A ticket to Fundación MAPFRE’s Sala Recoletos, at Paseo de Recoletos 23, costs 5 euros, or 3 euros reduced, and covers every exhibition on at the time; on non-holiday Mondays from 2pm to 8pm nobody pays. The venue is a 19th-century palace used only for temporary shows of painting and photography, and right now it has three until 10 January 2027. It opens Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 8pm and Sundays from 11am to 7pm, a 420-metre walk from Colón Metro on line 4 and about 480 metres from Banco de España on line 2.
Is Fundacion MAPFRE Madrid free? Fundación MAPFRE’s Sala Recoletos is free for everyone on non-holiday Mondays from 2pm to 8pm; at other times a ticket costs 5 euros and covers all three current exhibitions until 10 January 2027. Under-26s, school groups apart, and people registered as unemployed enter free on any day.
- Price: 5 euros, 3 euros reduced
- Free: non-holiday Mondays, 2pm to 8pm
- Audio guide: English, with the paid ticket
- Getting there: Colón Metro, line 4
Which ticket should you get at Fundacion MAPFRE?
At Fundación MAPFRE’s Sala Recoletos, one 5 euros ticket covers all current exhibitions and includes an audio guide in English. Under-26s and people registered as unemployed pay nothing on any day, and everyone enters free on non-holiday Monday afternoons. The guided tour, at 7 euros, is in Spanish only.
For an English speaker the paid ticket has one advantage over the free ones: the audio guide, which plays on your phone through a QR code and is not included with free entry. Headphones cost 1 euro if you have none. Online tickets cannot be changed or refunded except for justified force majeure, so buy once your day is fixed.
What exhibitions are on at Fundacion MAPFRE until January?
Fundación MAPFRE’s Sala Recoletos runs three exhibitions from 24 September 2026 to 10 January 2027, all on the same ticket. They close on the same Sunday and the next programme has not been announced yet, so check the current show before planning a visit after that date.
- Prerrafaelismo. Itinerarios femeninos (1850-1914) brings together more than forty women artists around the Pre-Raphaelite movement, including Elizabeth Siddal, Joanna Boyce, the photographer Julia Margaret Cameron, May Morris, Marie Spartali Stillman, Evelyn De Morgan and Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale.
- La otra orilla de la vanguardia follows how works by psychiatric patients, collected by Hans Prinzhorn at the Heidelberg clinic, came to be seen as art and shaped Expressionism, Dada and Surrealism, through to Jean Dubuffet’s idea of Art Brut.
- Minor White is the first major exhibition in Europe of the American photographer, with his main themes and his photographic sequences.
Pick by interest: painting and early photography for the Pre-Raphaelite show, the art of psychiatric patients for the Prinzhorn show, and photographic sequences for Minor White. The Prinzhorn show deals with mental illness, worth knowing if you bring children.
When is Fundacion MAPFRE free and what are the hours?
Fundación MAPFRE’s Sala Recoletos is free for everyone on non-holiday Mondays from 2pm to 8pm, which is its whole Monday opening. Tuesday to Saturday it opens 11am to 8pm, and Sundays and public holidays 11am to 7pm. Rooms are cleared 10 minutes before closing.
A Monday that is a public holiday has no free slot. Over Christmas the hall closes on 25 December and 1 and 6 January, and opens only 11am to 3pm on 24 and 31 December and 5 January. For every other free slot in the city, see free museums in Madrid.
How to plan a free Monday afternoon around Fundacion MAPFRE
On a non-holiday Monday in Madrid, four art museums open free at different times: the Thyssen opens free from 12pm to 4pm, Fundación MAPFRE from 2pm to 8pm, the Prado from 6pm to 8pm and the Reina Sofía from 7pm to 9pm. Order matters, because the Thyssen slot ends first.
| Museum | Free on Monday | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza | 12pm to 4pm | Start here, lunch after |
| Fundación MAPFRE, Sala Recoletos | 2pm to 8pm | Mid-afternoon |
| Museo del Prado | 6pm to 8pm | One wing, then dinner |
| Museo Reina Sofía | 7pm to 9pm | To finish the day |
Madrid meal times run late, so a 2pm lunch after the Thyssen fits the local rhythm. Details of each slot are in the Thyssen free Monday guide, the Prado’s free evening hours and Reina Sofía free hours.
Who gets in free or pays the reduced rate at Fundacion MAPFRE?
Fundación MAPFRE’s Sala Recoletos lets these groups in free on any day: under-26s, school groups excepted; people registered as unemployed; people with a disability of 33 percent or more, plus a companion; staff of public museums; ICOM members; journalists; and official tourist guides. The reduced rate is 3 euros.
Everyone except visitors with a disability collects the free ticket at the desk with proof; visitors with a disability can reserve by email instead. Free entry does not cover guided tours, and the Foundation charges 7 euros for them. It lasts about an hour and takes up to 14 people, on Tuesday to Friday at 12.30pm and 5.30pm and on Sundays at 4.30pm and 5.30pm. The hall has a ramp and a lift.
How to get to Fundacion MAPFRE Sala Recoletos
Fundación MAPFRE’s Sala Recoletos is at Paseo de Recoletos 23, between Colón and Cibeles. The nearest Metro station is Colón on line 4, about 420 metres away on foot; Recoletos Cercanías station is about 270 metres away and Banco de España, on line 2, about 480 metres.
From Gran Vía or the Paseo del Prado it is a walk along the boulevard. The National Archaeological Museum is about 575 metres away, across the Paseo, and the Lázaro Galdiano Museum almost 2 kilometres north.
Who might not enjoy Fundacion MAPFRE
Fundación MAPFRE suits visitors who like focused exhibitions; it can disappoint anyone expecting a permanent collection or an English-language guided tour. Avoid Monday mornings: the hall is shut until 2pm.
- Everything is temporary. All three current shows close on 10 January 2027.
- No refunds. Online tickets cannot be changed.
- Heavy subject. The Prinzhorn exhibition deals with mental illness.
- Holiday Mondays. No free slot when Monday is a public holiday.
Frequently asked questions about Fundacion MAPFRE Madrid
Is Fundacion MAPFRE Madrid free?
Yes, on non-holiday Mondays from 2pm to 8pm, for everyone. Under-26s (school groups excepted) and people registered as unemployed enter Fundación MAPFRE’s Sala Recoletos free on any day by showing proof at the ticket desk. Visitors with a disability of 33 percent or more also enter free and can reserve by email.
What exhibitions are on at Fundacion MAPFRE Madrid now?
Until 10 January 2027, Fundación MAPFRE’s Sala Recoletos shows three exhibitions on one ticket: Pre-Raphaelite women artists from 1850 to 1914, the Prinzhorn collection of art made in a psychiatric clinic, and Minor White, the first major show of the American photographer in Europe.
Is there an English audio guide at Fundacion MAPFRE?
Yes. The 5 euros ticket at Fundación MAPFRE’s Sala Recoletos includes an audio guide in Spanish and English, played on your phone through a QR code; headphones cost 1 euro if you have none. Free tickets do not include the audio guide, and guided tours, at 7 euros, are in Spanish only.
What are Fundacion MAPFRE Madrid opening hours?
Sala Recoletos opens on non-holiday Mondays from 2pm to 8pm, Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 8pm, and Sundays and public holidays from 11am to 7pm. It closes on 25 December and 1 and 6 January, and opens 11am to 3pm on 24 and 31 December and 5 January.
Is Fundacion MAPFRE free for students?
Students under 26 enter Fundación MAPFRE’s Sala Recoletos free on any day by collecting a ticket at the desk with proof of age; school groups are excluded. Older students pay the 5 euros general ticket unless they qualify for the 3 euros reduced rate, which is checked at the desk.
How do I get to Fundacion MAPFRE in Madrid?
Sala Recoletos is at Paseo de Recoletos 23, between Colón and Cibeles. The nearest Metro station is Colón on line 4, about 420 metres away on foot. Recoletos Cercanías station is about 270 metres away and Banco de España, on line 2, about 480 metres.
Fundación MAPFRE charges 5 euros for three shows, and nothing on Monday afternoons or to anyone under 26.