Art of Madrid Photos -- National Geographic's Ultimate City Guides

Reina Sofía
Photograph by Jose Manuel Navia/ASA/Aurora Photos
Patrons view Pablo Picasso's "Guernica" and other modern works at the Reina Sofía, Madrid’s museum of 20th-century art.
El Escorial
Photograph by Luis Castaneda/TIPS Images
Northwest of Madrid, overlooking forested hills, is El Escorial, a monastery and royal retreat dating to the 16th century.
Kio Towers
Photograph by Allan Baxter/Getty Images
Madrid’s Kio Towers, also known as "Europe’s Gate" are inclined skyscrapers at the edge of Plaza Castilla.
Sculptures in the Prado Museum
Photograph by Jose Manuel Navia/ASA/Aurora Photos
Morning light fills a sculpture room in Madrid’s famous Prado Museum, which has one of the world’s finest collections of European art.
Flamenco Player
Photograph by Guido Cozzi/Atlantide
A flamenco player tries out an instrument at a guitar shop on Calle de Toledo.
Schoolchildren at the Museum
Photograph by Guido Cozzi/Atlantide
Schoolchildren sit for a lesson at Madrid’s Prado art museum, which has paintings dating from the 12th century through the early 19th.
Mariblanca Statue
Photograph by Guido Cozzi/Atlantide
In the bustling crossroads known as the Puerta del Sol square, the Mariblanca statue is one of many art works and monuments of historical interest.
Puerta de Alcala
Photograph by Luis Castaneda/TIPS Images
The three-arched Puerta de Alcala is a centuries-old gate to Madrid situated in the middle of a traffic roundabout in the Plaza de la Independencia.
Fashion
Photograph by Krzysztof Dydynski/LPI/Getty Images
A customer browses the racks at fashion designer Alma Aguilar’s shop on Callejón de Jorge Juan.
Plaza Salvador Dalí
Photograph by Luis Castaneda/TIPS Images
A sculpture entitled "La Esfera de Newton" stands within the Plaza Salvador Dalí, honoring the famous surrealist painter.