How to Skip the Line at the Prado Museum
Buy a timed ticket on the official site (museodelprado.es) for about €15, which skips the 25-40 minute ticket-desk queue, and go at the 10 am opening on a weekday. The free last two hours are tempting, but the queue for them can take 45-90 minutes, so if you go free, arrive 15-30 minutes *after* free entry starts, when the first rush has gone in.
- Ticket
- About €15 on the official site (resellers charge more)
- Free hours
- Mon-Sat 6-8 pm, Sun and holidays 5-7 pm (permanent collection, capacity permitting)
- Best time
- 10 am opening on a weekday
- Busiest
- Free hours, especially Sunday 5-7 pm, and weekends
- Hours
- Mon-Sat 10 am-8 pm, Sun and holidays 10 am-7 pm
- Closed
- 1 January, 1 May, 25 December
- Time to allow
- 2-3 hours for the highlights
How long is the line at the Prado?
The Prado rarely sells out, so the main line is the ticket desk, typically 25-40 minutes at busy times. A timed online ticket skips it. The big queue of the day is the one for the free last two hours, which can stretch to 45-90 minutes at the Goya entrance, especially at weekends.
Before you go, check how busy the Prado is likely to be. BeatTheCrowd shows the live crowd level and an hourly forecast for any date, adjusted for Spanish holidays, school breaks and weather.
Check today’s crowds at Museo Nacional del Prado →