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Beauty, Scandals, and Masterpieces: A Prado Museum Audio Guide
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About the Tour
About the Tour
The Prado is one of the great pleasures of Madrid: royal portraits, strange visions, scandals, saints, sinners, war, beauty, darkness, and sunlight, all under one roof. This self-guided walking tour takes you through the Prado's essential masterpieces, with the stories behind the paintings unfolding as you move from room to room on a route that actually makes sense.
I built this route so you can experience the Prado's highlights without trying to see everything - and without reaching the end exhausted. The tour starts at the Jerónimos entrance hall and returns you to the main entrance hall at the end. Museum admission is not included, so please buy or reserve your Prado Museum ticket separately before starting.
On this 75-minute tour, you'll have a chance to:
- Decode the mirror trick in Velázquez's Las Meninas and understand why he placed himself inside a royal portrait
- Step into Bosch's strange world in The Garden of Earthly Delights, including the hidden music in the Hell panel
- Look closely at Bruegel's Triumph of Death and its brutal message about power, pleasure, and mortality
- Meet Dürer, Rubens, El Greco, and Caravaggio through stories of beauty, ambition, faith, and artistic status
- Discover why Goya's Naked Maja caused such a scandal that he had to answer for it before the Inquisition
- Stand before Saturn Devouring His Son in the dark room of Goya's Black Paintings
- Follow the emotional force of The Third of May 1808, where Goya strips war painting of glory
- End with Sorolla's sunlit beach scenes, after some of the darkest and most powerful rooms in the museum
You don't need to know art history before you begin. Just bring your ticket, your headphones, and curiosity. By the end, you'll have followed a clear path through the Prado's essential works and seen why this museum stays with people long after they leave.
Please note: This tour doesn't include entry to the museum.
Tour Producer
Tour Producer
Yohanna Lerman
Hi, I’m Yohanna, an independent audio tour creator based in Madrid, Spain.
I hold a Master’s degree in Medieval and Early Modern History, and I specialize in designing historically rigorous, self-guided audio tours in Madrid and Toledo. For the past six years, Madrid has been both my home and my research field. I continuously explore its streets, archives, museums, and neighborhoods to build tours that are accurate, well-structured, and easy to follow.
My work focuses on transforming academic historical research into clear, engaging audio experiences for independent travelers. Each Madrid audio tour and Toledo audio tour is carefully researched using Spanish and English sources, with special attention to architectural detail, urban development, and the social history behind major landmarks.
I personally test every walking route to ensure clarity of directions and realistic pacing. My tours combine iconic sites with lesser-known locations, allowing visitors to understand not only what they are seeing, but why it matters historically.
With a strong academic background and on-the-ground research experience, my goal is to offer reliable, high-quality self-guided tours for travelers who want depth, context, and independence while exploring Madrid and Toledo.
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Preview Location
Preview Location
Location 6
Table of the seven deadly sins - Hieronymus Bosch. Room 56A
This is The Table of the Seven Deadly Sins, also by Bosch, painted around 1505.
After the Garden, this one looks modest. But it works differently where the Garden overwhelms, the Table explains.
A large circular eye at the center: th...
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Major Landmarks
Major Landmarks
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Museo Nacional del Prado
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Monument to Goya
Getting There
Getting There
Route Overview
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Start locationRetiro, 28014 Madrid, Spain
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Total distance0m
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Final locationRetiro, 28014 Madrid, Spain
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Distance back to start location0m
Directions to Starting Point
The tour starts outside the Prado Museum, beside the statue of Francisco Goya, near the ticket offices on Calle de Felipe IV.
Look for the large seated bronze statue with the name “GOYA” carved into the stone base. From there, you will be able to see the museum building and the path leading to the Jerónimos entrance.
The closest Metro station is Banco de España, around a 10 to 15-minute walk away. Atocha railway station is also within walking distance.
Make sure you already have a valid museum ticket before starting. Admission is not included in the tour.
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Tips
Tips
Places to stop along the way
There are several places to take a break inside the museum.
Café Prado is located near the Jerónimos entrance and serves drinks, snacks, and meals. There is also a tea room in the south Ionic Gallery on the first floor.
You will find benches and rest areas in the Jerónimos entrance hall and the Ionic Gallery. You can pause the tour at any time and continue when you are ready.
The tour ends near the Hall of the Muses and the museum bookshop, with cafés and restaurants also available around the Paseo del Prado outside the museum.
Best time of day
The tour can be done all year during the Prado Museum’s opening hours.
For a quieter visit, start close to opening time, at around 10:00 a.m., or during the early afternoon on a weekday. Weekends, public holidays, and free admission hours are usually much busier.
Allow around 90 minutes for the tour, plus time for security and any queues at the entrance.
Precautions
Buy or reserve your Prado Museum ticket before arriving. The tour does not include museum admission.
Bring headphones and make sure your phone is fully charged. You will need to look at your screen occasionally for directions and images of the next stop.
Wear comfortable shoes. Although the route is indoors, you will be standing and walking for around 90 minutes.
Photography and filming are not permitted inside the galleries. Large bags and suitcases may not be allowed, and cloakroom space is limited. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
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