Real Academia de San Fernando Madrid: Goya museum, hours and tickets

Updated on October 1, 2026

The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, founded in 1752, occupies the Goyeneche Palace at Calle de Alcalá 13, a short walk from the Puerta del Sol. Its museum holds 13 paintings by Goya, a member of the Academy from 1780, along with works from the Spanish, Italian and Flemish schools. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 15:00 and closes for the whole of August; general admission costs €10, and the permanent collection is free Tuesday to Friday (except public holidays) from 13:30 to 15:00 (prices checked in October 2026). The museum stays quiet compared with the nearby Prado: allow 1 to 1.5 hours. Since 2 May 2026, the museum's second floor has been closed until further notice.

Highlights

The Goyeneche Palace

Built in the early 18th century by José Benito de Churriguera for the banker Juan de Goyeneche, the palace was bought by the Academy, which has been based here since 1773. Diego de Villanueva then replaced the Baroque façade with the plain neoclassical front you see today on Calle de Alcalá.

The grand staircase

The main staircase, its walls covered with old canvases, leads to the first-floor rooms and gives a sense of the museum's dense, old-style hanging.

The Goya rooms

Since June 2022, the 13 Goya paintings have filled the two main rooms on the first floor. They include two self-portraits, one showing the artist at work in his studio at the easel, portraits of Moratín, Juan de Villanueva and the actress La Tirana, the Bullfight and The Burial of the Sardine, a carnival scene.

The Goya Cabinet of the Calcografía Nacional

The Calcografía Nacional, housed in the same building, keeps the copper plates Goya etched. The Goya Cabinet, open at the same times as the museum, displays this printmaking collection.

The collections

The museum brings together more than 1,400 paintings, 1,300 sculptures and 15,000 drawings, as well as tapestries, silverware, porcelain, clocks and furniture.

Opening hours and prices

Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 15:00, public holidays included; closed on Mondays, throughout August, on 1 and 6 January, 1 and 30 May, 9 November, and 23, 24, 25 and 31 December; the building is completely closed on 16 October 2026. General admission: €10 (museum, Goya Cabinet and exhibitions). Reduced rate: €5 (permanent collection only), notably for over-65s and students over 25. Free, with proof and for the permanent collection, for under-18s, students aged 18 to 25, unemployed people, teachers and people with disabilities. Free access to the permanent collection Tuesday to Friday, except public holidays, from 13:30 to 15:00, and on 18 May, 12 October and 6 December (prices checked in October 2026).

Infos pratiques

Tips

Come mid-morning rather than later: the museum closes at 15:00 and the free slot from 13:30 leaves little time to see everything. Buy your ticket from the official online shop or on site. Guided tours of the museum (20 people maximum) run Tuesday to Friday at 11:00, and of the Goya Cabinet on Thursdays at 12:00, except on public holidays, at Christmas, during Holy Week and from 22 July to 15 September.

How to get there

Calle de Alcalá 13, 28014 Madrid. Metro Sevilla (line 2), Sol (lines 1, 2 and 3) or Gran Vía (lines 1 and 5); Cercanías Sol. Buses 3, 5, 15, 20, 51, 52, 53 and 150 (stops around Sol).