The Prado's walls are lined with masterpieces from the Spanish, Italian and Flemish schools, including Velázquez’ Las Meninas and Goya’s Third of May, 1808. Also, strong political ties between the Spanish monarchy and Flanders gave the Prado its wonderful collection of Flemish art. It spans from works by Flemish Primitives - of which Philip II was an ardent admirer - like Van der Weyden's The Descent from the Cross and Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights, to paintings from the Flemish Baroque, in particular paintings by Rubens, the Bruegel Family, Jordaens and Teniers. (Please note that you need to choose two of the three museums)

This wonderful museum holds a vast collection that traces the history of European painting from the Middle Ages right through to the late 20th century. Italian primitives, the German Renaissance, 19th-century American art, Impressionism, German Expressionism and Russian Constructivism are the most widely represented schools and movements in the museum, whose impressive collection boasts over 1000 works of art. (Please note that you need to choose two of the three museums).

Opened in 1990, this is Madrid’s Spanish contemporary art museum par excellence. Its collection, which comprises over 22,400 works, spans much of the 20th century and is divided into three sections titled The Irruption of the 20th Century. Utopia and Conflict (1900-1945), Is the War Over? Art in a Divided World (1945-1968), and From Revolt to Postmodernity (1962-1982). In Room 206 you’ll find one of the museum’s highlight: Picasso’s masterpiece Guernica. Showcased by the Spanish Republican Government at the International Exposition of 1937 in Paris, the mural depicts the bombing of the old Basque city of Gernika in April 1937 and has become a lasting image of the horror of war. (Please note that you need to choose two of the three museums).