SHARE
COPY LINK
THE LOCAL LIST

MUSEUM

The Prado ranks above the Louvre on list of world’s greatest museums

Madrid's Prado Museum came in fourth place in awards for the best museums in the world - ahead of the famous Louvre in Paris. The Local takes a look at Spain's top ten greatest cultural institutions.

The Prado ranks above the Louvre on list of world's greatest museums
Inside the Prado Museum in Madrid. Photo: José-Manuel Benito Álvarez / Wikimedia Commons.

TripAdvisor announced the Travelers' Choice award winners for the top-rated museums in the world.

Madrid's Prado museum came in fourth place, ahead of Paris' famous Musee du Louvre at fifth place. New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art came in first worldwide, followed by the Musee d'Orsay in Paris at second place and the Art Institute of Chicago at third place.

The awards were based on an algorithm that took into account the “quantity and quality” of reviews through TripAdvisor over the past year, according to the travel site.

READ: The ten weirdest museums in Spain

“These world-class museums provide an enriching experience that can be both inspiring and educational for travelers around the globe,” said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor.

The travel website also rated museums for individual countries, including Spain. The Local takes a look at what makes Spain's top ten museums so great.

1. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid


Photo: Brian Snelson / Wikimedia Commons.

The Prado museum is a sight to see, both inside and outside. Featuring a jaw-dropping range of European art, including by Francisco Goya, Rembrandt, Raphael, El Greco and Diego Velázquez.

The building itself is grandiose and breath-taking, with white sculptures and towering columns lining the outside facade, painted in a soft rose colour.

Best review on TripAdvisor review to sum it up: “So many masterpieces, so little time.”

2. Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid


Photo: EducaThyssen / Flickr Creative Commons.

Just steps away across the road, the Thyssen boasts more modern work as well as paintings dating back to the 14th century. It showcases art from some of the most renowned Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists like Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir Cezanne and Vincent van Gogh.

Spanish artists Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali are also represented, along with American artists such as Edward Hopper.

Best review to sum it up: “It was difficult to choose what NOT to look at.”

3. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao


Photo: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra / Wikimedia Commons.

The museum building, designed by Canadian-American Frank Gehry, has been called one of the most important works of contemporary architecture, if that reveals anything about the quality of art on display within. The Bilbao Guggenheim is home to work by modern and contemporary artists including Richard Serra, Jeff Koons and Jenny Holzer.

Best review to sum it up: “Amazing building and a cool experience.”

4. City of the Arts and Sciences, Valencia


Photo: O Palsson / Flickr Creative Commons.

Another museum that delivers a stunning first impression just from the outside, this Valencian entertainment-based cultural and architectural complex has been a huge draw for tourists since it first publicly opened its doors in 1998. The complex is made up of various buildings including a cinema, planetarium, opera house and Europe's largest oceanographic aquarium.

Best review to sum it up: “Fun and interest for all… A perfect day for the family.”

5. Sorolla Museum, Madrid


Photo: Luis Garcia / Wikimedia Commons.

Originally the home of Spanish portrait and landscape artist Joaquin Sorolla, the building is now a museum dedicated to his work. The main rooms are furnished as they were when he lived there, including the studio where he used to paint and a garden courtyard.

Best review to sum it up: “A real little treasure. It is a bit off the main drag but well worth the effort.”

6. Dali Theatre-Museum, Figueres


Photo: Enfo / Wikimedia Commons.

Based in Salvador Dali's hometown, the design of the Dali museum was based on how the artist himself imagined it should be: “a labyrinth”, “surrealist” and like a “theatrical dream”. The museum features the single largest collection of Dali's work in the world.

Best review to sum it up: “Anyone with a passing interest in art should visit this. Fantastic and wonderful.”

7. National Art Museum of Catalonia, Barcelona


Photo: Kippelboy / Wikimedia Commons.

This Barcelona museum displays Catalan visual art, most notably Romanesque church paintings as well as Gothic, Renaissance and even modern art.

Best review to sum it up: “Stunning artwork, glorious architecture and beautiful gardens.”

8. Casa de la Guitarra (House of the Guitar), Seville


Photos: Tibor Kovacs / Flickr Creative Commons.

This museum in Seville showcases a different kind of art: guitar playing. The museum houses more than 60 guitars from over the past 300 years – and it's free to visit. The venue also holds daily flamenco shows with guitar music, singing and dancing.

Best review to sum it up: “Intimate evening of music and dance.”

9. Queen Sofia Arts Center (Reina Sofia), Madrid


Photo: Pedro Armestre / AFP.

Completing Madrid's “Golden Triangle of Art” with the Prado and the Thyssen is the Reina Sofia, made up of 20th century art. This is the museum that houses Picasso's moving masterpiece Guernica, depicting the bombing of a village during the Spanish Civil War. The museum also houses works by Salvador Dali, Joan Miró and Man Ray.

Best review to sum it up: “Stunning museum + Art for all tastes.”

10. Museum of Glass and Crystal, Malaga


Photos: Tyk / Wikimedia Commons.

This museum stands out from the rest of the artistic museums in the top ten in that its collection is mainly of glass, crystal and furniture, though is also features some paintings among decoration from various periods and cultures. Visitors can view glass works from Roman and medieval times, as well as Persian, Byzantine and Venetian works.

Best review to sum it up: “An oasis of calm and beauty”.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

GALICIA

Hórreos: What are those small stone houses on stilts in Spain’s Galicia?

If you’ve ever been to Galicia in north-western Spain, the chances are you will have seen these odd stone or wooden structures on stilts in people’s gardens and wondered what they were for.

Hórreos: What are those small stone houses on stilts in Spain's Galicia?

Anyone who has walked the Camino de Santiago in Galicia will of course have seen these odd-looking buildings known as hórreos. There are so many in fact that they’ve become somewhat of a cultural symbol of the region.

Hórreos are typically built from stone, but some can be wooden too. They’re small, narrow buildings, but range in size. Some of them are only around one metre long, while others could are big enough for a few people to lie down in them.

READ ALSO: Five reasons why Galicia is Spain’s version of Ireland

They’re easy to spot because they’re raised up on stone stilts or platforms and typically have a set of steps going up to reach them. The sides traditionally have narrow wooden slats so that if you got up close you could probably see inside and the roofs are properly tiled, often with a stone cross stuck on the top.

Many question whether they’re small homes for animals such as chicken coops, places for religious offerings or even similar to garden sheds.

These strange buildings actually date back to the 15th century and are in fact granaries, originally built to store feed for animals or farm produce and keep it dry and off the ground to protect it from potential wild animals.

Some even have small indentations on the base that were filled with water so that not even the ants could climb up and get into the food either. 

READ ALSO: The pros and cons of living in Spain’s Galicia

The exact number of hórreos in Galicia isn’t known, but at the beginning of the 20th century it was estimated that there were about 30,000, one for every square kilometre of the region.

In modern times, people don’t have a specific use for them and unfortunately, many hórreos have fallen into a state of disrepair.

Hórreos can be renovated but you should first check the local rules pertaining to their renovation and future use. Photo: locuig/Pixabay
 

This is also because they’re protected, so if you want to renovate one, you have to apply for a special licence and pay several associated fees.

Unfortunately, even if you spend money on renovating an hórreo, Galician law doesn’t technically allow for it to be used as a living abode, although that hasn’t stopped many from renting them out as rooms on Airbnb.

In neighbouring Asturias, where you can also find hórreos, authorities have a taken a more lenient approach to them being renovated for different economic or practical purposes suited to modern habits and trends, especially as a means of ensuring their survival.

Hórreo Facts

– One of the largest horreos in Galicia is Horreo de Carnota, which has now even become a tourist attraction. It was built in 1768 and is 34.76 metres long, standing on 22 pairs of feet. Historians believe it was built as part of a rivalry between two neighbouring towns.

– Lira, the rival to Carnota is located nearby and stands at just over 36.5 metres long and 1.60 metres wide. It also stands on 22 pairs of stone feet.

Hórreos come in different shapes, sizes and materials. Photo: Vicente Aragones/Pixabay
 

– The longest hórreo is hórreo de Araño in Rianxo at 37.05 metres long. It was built in the 17th century and has been Declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.

– Combarro is the town with the most hórreos in Galicia, home to more than 60 of them. 30 of them are also lined up facing the sea, which makes for a spectacular photo.

Hórreos are not only found in Galicia, you can also find many in the neighbouring region of Asturias, although they’re not so well known there. Other places you can find a few of them include Aezkoa in Navarra, Agirre and Ertzilla in the Basque Country, Liébana in Cantabria, Bierzo and Los Beyos in Castilla y León and Bueño, in Asturias.

SHOW COMMENTS