Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando is the museum Madrid's art lovers recommend to each other, and one most visitors walk straight past. It occupies an eighteenth-century palace on Calle de Alcalá, a few steps from the Puerta del Sol, and it has been the home of Spain's royal academy of fine arts since the 1770s. Goya was a member and later director of painting here, and Picasso and Dalí both studied at the academy, though neither stayed long. The museum displays the collection built up over centuries from royal gifts, works by academicians and donations, and it is remarkably rich for its size. The Goya room is the highlight: two self-portraits, a portrait of the actress La Tirana, the fantastical Burial of the Sardine, a carnival scene that seems to anticipate his Black Paintings, a bullfight and scenes from a madhouse and the Inquisition, all small, intense and unforgettable. Zurbarán's series of portraits of Mercedarian friars, robed in brilliant white, are among the most striking Spanish paintings of the seventeenth century, and the museum also holds an Agnus Dei by the same painter. Rubens's Susanna and the Elders, works by Murillo, Ribera, Alonso Cano and Velázquez's circle, and Spain's only painting by Arcimboldo, the playful Spring, a portrait made entirely of flowers, add to a visit that rarely feels crowded. Upstairs are later Spanish painting and sculpture, a section of modern works including a Picasso, and on the ground floor the Calcografía Nacional, the national print collection, where you can see Goya's original copper etching plates in a dedicated cabinet. A refurbishment of the Goya rooms was completed in 2022, and the galleries are well lit and calm.

Visiting: the museum is at Calle de Alcalá 13, between the Puerta del Sol and the Círculo de Bellas Artes, close to the Sol and Sevilla metro stations. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday and holidays, in the morning and early afternoon only, closing mid-afternoon, and it is closed on Mondays and several holidays. Admission is a small fee, with reductions and a range of free categories, and the academy has traditionally offered free entry on Wednesdays; check the official information before going. Guided tours run on some weekday mornings. Allow about an hour and a half.

Getting the most from it: go straight to the Goya rooms first while you are fresh, then work back through the earlier Spanish masters and the Zurbarán friars, before looking for the Arcimboldo and the Rubens. Leave time for the Calcografía and Goya's etching plates, which give a fascinating insight into how prints like the Caprichos and Disasters of War were made. Because the museum closes early, it fits best in the morning, before a late lunch in the centre, or as an addition to a day built around the Prado, which stays open into the evening. The building itself is part of the pleasure, with a grand staircase and high-ceilinged rooms that still feel like the academy they are. Seating is limited in the galleries, so pace yourself.

Who it suits: art lovers above all, especially anyone moved by Goya at the Prado or San Antonio de la Florida; couples who enjoy uncrowded museums with real masterpieces; and first-time visitors short on time, because it is right in the centre and takes little more than an hour. Families with older children who enjoy the Arcimboldo will find it manageable. Pair it with the Círculo de Bellas Artes rooftop a few doors away, the Puerta del Sol, and lunch in the Barrio de las Letras.