Things to do near the Prado Museum
The Prado Museum occupies one of the most privileged spots in Madrid: at the heart of the Paseo del Prado, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with Retiro Park, and surrounded by historic gardens, other great museums and one of the most culturally vibrant neighbourhoods in the city. If you have more time after your visit, here is everything worth seeing without straying more than twenty minutes on foot.
Buen Retiro Park
Five minutes' walk from the Prado, Retiro Park is Madrid's green lung and one of the most beautiful historic parks in Europe. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021 together with the Paseo del Prado and the Paisaje de la Luz, the Retiro covers more than 120 hectares with the large boating lake, the Crystal Palace, the Palacio de Velázquez (both venues for Reina Sofía exhibitions), the rose gardens and the Bosque de los Ausentes. Admission is free and the park stays open until dusk. It is the perfect close to a day of culture.
Royal Botanic Garden
Right at the southern edge of the Prado, with an entrance from the Paseo del Prado, the Royal Botanic Garden was founded in 1755 by Ferdinand VI and moved to its current location by Charles III in 1781 — the same king who commissioned the Villanueva building. Laid out in Enlightenment-style terraces, it houses more than 5,000 plant species from around the world, 18th-century greenhouses, a medicinal plant collection and temporary exhibitions on botany and nature photography. Admission is reduced (~€4) and the space is especially beautiful in spring, when the bulb and rose collections are in bloom. It is literally just around the corner from the Prado.
CaixaForum and the vertical garden
CaixaForum Madrid, also on the Paseo del Prado about five minutes from the Prado, stands out both for its architecture and its cultural programme. The building, rehabilitated by architects Herzog & de Meuron from an early 20th-century power station, is topped by a spectacular vertical garden by Patrick Blanc: a living plant wall of more than 460 square metres with over 15,000 plants of 250 different species. Admission to the public space and garden is free; the interior temporary exhibitions have variable pricing. It is one of the most visited art spaces in Madrid.
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
Opposite the Prado, across the Paseo, the Thyssen-Bornemisza completes the Art Triangle with an encyclopaedic collection ranging from 13th-century Italian primitives to American pop art, taking in Impressionism, Fauvism and German Expressionism. Located in the Palacio de Villahermosa, near the Plaza de Cibeles, it is the museum that best covers the 19th and 20th centuries before the post-war avant-gardes. The collection is compact and manageable: in two and a half hours you can comfortably cover its three floors. Ideal for the day after your Prado visit.
The Paseo del Prado
The Paseo del Prado itself, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, deserves an unhurried stroll. The fountain axis — Cibeles, Neptune and the Fountains of the Four Seasons — forms the backbone of one of the most elegant urban promenades in Europe. Designed in the 18th century by Ventura Rodríguez during the reign of Charles III as a great Enlightenment boulevard, the Paseo del Prado runs from the Botanic Garden in the south to the Plaza de Cibeles in the north — just over a kilometre, flanked by the Jardín de los Jerónimos to the east and CaixaForum to the west.
Museo Reina Sofía
About fifteen minutes' walk to the south, following the Paseo del Prado, the Reina Sofía completes the visit with modern and contemporary art: Picasso's Guernica, Dalí, Miró and the 20th-century avant-gardes. Together with the Prado and the Thyssen it forms the Art Triangle. If you have time for all three, the Paseo del Arte Card offers a 20–25% discount compared with buying each ticket separately.
Atocha Station
About fifteen minutes' walk from the Prado, the old nave of Atocha station (the historic 19th-century iron-and-glass section) houses one of the most surprising corners of Madrid: a tropical garden of more than 4,000 square metres with palm trees, ficus and a tortoise pond, all beneath the great metal structure. Access is completely free and no train ticket is required. It makes a refreshing stop, especially in summer.
Start your day at the Prado
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Frequently asked questions
What is near the Prado that is free?
Retiro Park, the Paseo del Prado and the tropical garden at Atocha are completely free. The CaixaForum vertical garden also has free admission.
Is the Botanic Garden next to the Prado?
Yes, literally around the corner, with an entrance from the Paseo del Prado next to the museum's Murillo Gate. Admission is reduced (~€4).
Is Retiro Park near the Prado?
Yes, about five minutes' walk to the east. It is the natural extension of any visit to the Prado, especially on a fine day.
Can you combine the Prado with the Reina Sofía on the same day?
Yes, they are a 10-minute walk apart along the Paseo del Arte. It's very common to see both in a day: the Prado (classical painting) in the morning and the Reina Sofía (20th-century art, with the Guernica) in the afternoon. There is a combined pass.
Where to eat near the Prado?
There are plenty of options around the Paseo del Prado and the Barrio de las Letras. The museum itself has a café-restaurant. Nearby are Retiro Park for a picnic and the Atocha area. Book ahead if you go at the weekend.
Content reviewed by the Ticket Visit team · June 2026.
