Studying in Spain – Journal 3: Queen Sofia Museum
Queen Sofía Museum, also known as Museo Reina Sofía in Spanish, is a Spanish art museum of contemporary art. It has one of the largest collection of modern art in the world. Sofía museum consists mainly of modern Spanish art, including a good collection of two of the most famous Spanish artist in the 20th century: Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. Notable art works in Queen Sofía Museum includes the famous painting “Guernica” by Pablo Picasso and “The Great Masturbator” by Salvador Dalí.
Sofía Museum is near Madrid’s city center and the Atocha train station, which is one of Madrid’s biggest train station. The closest metro station to the museum is Estacion del Arte, which is on metro line 1. It is also close to Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Museo del Prado.
Queen Sofía Museum is open from 10:00 to 21:00 on Monday and Wednesday to Saturday, and from 10:00 to 19:00 on Sunday. The museum also offers free access to all from 19:00 to 21:00 on Monday and Wednesday to Saturday, and from 13:30 to 19:00 on Sunday. Ticket for an adult cost 10€, and Queen Sofía Museum offers free entry to students under 25 years old with a student ID.
El Rastro, Veggie Burger and Queen Sofía Museum
The Queen Sofía Museum is not far away from the city center; you could take the metro from Sol station or even just walk there, the walk should take less than 20 minutes. If you don’t want to go to the museum first thing after breakfast in the morning, you could easily find things to do around the city center.
Every Sunday morning, there is a flea market named “El Rastro” close to metro station La Latina. The flea market is usually very crowded with people and is notorious for it’s pickpocketers. But El Rastro also has a lot of interesting things to see and look around. It is also a good place to get souvenirs for your friends and families, and you could find stuff with great prices there. I suggest people who go there keep an extra eye on their belongings and enjoy the energetic vibe there.
After a morning walk at El Rastro, there is a veggie burger restaurant near metro station La Latina. It’s called “Viva Burger” and it is one of my favorite veggie burger place in Madrid. There are a variety of patty flavors and types of different breads to choose from. For people who enjoy burgers but not meat patties, Viva Burger is a must go in Madrid.
After lunch, if you enjoy a walk after eating, walking to the Queen Sofía Museum would take about 25 minutes, or you could take metro line 1 to go there as well. The Queen Sofía Museum usually starts crowding up at around 14:00 in the afternoon, and the waiting line for the ticket could get really long after that.
I was never a big fan for contemporary art, as I don’t regard myself as a particularly artistic person. But there are some internationally well-known paintings in Queen Sofía Museum with stories, like the famous “Guernica”. The bombing of Guernica happened the April of 1937 during the Spanish Civil War, and the painting is Picasso’s response to the war. It is probably Picasso’s most famous painting and an icon of contemporary art.