Start at the Prado: select a few works
The Prado Museum is the most useful starting point. It reveals the differences between tapestry cartoons, court portraits and the Black Paintings. These groups originally served different audiences and purposes. A cartoon is a painting used as a design by weavers; the term does not simply mean a preparatory sheet. Scenes of games, walks and festivities offer another way to look at the Madrid life depicted by Goya.
Next, choose a few portraits and paintings connected with violence and war. The Family of Charles IV shows the painter confronting power; The Third of May 1808 directs attention towards victims. The Black Paintings change register again, offering a darker and less straightforwardly narrative vision. Resist trying to see everything: focusing on these three groups allows you to compare expressions, gestures and lighting instead of just ticking off titles.
Standard admission costs €15. The museum opens Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 20:00 and on Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 19:00, with calendar exceptions. The final two hours offer free access to the collection, although queues may reduce your visiting time. For a first encounter with Goya, we suggest a paid morning visit and roughly two to three hours inside, depending on your interests.
Understand the war paintings without confusing locations
The Third of May is a work to see in the museum, not a scene you can find unchanged in today's streets. Keep three things separate: the location depicted, the place where the artist worked and the place where the painting is now kept. This avoids detours based on an assumed address or a promise of an intact setting. The city has changed since Goya's time, and an artistic itinerary is primarily a way of connecting works.
Before visiting, note the titles that interest you and consult the museum plan. Rooms and loans may change; a gallery number copied from an old guide is no guarantee. Once inside, asking staff where to find a particular work is more useful than wandering through several wings without a goal. With a child, begin with an everyday scene and a portrait before the more disturbing groups of paintings.
San Fernando: painter and printmaker
The San Fernando Royal Academy, on Calle Alcalá, complements the Prado with a different selection of paintings and Goya's institutional relationship with the Academy. Its Goya route highlights works including Self-Portrait at his Easel, La Tirana and The Burial of the Sardine. Their interest lies in the change of tone between subjects: an artist depicting himself at work speaks a different visual language from one observing a celebration.
The Calcografía Nacional also preserves the copper plates from his print series. A plate, an impression printed from it and a painting are three different objects; read the labels to understand what you are looking at. This stop particularly suits visitors wanting to go beyond the Prado's most frequently reproduced works. Check which spaces are open and the museum's visiting conditions before setting out; do not confuse a past temporary exhibition with the permanent displays.
Liria: Goya in an aristocratic collection
At Liria Palace, the Duchess of Alba in White gives Goya's painting another context. The work belongs to the House of Alba collection, in a residence also containing furniture, books and portraits spanning several generations. A picture's relationship with its setting matters as much as its subject: here you encounter a family's history and its choices about collecting and display.
Book the permanent visit, offered from €15, checking whether you are choosing self-guided access or a guided tour. Gardens and temporary exhibitions may be covered by other offers. When planning your day, remember the Monday afternoon closure and the gap between morning and afternoon admission slots. Avoid adding Liria to an already long museum day without a break; comparing one carefully studied portrait is more rewarding than accumulating visits.
San Antonio de la Florida: look upwards
The San Antonio de la Florida chapel, near Príncipe Pío, transforms the experience. The 1798 frescoes remain within the architecture for which they were painted, while Goya's tomb adds a biographical dimension. The dome depicts a miracle of Saint Anthony with a crowd whose attitudes attract as much attention as the religious event. Look at the painted balustrade, the movements and the way the figures occupy the space above you.
Admission is free. Allow for a quiet visit rather than maintaining the pace of a large museum, then take a walk nearby. Follow photography rules and respect visitors studying the vaults. This stop is away from the Prado–Atocha axis: save it for your Liria day, or use public transport instead of walking across the entire centre after hours of sightseeing.
The factory: from painting to thread
The Royal Tapestry Factory explains the cartoons' transformation into textiles. Founded in 1721, it still makes and restores carpets and tapestries. Its present building, near Atocha, dates from its move in 1889: Goya did not work in these current workshops. The continuity lies in an institution and a craft, which justifies visiting without inventing a place where he painted.
Access is by guided tour with a confirmed reservation; standard admission is €6, with an advertised duration of 45 minutes. The free Monday 10:00 visit must also be booked. Wear suitable closed shoes, as the workshops remain an industrial space. Schedule this appointment before or after the Prado according to the slot obtained, allowing time for the journey. Do not count on dropping in spontaneously to fill a gap in your day.
Two additions: the basilica and Lázaro Galdiano
The San Francisco el Grande basilica holds a Goya painting associated with Saint Bernardino of Siena. It offers a comparison between religious commissions, portraits and secular subjects seen elsewhere. Check cultural visiting arrangements, which are separate from worship: attending a service does not replace a heritage visit. This stop fits a walk through La Latina better than a return trip from the eastern museums.
The Lázaro Galdiano Museum, in the Salamanca area, displays works including Witches' Sabbath, commissioned for the Duke and Duchess of Osuna. It enriches the route with another private collection that became a museum. If you have already spent a morning at the Prado and visited San Fernando, save this addition for another half-day: concentration quickly fades when museums follow each other without a pause.
Spread out the route and budget
| Stop | What it adds | Planning |
|---|---|---|
| Prado | Cartoons, portraits, war, Black Paintings | Standard ticket €15; choose a few groups |
| San Fernando | Paintings and printmaking | Check which museum spaces are open |
| Liria | Portraits in the Alba collection | From €15; book the chosen option |
| San Antonio de la Florida | Frescoes and the painter's tomb | Free; allow time to travel west |
| Royal Tapestry Factory | Weaving techniques and history | €6; confirmed booking, 45 minutes |
| San Francisco el Grande | Religious commission | Fit around cultural visiting arrangements |
| Lázaro Galdiano | Goya in another collection | An additional half-day |
Prices checked in October 2026, excluding concessions and special offers. A reasonable approach is to spend the first day at the Prado and the factory if you secure a slot, then the second at San Fernando, Liria and the Florida chapel. This is a planning suggestion, not a guaranteed departure schedule. Anchor the route around fixed bookings, remove a stop if times do not fit and keep the two additions for a longer stay.
Further reading
The Paseo del Arte guide helps you organise the area around the Prado. To place collections within their palace and garden settings, continue with Royal Madrid. Our Madrid architecture guide provides pointers for looking at buildings between visits.
