Before You Book the Thyssen-Bornemisza: Every Cost, and What's Worth It
By the BeatTheCrowd team · Prices last checked 3 November · 3 min read
The Thyssen-Bornemisza, the third of Madrid's Golden Triangle museums alongside the Prado and the Reina Sofía, fills the gaps in their collections, from Italian primitives to Impressionists and Pop Art. It's also the calmest of the three. There's the general ticket, a reduced price, free Monday afternoons, free Saturday nights for the temporary shows, and the Paseo del Arte pass. Most of them sound worth paying for. You don't need the most expensive one to have a great visit. In this guide we walk through what each option costs, what you really get, and how to choose the right one.
At a glance
General
€14, with temporary exhibitions
Reduced
€10 (over-65s, students)
Under 18
Free
Free Mondays
Noon-4 pm, permanent collection
Free Saturday nights
9-11 pm, temporary exhibitions
Hours
Tue-Sun 10 am-7 pm; Sat to 11 pm
Quietest
Almost any weekday hour
🎟️ Book skip-the-line tickets
Check the crowds, find the best time slot, and book through our authorised partner.
The real total: entry price vs what a typical visit costs
A general ticket costs €14 and includes the permanent collection, the Carmen Thyssen collection and the temporary exhibitions, according to La Maleta Inquieta. Over-65s and students pay €10; under-18s are free. The permanent collection is free on Mondays from noon to 4 pm, and the temporary exhibitions are free on Saturdays from 9 to 11 pm.
Visitor
What they buy
Price
Adult
General ticket
€14
Student / over 65
Reduced
€10
Monday, noon-4 pm
Permanent collection
€0
Saturday, 9-11 pm
Temporary exhibitions
€0
Tickets and entry: what each one gets you
Cost
Price (€)
Type
How to cut it
General
€14
≈ US$16
Unavoidable
Or a free Monday afternoon.
Reduced
€10
≈ US$12
Unavoidable
Over-65s and students.
Is the free Monday worth it?
It covers the permanent collection, the heart of the museum, and in our data Monday afternoons are moderate. Our verdict: a great deal if you're in Madrid on a Monday.
Is the Paseo del Arte pass worth it?
It covers the permanent collections of the Prado, the Thyssen and the Reina Sofía, valid for a year. Our verdict: worth it if you'll pay full price at all three; see our Prado cost guide.
What visitors say
Visitors love the breadth of the collection, from Van Eyck to Hopper, and how much calmer it is than the Prado. The most common complaints are few, mainly that temporary shows can be crowded, so the advice is to start at the top floor and work down chronologically.
Prices last checked: 3 November. Prices vary with the season, peak and off-peak dates and promotions, and we recheck them every month. Visitor-reported costs are marked as estimates, and US$ figures are rough conversions.
The crowd tax: what busy hours really cost you
Our crowd data shows the Thyssen moderate at every hour, every day, with one exception: Saturday nights from about 7 to 11 pm, around the free temporary-exhibition hours, are busy. The crowd tax is low here.
When
Crowds (our data)
What to do
Any weekday hour
Moderate
Easy to visit
Monday, noon-4 pm
Moderate
Free permanent collection
Saturday, 7-11 pm
Busy
Free temporary shows
Crowds by day and time
From the typical weekly visitor pattern for Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, based on Google’s popular-times data.
Quietest time
Thursday, 10-11 am
Busiest time
Saturday, 7-11 pm
Skip-the-line and tours: when they're worth it
Queues are rarely long. Our verdict: buy the official ticket.
Short on time? What you'd regret missing
Ghirlandaio's Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni.
The Impressionists and Van Gogh.
Hopper's Hotel Room.
Getting there
The Thyssen is on the Paseo del Prado, near Banco de España Metro station.
Rules and closures
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 7 pm, and until 11 pm on Saturdays; Mondays only noon to 4 pm, free. Closed on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.
What can go wrong
You expect free Monday entry to cover temporary shows.
How we research: every guide is written by the BeatTheCrowd team from official sources and recent traveller reports, cross-checked against each other. Crowd figures come from our own crowd data. Prices last checked 3 November. Prices and rules change, so always confirm on the official site before you book.
When
What to expect
Verdict
Weekdays, 10-11 am
Light crowds, easy to move around and take photos. Most visitors haven't arrived yet.
Best
Weekdays, 11 am-3 pm
A steady flow of visitors, short waits at the main spots. The middle of the day, without a sharp peak.
Worst
Weekdays, 3-6 pm
A steady flow of visitors, short waits at the main spots. Similar to the rest of the day.
Worst
Weekdays, 6-7 pm
A steady flow of visitors, short waits at the main spots. Steady into the evening.
Worst
Saturday and Sunday
A steady flow of visitors, short waits at the main spots. Busier than weekdays, as locals join the visitors.
Worst
📍 Live crowd check
See how busy Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum is right now, plus today’s hourly forecast.
