At a Glance

Museo Reina Sofía sits next to Atocha station in a converted 18th-century hospital. Opened 1990, it focuses on 20th-century Spanish art. Jean Nouvel's red extension doubled its size in 2005. Collection: 23,000 works.

Hospital to Museum

Hospital General de San Carlos operated for 200 years until closing in the 1960s. The 1986–88 conversion kept the long corridors and added two famous external glass elevators.

Must-See

• Picasso's Guernica (1937), 7.77 m wide, returned to Spain in 1981.
• Dalí's Enigma of Hitler and Great Masturbator.
• Miró's Snail, Woman, Flower, Star.
• World's largest Juan Gris holdings.
• Tàpies, Chillida, Doris Salcedo in the Nouvel wing.

Visiting Tips

Atocha metro. €12; free evenings Mon–Sat 18:00+ and Sun 12:30+. 3 hours. Closed Tuesdays. Rooftop café for Madrid views.