A Taste of Madrid: Museums and Lunch at the World’s Oldest Restaurant
There are many beautiful museums in Madrid, a city filled with so much rich history. If you have a chance to visit be sure to get out and see the plazas, parks and architecture throughout the city. But if you have time, be sure to visit both the Reina Sofia and The Prado National Museum when in Madrid Spain.
Madrid is also a bit of a foodie paradise with a bold variety of restaurants, tapas bars and food halls throughout the city. On this trip we returned to a favorite restaurant, that happens to be the oldest restaurant in the world, on a unique tour. See our time at these two museums and a delicious tour and meal at Botin.
Museo Reina Sofia
Formally known as The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía ("Queen Sofía National Museum Art Centre"; MNCARS), sits in the center of Madrid. This museum is devoted to modern works of art from the twentith century. It is commonly known as the greatest collection of Picasso’s work but there are also many other important works from modern artists. We had just a short time, to visit, but found that we saw all the important pieces we were interested in just under two hours.
The museum is fairly new, as museums go, opened in 1992, named for Queen Sofia, of Spain. At the time of this visit the building is currently undergoing an exterior renovation.
During our visit, one piece that really stood out to us was "The Woman in Blue" by Pablo Picasso. What surprised us most was how traditional and realistic the painting was—especially compared to the abstract, Cubist style he later became famous for. The detail, use of color, and the subject’s elegant posture show just how skilled he was in classical technique early on. It was a reminder that even the most groundbreaking artists often begin with mastering the basics.
We also learned that Picasso grew up in a fairly privileged household in Spain. His father was an artist and art teacher, so Picasso had access to formal training from a young age. He was something of a prodigy—drawing and painting at a professional level while still a teenager. Later, he moved to Paris, then the epicenter of the art world, where he continued to evolve, experiment, and eventually revolutionize modern art with Cubism and beyond.
The most famous piece at the Reina Sofía is Picasso’s Guernica—a massive, haunting painting inspired by the bombing of a Basque town during the Spanish Civil War. Though Picasso didn’t witness the event, he was deeply affected and used his art to express the horror and chaos of war. Seeing it in person is powerful—its scale, emotion, and symbolism stay with you long after you leave the room.
The gallery that the painting sits in is one of the busiest in the whole museum but, compared to seeing Mona Lisa in the Louvre, it’s pretty calm.
This was a full circle art-learning moment, to see where this famous painter started with and where he evolved to in his craft. Both “The Woman in Blue” and “Guernica” were struck with emotion, just completely different styles from the same man.
Another well-known piece we saw was “The Great Masturbator” by Spanish artist Salvador Dalí. Most people have at least heard of Dalí—especially his signature melting clocks—but I’ll admit, I wasn’t very familiar with his work beyond that. This painting was surreal, detailed, and definitely strange.
While I can appreciate the influence Dalí had on the surrealist movement, this particular piece wasn’t exactly my favorite. That said, it was interesting to learn more about its deeper meaning. The painting reflects Dalí’s complex relationship with sexuality, love, and fear—recurring themes in much of his work. Like a lot of surrealist art, it’s filled with symbolic elements that invite different interpretations. Whether or not you like the style, it definitely makes you stop and think.
Wandering some more we found a painting we liked quite a bit better and stood and studied it for a bit. Then we looked into the history of the painting. Turns out it is called, Un Mundo (“A World”),by Ángeles Santos. Painted in 1929 when she was just 17 years old, it depicts a cube-shaped world floating in space, surrounded by stars, celestial women, and ethereal musicians. The painting was inspired by a poem titled Alba by Juan Ramón Jiménez. Such talent!
One of the most interesting surprises was a whole wall filled with Martin Kippenberger posters—95 of them! He made these between 1977 and 1997, and the museum gives them plenty of space because they weren’t just ads—they were part of his art. Funny and somewhat weird, they show how he used posters to express his ideas and personality just as much as his paintings did. We guessed art comes in many forms!
In total, we spent a little over two hours at the Reina Sofia Museum, seeing the highlights. The building and surrounding area is just as interesting to walk around. We enjoyed our time and would recommend a visit while in Madrid.
The Prado National Museum (Museo del Prado)
The iconic Prado Museum, one of the most important art museums in the world. Opened in 1819, the Prado is massive—with a collection of over 8,000 paintings and 700 sculptures, though only a portion is on display at any given time. The museum focuses on European art from the 12th to the early 20th century, featuring masterpieces by Spanish legends like Velázquez, Goya, and El Greco
In 4 trips to Madrid we’d never visited the Prado National Museum. We knew, to get the most out of our time at this massive museum, a guided tour would be our best bet. Turns out, through Viator, we found a very unique tour, that would take us through the Prado, then a walk through the city ending at a favorite restaurant, Botin. We were in!
First, we must share there are no pictures allowed inside the museum. Our impressions here are from a marvelous guide we had on a small group tour. We were not even allowed to take our phones out to take notes, so, following our visit, I quickly jotted down notes and revisited questions with our guide. The pictures are from the museum website itself and Wikipedia.
“The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch was our first stop once inside the museum. It was painted in the late 15th century. The massive, three-paneled altarpiece is packed with surreal, symbolic imagery that feels centuries ahead of its time. What really struck us was how some parts of the painting look almost space-like—strange orbs, floating structures, and dreamlike landscapes that seem to belong more to science fiction than Renaissance Europe. It’s wild to think this was created long before space travel (or even the idea of it) existed. The details are mesmerizing—you could stand in front of it for hours and still discover something new. Knowing when it was painted makes it all the more mind-blowing. Once looking at it for a while you see the panels themselves represent heaven, Earth and hell.
“The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch. Photo: Wikipedia
Next, we stopped to see “Descent from the Cross” by Rogier van der Weyden, and wow—it was incredibly lifelike. It almost looked like a photo, which is wild considering it was painted in the 1400s. The emotion on the faces and the detail in the scene made it one of the most moving pieces we saw that day.
“The Descent From The Cross” by Rogier van der Weyden. Source: Wikipedia
Our guide pointed out “The Nobleman with His Hand on His Chest” by El Greco, one of his most famous portraits. Painted around 1580, it’s simple but powerful—the intense gaze and hand-over-heart gesture are full of meaning, possibly symbolizing honor or a vow. As we were learning from our guide, she shared the painting really captured El Greco’s dramatic, emotional style.
“The Knight with His Hand on His Breast” by El Greco. Source: Wikipedia
One of the most captivating works we felt was “Las Meninas” by Diego Velázquez. “At first glance, it appears to be a portrait of a young princess surrounded by her ladies-in-waiting. Our guide challenged us to look longer where we started to uncover more layers. Look, as she pointed out, that the artist, Velázquez himself appears in the painting, brush in hand, while a mirror in the background subtly reflects the king and queen—suggesting they’re standing outside the frame, watching the scene unfold. It’s part portrait, part illusion, and part commentary on art itself. The composition draws you in and keeps you looking, as if you’re standing right there in the royal studio.
These are all things we may not have observed, had we not had a guide.
"Las Meninas" by Diego Velázquez. Source: Wikipedia
Saving the best for last, we spent time with several powerful works by Francisco de Goya. He began his career as a celebrated portrait painter for the Spanish royal court under King Charles IV, but over time, his work took a much darker turn—both stylistically and emotionally.
Two of his most famous paintings on display are "The Clothed Maja" and "The Nude Maja"—both bold for their time. The nude version was especially controversial, as it was rare (and risky) to depict a woman looking directly at the viewer, completely unclothed. There’s still debate about the model’s identity—some believe she may have been a duchess or someone from the royal circle.
We learned so much, that I could go on, but you get the idea of how extensive of a collection the Prado showcases. The best part of this visit was the thirst it gave us to see more. So we will just have to go back to the Prado some day!
Restaurante Botin - The World’s Oldest Restaurant
Following the museum, our guide took us on a short walk to the our most anticipated part of the day, lunch at Botin. This restaurant proudly boasts their official Guinness Book of World Record certificate on the wall, stating their honor as the world’s oldest restaurant. We happened to make our third trip to this fabulous restaurant during their 300th anniversary celebration.
The restaurant originally opened in 1725 and has never closed since. It has only been owned by two families, who’ve passed their ownership down through the generations.
Their specialty is suckling pig. They are Segovian pigs that come from special farms outside of Madrid. They are roasted very simply, Castilian style, in the original wood burning ovens that have never been off in 300 years. During the pandemic of 2020, someone had to come every day, despite the restaurant being closed and stoke the fire to keep it burning.
There are 4 floors in the restaurant, which we were able to tour through. Below the main floor sits two additional floors. This restaurant is sold out every night and most afternoons for lunch as well. Due to it’s national fame, it has a lot of tourists, but it also is a restaurant for a special occasion for locals as well.
But wait…there is one more floor even further below. It is the wine cellar! It was from the original building but after much flooding it is no longer used to store wine. It is saved for events like this for tourists that are curious about this very unique restaurant.
Botin has seen it’s share of famous people over the decades. Francisco Goya, the artist was a frequent visitor as well as members of the Royal Family. The corner table below was author Ernest Hemmingway’s “table,” as he liked to sit with his back against the wall so he could view the whole dining room.
But you’re here for the delicious meal and it was time to eat. We were fortunate to have a table by the window on the top floor. On this day, our guide ordered Chicken and Ham Croquets and Sauteed Artichokes as our starter. Then came the delicious roast suckling pig, the start of the show. It is crispy skin and moist, tender meat inside that makes it so good. Steve ordered another specialty, the Suckling Lamb, which he loved as well. And, even though we were stuffed, our guide insisted on ordering dessert, and we are so glad she did. We had the most delicious cheesecake, we’d ever had.
Of course, being little piggies ourselves I only got pictures of the Suckling Pig and the Cheesecake. You’ll have to visit yourself, to see (and taste) the rest!
If you are looking to maximize your time in seeing museum’s in Madrid, take a guided tour or the audio tour! We saw two museums, enjoyed a short walking tour and ate in favorite restaurant with a bonus tour all in two days. We loved our time in Madrid this year, and look forward to going back again someday!
If you want to see more of Madrid, specifically the parks and the most famous food hall, check out our post: HERE
From surreal masterpieces to Spain’s royal past—and lunch at the world’s oldest restaurant.