007). This action, combined with the restoration and outfitting of the Casón del Buen Retiro, which is home to the Studies Centre and the Conservation, Library, and Archives and Documentation Departments, increased the Museum’s surface area to 45,322 m², turning it into a Museum ‘campus’ that will be completed over the upcoming years with the public opening of the Hall of Realms, a building annexed by the Museum in 2015 and which is currently undergoing architectural restoration and museum outfitting.
The goals of the Museo del Prado are the following:
To protect and guarantee the conservation of the Spanish heritage assets for which it is responsible, as well as to further enrich and elevate these assets.
To exhibit collections in appropriate conditions for viewing and study.
To encourage and guarantee public access to collections and to facilitate their study by researchers.
To advance knowledge on and the dissemination of works of art and the identity of the heritage assets managed by the Museum, promoting the development of educational programs and cultural dissemination activities.
To develop research programs and specialized staff training programs as well as to establish collaborative relationships with other museums, universities or cultural institutions, organizing temporary exhibitions and undertaking joint actions to achieve the purposes set forth. Said collaborative relationships will preferentially be developed with government institutions or organizations related to them, paying special attention to those with the most weight and reach in the museum sector.
To provide the scientific or technical advising, analysis, information or reporting services required by the competent bodies of the Administración General del Estado or which are based on any agreement or contract signed by and between public or private organizations or natural persons, in accordance with the conditions and requirements determined in applicable regulations.
Information
Opening hours:
Visits
Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 20:00.
Sundays and holidays from 10:00 to 19:00.
Closed: 1st January, 1st May and 25 December.
Reduced hours (from 10:00 to 14:00): 6 January, 24 January and 31 December.
Rooms will be cleared ten minutes before closing time.
Library and Archives
Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30 to 17:00 (book and other resources requests available until 16:30).
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 to 14:30 (book and other resources requests available until 14:00).
Fridays from 8:30 to 14:00 (book and other resources requests available until 13:30).
Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 14:00 (book and other resources requests available until 13:30).
Closed:
1st January, 1st May and 25 December.
Cafeteria
Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 19:30. Sunday and holidays from 10:00 to 18:30.
Ticket Prices
Regular admission: €15
Discount admission: €7.50
Audio guide Supplement: Admission + €5
Guided visit Supplement: Admission + €10
Admission + copy of the Prado Guide: €24
Admission for ‘9–10 AM visits’: €50/person.
Abono Paseo del Arte (Art Walk Pass): €32.
Annual State Museums Card: €36.60.
In the event of any changes in prices, visitors will be duly informed via all of the Museum’s publishing channels.
Free Access to the Collection
Monday to Saturday from 18:00 to 20:00 and Sunday and holidays from 17:00 to 19:00.
During these hours, a 50% discount is applicable to the price of admission to temporary exhibitions.
Paseo del Prado s/n, 28014 Madrid cav@museodelprado.es www.museodelprado.es Information and admissions sales: 910683001
How to Get There
Bus: Líneas 10, 14, 19, 27, 34, 45, 001 y C03.
Subway: Banco de España, Atocha and Retiro Stations.
Train and commuter train: Atocha and Recoletos Stations.
Public parking: Plaza de las Cortes.
Museum Services
The Collection
The Museo del Prado currently exhibits approximately 1,950 works of art from its holdings, which, in addition to the fundamental works of Velázquez and Goya, include emblematic paintings such as Bosco’s The Garden of Earthly Delights, Van der Weyden’s The Descent from the Cross, Greco’s The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest, Mantegna’s The Death of the Virgin, Rafael’s The Holy Family, Tiziano’s Emperor Charles V at Mühlberg, Tintoretto’s The Washing of the Feet, Durero’s Self-portrait, or Rubens’s The Three Graces. This makes for an extraordinary voyage through the history of European painting from the Romanesque Period up until the early 20th century, which is further enhanced by the Museum’s magnificent collections of sculptures, drawings, stamps and decorative art.
Temporary Exhibitions
The four rooms of the Jerónimos Building house a vast annual program of temporary exhibitions that are either related to the Collection, produced in-house, or presented in collaboration with other national and foreign institutions.
Cultural and Educational Activities
Itineraries, tours and talks
Conferences, symposiums and specialized courses
Program for schoolchildren
Visits and workshops for families and activities for young people
Programs such as ‘Inclusive Prado’ and ‘Social Prado’
Creation workshops
Activities and courses for teachers
Theatre, dance, music and artistic actions
Group Visits
Group visits to the Museum are available at any time during its opening hours.
It is essential to book the date and time and to purchase admissions tickets in advance through the online bookings and admissions sales area of the Museum’s website.
Visits to the Collection can be done in groups of eight to thirty people. In the case of temporary exhibitions, the maximum number of group members may vary, as may the dates and times available for group visits, based on the features of each exhibition.
Library, Archives and Documentation Centre
Bibliographic and documentary holdings specializing in Museo del Prado collections, and more broadly, in European Art from the Middle Ages to the 19th century.
On-premise consultation service, document reproduction (subject to legal limitations and conservation criteria), interlibrary loans and loans for exhibitions, and on-premise reservation of library holdings.
Researcher access to museum collections and library holdings.
Access to museum collections is restricted to research projects and is subject to the prior approval of the Senior Management.
Publications
Catalogues, monographs, the Museo del Prado newsletter, guides and other specialized publications available in the shop.
Website: www.museodelprado.es
Detailed information on the institution and its collections, exhibitions, activities, documents, management and services.
Reservation and sale of admission tickets.
Corporate events
Possibility of guided visits to the Collection and temporary exhibitions outside of normal opening hours as well as holding institutional and corporate events in specific public spaces at the Museum, subject to payment of the corresponding rates and fees.
Copyists
Artwork copies can be made in Museum rooms subject to the approval of the Copies Office.
Visitor Service Centre
Telephone service available by calling 91 0683001 and by email at cav@museodelprado.es
Early admissions sales service for individual and group visits available on the Museum’s website.
Audio Guides
Rental of audio guide devices for visits available in fifteen languages, including a children’s audio guide in Spanish and English, sign language guides, audio guides with a magnetic loop, audio descriptions, and a group guiding system.
Image Bank
Reproductions of works in the Collection and permits to take photographs at the Museum.
Cloakroom
Information points
Cafeteria and restaurant
Shop and bookstore
Users’ Rights
Museum users have the following specific rights, among others:
The right to be treated with respect and courtesy by Museum staff.
The right to be informed of the requirements and conditions applicable to visits.
The right to adequate safety and hygienic conditions.
The right to free or discount access when they meet the requirements established in regulations in force.
Quality Commitments
The Museum offers its services in line with the quality commitments stated below:
It must hold at least ten temporary exhibitions per year.
It must hold at least 100 cultural or educational activities per year.
It must provide visitors with timely information on collections, temporary exhibitions and cultural activities and services via its website, www.museodelprado.es, which is updated daily.
It must provide personalized information on visits to the Museum through its Visitor Service Centre within a maximum of 5 minutes from when the request is made.
It must make Museum plans available to visitors in Spanish, English, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese, Korean, Catalan, Valencian, Galician and Basque. These must contain the contents and itinerary of the visit to the permanent exhibition and be available in print format every day the Museum is open.
It must provide print information in Spanish to visitors on educational and cultural activities every day the Museum is open.
It must have brochures on temporary exhibitions in Spanish and English in digital format on the Museum’s website 365 days per year.
It must respond to group visit reservation requests within a maximum of two working days from receipt.
It must respond to researchers’ requests to access the Museum’s holdings within a maximum of seven working days from receipt.
It must respond to requests to access documentary holdings within a maximum of one business day from receipt.
It must respond to requests for private visits and events within a maximum of five business days from receipt.
It must respond to requests to make pictorial copies within a maximum of three business days from receipt.
Quality Indicators
The Museum must evaluate the quality of its services on an annual basis, taking the following numerical figures into account:
The temporary exhibitions held during the year.
The cultural and educational activities held during the year.
The number of days on which updates were made to its website regarding the Museum’s collections, temporary exhibitions, and cultural activities and services. Additionally, the percentage of these days in relation to the total number of days that the museum is open during the year.
The number of calls answered by the Visitor Service Centre within a maximum response time of 5 minutes, as well as the percentage of these calls in relation to the total number of calls answered by the Visitor Service Centre.
The number of open days during which information was available in print format in each of the specified languages (Spanish, English, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese, Korean, Catalan, Valencian, Galician and Basque). Additionally, the percentage of these days in relation to the total number of days that the museum is open during the year.
The number of open days during which information was available in print format in Spanish on the Museum’s cultural and educational activities. Additionally, the percentage of these days in relation to the total number of days that the museum is open during the year.
The number of open days during which pamphlets in both Spanish and English in digital format were available on temporary exhibitions. Additionally, the percentage of these days in relation to the total number of days that the museum is open during the year.
The number of group visit reservation requests answered within a maximum of two working days from receipt, and the percentage of these requests in relation to the total number of reservation requests during the year.
The number of requests from researchers to access Museum holdings answered within a maximum of seven working days from the time at which they were received. Additionally, the percentage of these requests in relation to the total number of requests from researchers during the year.
The number of requests for private visits and events answered within a maximum of five working days from the time at which they were received. Additionally, the percentage of these requests in relation to the total number of requests for private visits during the year.
The number of image bank requests answered within a maximum of three working days from receipt, as well as the percentage of these requests in relation to the total number of image bank requests during the year.
Rectification Measures
Any citizen who believes that the Museo del Prado has failed to comply with the commitments stated in this charter can submit a claim to the Museum Senior Management, which is the body responsible for managing the institution. Said claims shall be submitted to the following address and answered in written format:
Museo Nacional del Prado Visitor Service Centre Ruiz de Alarcón 23 28014 Madrid
In the event of noncompliance, the Museo del Prado Senior Management will address an apology to the citizen in question, stating the reasons for the noncompliance as well as the measures adopted to rectify the deficiency detected.
The government shall not be held financially liable for said noncompliance.
User Participation
Museum visitors can participate in improving its services through the following channels:
The official book of complaints and suggestions, in accordance with the provisions of this Services Charter.
The brochure entitled ‘We Welcome Your Opinion.’
The service satisfaction surveys that the Museum makes available to users.
The electronic office of the Spanish Ministry of Culture, which has the option of submitting an online claim.
By writing to the Museum by post or email.
Via the Museo del Prado’s accounts on the main social media platforms.
Complaints and Suggestions
Museum’s visitors can submit a complaint or make a suggestion regarding the operation of the service in accordance with the procedure established in Royal Decree 951/2005 of 29 July (Official State Gazette of 3 September) at the locations and in accordance with the methods indicated below:
In person at the Information Desk of Jerónimos Entrance Hall, at the Museum General Registry, and at registries of the Administración General del Estado.
By email, signed with the electronic signature of the requesting party, sent to the Senior Management at atencion.visitante@museodelprado.es
By letter mailed to the Museo Nacional del Prado (Visitor Service Centre) C/ Ruiz de Alarcón 23, 28014 Madrid (Spain).
On the Museo Nacional del Prado’s website.
Regulatory Framework
Updating of public prices via the Ruling of 17 December 2020 of the Museo Nacional del Prado publishing the Agreement of the Permanent Committee of the Royal Board of Trustees of the Museo Nacional del Prado establishing the public admission prices for the Museum [Resolución de 17 de diciembre de 2020, del Museo Nacional del Prado, por la que se publica el Acuerdo de la Comisión Permanente del Real Patronato del Museo Nacional del Prado, en el que se fijan los precios públicos de entrada al Museo].
Ruling of 14 December 2017 of the Museo Nacional del Prado publishing the Agreement of the Permanent Committee of the Royal Board of Trustees of the Museo Nacional del Prado establishing the public prices for the provision of the Museum’s services and activities [Resolución de 14 de diciembre de 2017, del Museo Nacional del Prado, por la que se publica el Acuerdo de la Comisión Permanente del Real Patronato del Museo Nacional del Prado, en el que se establecen los precios públicos por prestación de servicios y actividades del museo].
Order PCM/4/2021 of 11 January establishing the rates applicable to the use of the spaces of the Museo Nacional del Prado [Orden PCM/4/2021, de 11 de enero, por la que se establecen las tasas por utilización de espacios en el Museo Nacional del Prado].
Law 46/2003 of 25 November regulating the Museo Nacional del Prado [Ley 46/2003, de 25 de noviembre, reguladora del Museo Nacional del Prado].
Royal Decree 433/2004 of 12 March approving the Bylaws of the Museo Nacional del Prado [Real Decreto 433/2004, de 12 de marzo, por el que se aprueba el Estatuto del Museo Nacional del Prado].
Royal Decree 1713/2011 of 18 November modifying the Bylaws of the Museo Nacional del Prado, approved by Royal Decree 433/2004 of 12 March [Real Decreto 1713/2011, de 18 de noviembre, por el que se modifica el Estatuto del Museo Nacional del Prado, aprobado por Real Decreto 433/2004, de 12 de marzo].
Ruling of 23 May 2016 of the Museo Nacional del Prado publishing the Agreement of the Permanent Committee of the Royal Board of Trustees of the Museo Nacional del Prado establishing the public admission prices for entry to the Museum [Resolución de 23 de mayo de 2016, del Museo Nacional del Prado, por la que se publica el Acuerdo de la Comisión Permanente del Real Patronato del Museo Nacional del Prado, en el que se establecen los precios públicos de entrada al Museo].
Royal Decree 951/2005 of 29 July establishing the general framework for quality improvement at the Administración General del Estado [Real Decreto 951/2005, de 29 de julio, por el que se establece el marco general para la mejora de la calidad en la Administración General del Estado].
The Senior Management of the Museo Nacional del Prado is responsible for this Services Charter and must ensure compliance with the commitments taken on as a part of it as well as the implementation of the relevant improvement actions.
