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Art in Madrid - The Great Galleries
5
days
from
US$3,040
Book today with a deposit of
US$456
10th - 14th March 2027, 15th - 19th April 2026, 4th - 8th November 2026
- Includes a private visit to the Prado, plus the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection and the Reina Sofía, home to Picasso’s 'Guernica'.
- Lesser-known places include the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and the Lázaro Galdiano Museum.
- Also visit the recently opened Galería de las Colecciones Reales, showcasing the finest works from Spain’s royal collections.
While the Museo del Prado alone might justify a visit to Madrid – and this tour has two sessions there, including a private out-of-hours visit – the city has other excellent collections that reinforce its reputation as one of the great art centres of Europe.
This city of Velázquez and Goya has been enormously enhanced over the years by the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection and the Reina Sofía Museum. Both these and the Prado boast superb facilities and exhibiting spaces thanks to the work of architects Jean Nouvel (Reina Sofía), Manuel Baquero and Francesc Plá (Thyssen) and Rafael Moneo (Prado) converting them into world-class galleries. Our stints at the ‘big three’ are interspersed with less-visited collections.
The great Spanish painters – including El Greco, Murillo, Velázquez, Goya and Picasso – are of course magnificently represented on the tour, but the collecting mania of the Habsburgs and Bourbons and their subjects has resulted in a wide range of artistic riches which will surprise and delight. There is a large number of outstanding paintings by Titian and Rubens, for example, and the Prado has by far the largest holding of the bizarre creations of Hieronymus Bosch.
Itinerary
Fly at c. 9.15am from London Heathrow to Madrid (Iberia Airlines). Begin at the Archaeological Museum, good on ancient Iberian civilization and Roman Spain. Settle into the hotel before dinner.
Start with a visit to the Royal Collections Gallery, a major new museum in Madrid with works by El Greco, Caravaggio, Goya, Titian and Bosch. Then visit the church of San Antonio de la Florida, with fine Goya frescoes (subject to the completion of ongoing restoration works, which are due to finish before our tour though delays are possible). In the afternoon make a first visit to the Prado Museum, which is among the world’s greatest art galleries, concentrating on the Spanish school.
Return to the Prado for a private out-of-hours visit, this time primarily to see the Italian and Netherlandish schools. Continue to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, housed in the 18th-century Palacio de Villahermosa, one of the world’s largest private art collections until its purchase by the Spanish state in 1993.
Morning visits to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and the Lázaro Galdiano Museum, with works by Goya, Zurbarán, Ribera, Murillo, and El Greco. The afternoon is free to allow for temporary exhibitions or a visit to the 18th-century Royal Palace. We hope to offer an optional visit to the Sorolla museum, in the charming house of the eponymous Impressionist painter, subject to its reopening following a major refurbishment.
Walk via Herzog & de Meuron’s CaixaForum to the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, one of the greatest modern art museums and home to Picasso’s Guernica plus works by Miró, Dalí and Tàpies. Fly to London Heathrow, arriving c. 6.15pm.
Fly at c. 9.15am from London Heathrow to Madrid (Iberia Airlines). Begin at the recently-refurnished Sorolla museum, in the charming house of the eponymous Impressionist painter. Settle into the hotel before dinner.
Begin with a visit to the Royal Collections Gallery, a major new museum in Madrid with works by El Greco, Caravaggio, Goya, Titian and Bosch. Then visit the church of San Antonio de la Florida, with fine Goya frescoes. In the afternoon we make our first visit to the Prado Museum, which is among the world’s greatest art galleries, concentrating on the Spanish school.
Return to the Prado for a private out-of-hours visit, this time primarily to see the Italian and Netherlandish schools. Continue to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection, housed in the 18th-century Palacio de Villahermosa, one of the world’s largest private art collections until its purchase by the Spanish state in 1993. The Museo de América has an impressive collection of pre-Columbian and colonial artworks and archaeological artefacts from the Americas.
Morning visits to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and the Lázaro Galdiano Museum, with works by Goya, Zurbarán, Ribera, Murillo, and El Greco. The afternoon is free with time to catch temporary exhibitions or a visit to the 18th-century Royal Palace.
Walk via Herzog & de Meuron’s CaixaForum to the Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, one of the greatest modern art museums and home to Picasso’s Guernica, plus works by Miró, Dalí and Tàpies. Fly to London Heathrow, arriving c. 6.15pm.
Expert speakers
Dr Akemi Luisa Herráez Vossbrink
Dr Akemi Luisa Herráez Vossbrink is an Art Historian who has worked on both Spanish and viceregal Latin American art during her academic and professional career. In 2021 she completed her doctoral thesis on the Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán and his reception in the Americas. She has published on this topic in articles and exhibition catalogues. She has worked at several English and American museums including The J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles), The National Gallery (London), The Meadows Museum (Dallas) and The Wallace Collection (London).
More tours led by Dr Akemi Luisa Herráez Vossbrink
Professor Claudia Hopkins
Professor of Art History at the University of Edinburgh and former Director of the Zurbarán Centre for Spanish and Latin American Art at Durham University (2020-2023). A specialist in Spanish art, Orientalism, and Anglo-Spanish cultural relations, her publications include Art and Identity in Spain 1833-1956: The Orient Within (2024), Hot Art, Cold War-European Writing on American Art 1945-1990 (edited with I.B. Whyte, 2020), and the award-winning Romantic Spain: Genaro Pérez Villaamil and David Roberts (2021), which accompanied the eponymous exhibition at Madrid’s Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in 2021
More tours led by Professor Claudia Hopkins
Dr Xavier Bray
Art historian specialising in Spanish art and sculpture and Director of the Wallace Collection, London. Formerly Chief Curator of Dulwich Picture Gallery and Assistant Curator of 17th and 18th-century European paintings at the National Gallery. His exhibitions include Murillo & Justino de Neve: The Art of Friendship and Goya: The Portraits. He completed his PhD at Trinity College, Dublin. Twitter: @XBray | Instagram: @xabibray
More tours led by Dr Xavier Bray
Practicalities
2026: Two sharing: US$3,370 or US$3,090 without flights. Single occupancy: US$4,000 or US$3,720 without flights.
2027: Two sharing: US$3,400 or US$3,040 without flights. Single occupancy: US$4,050 or US$3,690 without flights.
Private coach for transfers and excursions; accommodation as described below; breakfasts and 3 dinners with wine or beer, soft drinks, water, coffee or tea; all admissions; all tips for waiters and drivers; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.
NH Collection Palacio de Tepa, Madrid: a small and excellently located 5-star hotel. Rooms are comfortable and décor is contemporary. Single rooms are doubles for sole use.
The tour involves a lot of walking and standing in museums (which can be more tiring than moving around). A good level of fitness is essential. You will be on your feet for lengthy stretches of time.
Between 9 and 19 participants.
Before booking, please refer to the FCDO website to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting.
Dates & prices
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2026
Date
Speaker
Price
Date:
15th - 19th April 2026
Speaker:
Professor Claudia Hopkins
Price:
from US$3,090
(Based on two sharing)Date:
4th - 8th November 2026
Speaker:
Dr Xavier Bray
Price:
from US$3,090
(Based on two sharing)
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2027
Date
Speaker
Price
Date:
10th - 14th March 2027
Speaker:
Dr Akemi Luisa Herráez Vossbrink
Price:
from US$3,040
(Based on two sharing)Testimonials
“This was my first visit to Madrid and I feel I’ve had a really excellent introduction to the wide range of art it offers.
”
“Excellent range of visits – several that would have been completely missed if travelling on my own.
”
“The best possible introduction to Madrid and its art.
”
“Outstanding. We saw everything we had looked forward to and lots of unforeseen treasures.
”
“The lecturer was outstanding: a very good communicator, friendly, informal manner and of course a considerable expert.
”
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