Reina Sofia Museum, also known as the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, is a massive modern and contemporary art collection.
The Prado Museum and Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum also form Madrid’s Golden Triangle of Art.
The Reina Sofia Museum boasts masterpieces by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Salvador Dali, Angeles Santos, etc.
It is an ideal getaway for both art lovers and casual visitors.
This article covers everything you must know before booking tickets to the Reina Sofia Museum.
Top Tickets
# Skip-the-Line Reina Sofia Ticket
# Guided tour of Reina Sofia MuseumIt’s highly recommended to book your Reina Sofia Museum tickets in advance. These tickets sell out quickly, so securing your spot early ensures you don’t miss out on this unforgettable experience.
What’s ahead
What to expect at Reina Sofia Musem
Immerse yourself in the mesmerizing world of contemporary and modern masterpieces, including Picasso’s iconic “Guernica,” the world’s most famous anti-war painting.
Expert guides will unveil the narratives behind each brushstroke, leading you through the dynamic exhibits of Spanish maestros like Dalí and Miró.
Explore the cutting-edge Nouvel Building and engage with ever-evolving temporary exhibitions.
Learn about 20th-century art movements, such as Surrealism and Cubism.
Traditional modes of painting are side by side with photography, film, sound, and dance with lighting systems, multimedia installations, and interactive displays that enhance the overall visitor experience.
Stroll about in the elegant old Museum complex and the new building with its stunning geometric patterns.
Where to book tickets
Tickets for Reina Sofia Museum are available online and at the venue.
Online ticket prices tend to be cheaper than tickets at the venue.
When you buy online, you can avoid the long queues at the attraction’s ticket counters.
Because Reina Sofía Museum sells a limited number of tickets, they may sell out during peak days.
Booking early helps avoid last-minute disappointments.
How do online tickets work
Go to the booking page of Reina Sofia Museum, select the number of tickets, your preferred date, and language, and buy the tickets.
Once you purchase tickets, they get delivered to your email address.
There is no need to get printouts of the ticket.
Show the e-ticket on your smartphone at the entrance and walk in.
Please carry a valid ID.
Recommended
Reina Sofia Museum Ticket Prices
Tickets for the Reina Sofía Museum cost €12 for all visitors between 18 and 65 years.
Visitors under 18, students with a valid ID, and seniors above 65 can enter for free.
A list of candidates eligible for free tickets can be found on the museum website.
Please submit valid documents available for each case.
Tickets for the Reina Sofía Museum Guided Tour cost €35 for visitors above 12 years.
Children between three and 11 years pay a discounted price of €31 for their entry.
Infants under three can get in for free.
Private tour tickets cost €64 for everyone, irrespective of age.
Reina Sofia tickets
More than four million people visit the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid annually, translating to more than ten thousand daily visitors.
The Museum tickets we have recommended below are valid for the whole day – you can step out and return to the Museum again.
There are two kinds of Sofia Museum experiences you can book.
Skip-the-Line Reina Sofia Ticket
This skip-the-line ticket helps you explore both the permanent and the temporary collections at the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Europe’s most significant Collection of contemporary art.
It is valid for the whole day – from 10 am to 8 pm.
You can cancel the ticket 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
You can purchase an audio guide for an additional €4.5.
Ticket price
Adult ticket (18 to 65 years): 12 Euros
Child ticket (up to 18 years): Free
Senior ticket (66+ years): Free
Guided tour of Reina Sofia Museum
This guided tour is limited to a few participants and starts at 12.45 pm.
A local art expert takes you on a 75-minute tour of the masterpieces of Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, etc.
After the guided tour, you can hang around and explore for as long as you want.
On the ticket booking page, select ‘Standard Group Tour.’
Ticket price
Adult ticket (12+ years): €35
Child ticket (3 to 11 years): €31
Infant ticket (up to 2 years): Free entry
If you want to start at 10 am and prefer something longer, check out this 90-minute guided tour of Sofia Museum.
Private guided tour
If you want an exclusive art expert to guide you and prefer complete control over your tour, you must opt for a private tour of the Reina Sofia Museum.
When you book a private tour, you get to choose the time of the tour.
You can cancel this tour up to 24 hours in advance to receive a full refund.
On the ticket booking page, select ‘Private Tour.’
Ticket Cost: €64
Note: This is the cost if at least three tickets are selected. The prices fall with every extra ticket.
Buy This TicketPrado Museum + Reina Sofia Museum
Distance between attractions: 700 meters (0.43 miles)
Time taken: 10 minutes on foot
If you are an art lover, this combo tour is a steal because, for just 65 Euros, you get a guided tour of two of the most beautiful art Museums in Europe.
The four-hour tour starts at 9.45 am from Velazquez’s Statue in front of the Prado Museum, where you will meet your guide.
After the expert art guide has taken you through the Prado Museum, they take you through the Reina Sofia Museum.
Tour price
Adult ticket (12+ years): €65
Child ticket (3 to 11 years): €58
Infant ticket (up to 2 years): Free entry
Paseo del Arte Card
Madrid is also known as the art lover’s paradise because of the numerous art Museums in the city.
The Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, the Prado Museum, and the Reina Sofía Museum form the ‘Golden Triangle of Art.’
If you are in Madrid for over three days, we recommend trying all three Museums.
They are next to each other – within 20 minutes of walking time.
The Paseo del Arte pass is one ticket for entry into all three Museums, and it is valid for one year from the date selected during your purchase.
With this pass, you save 20% on entrance tickets and skip the lines too!
It costs around €35 per person.
Buy This PassWhere is the Reina Sofia Museum
Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid is spread over four buildings.
Sabatini Building and Nouvel Building form the main venue.
They are next to each other but have a different address:
Sabatini Building
52 Santa Isabel Street
28012, Madrid
Nouvel Building
Ronda de Atocha Street
28012, Madrid
The main entrance is in the Sabatini Building on 52 Santa Isabel Street, Madrid. Get Directions
Palacio de Velazquez and Palacio de Cristal are the other buildings that complete the Reina Sofia Museum.
These buildings are in Parque del Retiro, one of Madrid’s largest parks.
This part of the art museum is a 15-minute walk from the main buildings – Sabatini and Nouvel.
How to get to Reina Sofia Museum
The Museum is well-connected with all forms of public transportation.
Address: C. de Sta. Isabel, 52, 28012 Madrid, Spain. Get Directions.
By Metro
Estación del Arte Metro Station (Services: 1) is closest to the Museo del Reina Sofia.
Estación del Arte is 250 meters (800 feet) from the art museum, and you can walk the distance in three minutes.
Lavapiés Metro station (Services: 3) is 500 meters (one-third of a mile) from Reina Sofia Madrid, and you can walk the distance in six minutes.
For Metro tickets, check out Madrid Metro’s website.
By Train
If you are getting to the Museum from outside Madrid city, you can take a train to Atocha-RENFE Station, also known as Estación de Madrid Atocha.
Atocha Station is 850 meters (half a mile) from the Museum, and you can walk the distance in about 12 minutes.
For timings and tickets, check out Renfe, the company that manages trains in Spain.
By Bus
Reina Sofía bus stop (Bus No: 34, C2, C03, N12, N15, N17, NC2) is three minutes from the museum.
Pza. Emperador Carlos V – Atocha (Bus No: N401, N402) is a 2-minute walk from the attraction.
Atocha bus stop (Bus No: 3, 41, 119) is 5 minutes from the attraction.
On weekdays, buses in Madrid run from 6 am to 11.30 pm with a frequency of 4 to 15 minutes.
Madrid buses start at 7 am and stop at 11 pm on weekends and public holidays.
By Car
If you’re traveling by car, turn on your Google Maps and get started.
Parking at Sofia Museum Madrid
Sofia Museum doesn’t have parking of its own.
However, you can park your car at either Plaza Juan Goytisolo or the Atocha train station.
Plaza Juan Goytisolo is right opposite Sofia Museum, while Atocha station is 12 12-minute walk away.
Reina Sofia Museum timings
From Wednesday to Saturday and Monday, the Sofia Museum’s main buildings (Sabatini and Nouvel) open at 10 am and close at 9 pm.
On Sundays, the art museum opens at 10 am and closes at 2 am.
On Tuesdays, the main venues remain closed.
Ticket Offices close 30 minutes before closing time.
Timing of Palacio de Velázquez and Palacio de Cristal
Reina Sofia Museum’s main venues and the buildings in Parque del Retiro have different opening hours.
From April to September (the peak tourist season), Palacio de Velázquez and Palacio de Cristal open at 10 am and close at 10 pm.
During the shoulder months of March and October, this part of the Sofia Museum is open from 10 am to 7 pm.
During the lean season of November to February, the two buildings in Parque del Retiro open at 10 am but close at 6 pm.
Palacio de Velázquez and Palacio de Cristal stay open throughout the week.
Palacio de Cristal is closed on rainy days.
When is Sofia Museum Madrid closed?
All four Reina Sofia buildings in Madrid remain closed on 1 and 6 January and 1 May.
The main venues are closed on 15 May, 9 November, and 24, 25, and 31 December, but Palacio de Cristal and Palacio de Velázquez remain open.
Reina Sofia Museum free hours
Entry is free for all during certain times of the day.
From Monday to Saturday, it is between 7 pm to 9 pm.
On Sunday, it is between 12.30 to 2.30 pm.
Free tickets are issued at the Reina Sofia Museum ticket counters.
Free tickets are unavailable online, so you can’t book them beforehand. You can only pick them up on the day of your visit.
Palacio de Velázquez and Palacio de Cristal in Parque del Retiro are free throughout the week.
Best time to visit Reina Sofia Museum
To beat the crowd, most visitors arrive at 10 am – as soon as the art museum opens – and crowd it.
The best time to visit the Reina Sofia Museum is weekdays from 3 pm to 5 pm.
If you can’t make it post-lunch, the next best time is to be at the museum’s entrance between 11 am and 12 noon.
When you arrive an hour later, the crowd has already seen the masterpieces and dispersed to different parts of the museum.
On bad weather days, Sofia Museo in Madrid gets a massive visitor jump because it is an indoor attraction.
Whatever time you decide to visit, it is better to purchase your tickets beforehand to avoid waiting in lines.
How long does the Reina Sofia Museum take
Visitors need at least two hours to explore what Reina Sofia Museum offers.
Tourists focusing only on the masterpieces on display are known to finish their tour in an hour.
Guided tours by art experts are available for both 60 minutes and 90 minutes.
What to see in Reina Sofia Museum
The Permanent Collection at Reina Sofia Museum is divided into three parts – Collection 1, Collection 2, and Collection 3.
You can download this Reina Sofia Museum guide or continue reading to understand the exhibits better.
We break down these Collections and share the highlights of the Reina Sofia Museum below –
Collection 1: The Irruption of the 20th Century: Utopias and Conflicts
Collection 1 at Sofia Museum consists of all of the museum’s artwork between 1900 and 1945.
It is displayed on the 2nd floor of the Sabatini Building.
This Collection includes work by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí, Ángeles Santos, Maruja Mallo, Francis Picabia, etc.
The must-sees are:
- Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937
- Joan Miró, Portrait II (Retrato II), 1938
- Salvador Dalí, Visage du Grand Masturbateur (Rostro del Gran Masturbador), 1929
- Ángeles Santos, Tertulia, 1929
- Maruja Mallo, La verbena, 1927
- Francis Picabia, Totalisateur (Totalizador), 1922 (ca.)
Collection 2: The war is over? Art in a Divided World
Collection 2 at Sofia Museum consists of all of the museum’s artwork between 1945 and 1968.
It is displayed on the 4th floor of the Sabatini Building.
This Collection includes work by artists such as José Val del Omar, Mira Schendel, Francis Bacon, Ángela García Codoñer, Constant, Robert Motherwell, Eduardo Arroyo, etc.
The must-sees are:
- José Val del Omar, Aguaespejo granadino, 1953-1955
- Mira Schendel, Sin título, 1965
- Francis Bacon, Lying Figure (Figura tumbada), 1966
- Ángela García Codoñer, Divertimento, 1973
- Constant, Nébulose mécanique (Nebulosa mecánica), 1958
- Robert Motherwell, Totemic Figure (Figura totémica), 1958
- Eduardo Arroyo, España te miró, 1967
Collection 3: From revolt to postmodernity
Collection 3 at Sofia Museum consists of art created between 1962 and 1982 and is displayed on the ground floor of the Nouvel Building.
This collection includes work by artists such as Mari Chordà, Dan Flavin,
Antoni Tàpies, Juan Genovés, Luciano Fabro, Richard Serra, etc.
The must-sees are:
- Mari Chordà, La gran vagina, 1966
- Dan Flavin, The Nominal Three (To William of Ockham) (El tres nominal [para Guillermo de Ockham]), 1963
- Antoni Tàpies, Gran marró i fusta (Gran marrón y madera), 1975
- Juan Genovés, El abrazo, 1976
- Luciano Fabro, Vetro di Murano e seta indiana (Piede di vetro) 1968-1972
- Colita, S/T (portada del libro “Antifémina”), 1976
- Equipo Crónica, Espectador de espectadores, 1972
- Ivonne Rainer, Trio A, 1978
Restaurants at Reina Sofia Madrid
Reina Sofia has two restaurants on its premises – Nuvel Cafe in the Nouvel building and Arzábal Cafe in the Sabatini building.
Nubel Café
Nubel Cafe is a quiet and cozy space created to complete the art lover’s museum experience.
It offers breakfasts, lunch, snacks, tapas, cocktails, and an exciting night menu.
The cafe also has a beautiful terrace open all year.
Wednesday and Thursday: 12 pm to 12 am
Friday and Saturday: 12 pm to 2 am
Sunday: 11 am to 12 am
Monday and Tuesday: Closed
Arzabal Cafe
Arzabal restaurant is both traditional and modern in its setting at the same time.
They are known for their croquettes, Cantabrian anchovies, truffle egg skillet, and dessert.
Monday to Thursday: 10.30 am to 1.30 am
Friday and Saturday: 10.30 am to 2.30 am
Sunday: 10.30 am to 5.30 pm
