Museum Building · Madrid, Spain
Prado Museum
The Museo del Prado, officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. Built 1819. It drew 1,175,296 visitors in 2021.
Photo: Emilio J. Rodríguez Posada via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Madrid, Spain |
|---|---|
| Type | Museum Building |
| Built | 1819 |
| Architect | Juan de Villanueva |
| Area | Area: 0.042 km² |
| Annual visitors (2021) | 1,175,296 |
| Coordinates | 40.4139° N, 3.6922° W |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Prado Museum is known for
The Museo del Prado, officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid.
About Prado Museum
The Museo del Prado, officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century, based on the former Spanish royal collection, and is the single best collection of Spanish art in the world. Founded as a museum of paintings and sculpture in 1819, it also contains important collections of other types of works.
History
The building that is now the home of the Museo Nacional del Prado was designed in 1785 by architect of the Enlightenment in Spain Juan de Villanueva on the orders of Charles III to house the Natural History Cabinet. Nonetheless, the building's final function was not decided until the monarch's grandson, Ferdinand VII, encouraged by his wife, Queen María Isabel de Braganza, decided to use it as a new Royal Museum of Paintings and Sculptures. The royal museum, which would soon become known as the National Museum of Painting and Sculpture, and subsequently the Museo Nacional del Prado, opened to the public for the first time in November 1819.
Planning a visit? Visit the official Prado Museum website — the official site has the current visiting information.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Madrid |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Madrid Barajas International Airport (MAD) |
| Distance from the airport | 7.3 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (MAD) · Madrid, Spain · 8.4 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Spain
More museum buildings
Frequently asked questions
What is Prado Museum?
The Museo del Prado, officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid.
Where is Prado Museum located?
Prado Museum is in Madrid, Spain. Its coordinates are 40.4139° N, 3.6922° W.
How do I get to Prado Museum?
The nearest town is Madrid, and the nearest airport is Madrid Barajas International Airport (MAD), about 7.3 miles away (straight line).
When was Prado Museum built?
Prado Museum was built 1819.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_del_Prado — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q160112 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://www.museodelprado.es/ — Official website of the landmark / managing body.
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.