Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum

The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza) houses what was once among the world’s most extensive private art collections. It was started in the 1920s by Baron Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza and continued by his son and daughter-in-law. The museum houses magnificent works by Old Masters as well as a large number of impressionist paintings and American artwork from the 19th century.

Wander the halls of this incredible museum with nearly 1,000 works. Fans of old Italian painters will be spellbound by masterpieces like the Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni by Ghirlandaio and Christ and the Samaritan Woman by Duccio di Buoninsegna. There are also paintings by Carpaccio, Titian and Caravaggio. Move on to the collection of old Flemish, Dutch and German works by the likes of Dürer and Jan Van Eyck. Gaze at scenes from the 17th century captured by Rubens and Rembrandt.

Check out the galleries devoted to later works to see some spectacular landscape paintings, the work of American artists like Edward Hopper and Sanford Gifford, as well as impressionist paintings by greats like Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir and Van Gogh. You’ll also find cubist paintings by Pablo Picasso and his contemporaries.

Continue to the extension housing the Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection to admire the display of Spanish art from the 19th and 20th centuries. There are also works by Toulouse-Lautrec, Pechstein and Pissarro.

The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum holds regular special exhibitions, lecture series and educational programmes. Check the website for details and dates. You’ll find the museum along the Paseo del Prado, not far from the Prado Museum and within easy walking distance of the Puerta del Sol and Banco de España metro stations.

The museum is open daily except for New Year’s Day, May 1 and Christmas Day. There’s an entry fee, but come on a Monday afternoon to enjoy free entry to the permanent collection.