Madrid

Key Highlights: Spain’s premier art gallery, housing the world’s finest collection of Spanish art, including Velázquez’s Las Meninas and Goya’s The Third of May 1808.

Why Visit: It provides the essential historical context for Impressionism. The way Spanish masters captured light and atmosphere in the 17th century was a profound inspiration for Manet and the French Impressionists.

Pro Tip: Take advantage of the free entry hours (usually the last two hours of the day), but be prepared for a long line—booking a morning slot is better for a peaceful visit.

Key Highlights: Madrid’s modern art hub, home to Pablo Picasso’s monumental anti-war masterpiece, Guernica, and significant works by Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró.

Why Visit: It shows the radical shift in art that followed the Impressionist era. The museum’s extension, designed by Jean Nouvel, is an architectural masterpiece of light and reflection in its own right.

Pro Tip: The museum is quite large; if you are short on time, head straight to Room 206 on the second floor to see Guernica and its preparatory sketches.

Key Highlights: A private-turned-public collection that fills the gaps in the Prado, featuring a stunning range of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works by Monet, Renoir, and Degas.

Why Visit: It offers a chronological journey through art history. You can see the transition from early landscape painting to the vivid colors and broken brushstrokes of the Impressionist movement in one place.

Pro Tip: Don’t miss the museum’s terrace during the summer months; it offers one of the most beautiful views of central Madrid while you enjoy a coffee.

Key Highlights: The former home and studio of Joaquín Sorolla, known as the "Spanish Master of Light," featuring his luminous paintings of Mediterranean beaches and gardens.

Why Visit: Sorolla is often called the "Spanish Impressionist." Seeing his vibrant, sun-drenched canvases inside his beautifully preserved villa and garden is an incredibly intimate and sensory experience.

Pro Tip: The museum’s courtyard garden is a tranquil oasis away from the city’s bustle—it is free to enter and perfect for a quiet moment of reflection.