Madrid’s Museum of the Americas goes by its Spanish name, the Museo de América, and stands at Avenida de los Reyes Católicos 6, about 300 metres from the Faro de Moncloa observation tower. A standard ticket costs €3, and many visitors pay nothing: entry is free on Sundays from 10am to 3pm and on Thursdays from 2pm, the one day it stays open until 7pm. Under-18s and over-65s enter free with ID. Its galleries cover pre-Columbian, colonial and ethnographic America in 5 areas, with the Quimbaya Treasure in gold and the Tro-Cortesianus Codex. Every Monday the doors stay shut.
Is the Museum of the Americas in Madrid free? The Museo de América is free on Sundays from 10am to 3pm and on Thursdays from 2pm, when it stays open until 7pm. Otherwise a standard ticket costs €3. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing, so on Thursdays the doors close to new visitors at 6.30pm.
- Ticket: €3 standard; €1.50 only for groups of eight or more.
- Free with ID: under-18s, over-65s and students aged 18 to 25.
- Highlights: the Quimbaya Treasure and the Tro-Cortesianus Codex.
- Metro: Moncloa (Lines 3 and 6), about a 10-minute walk.
When is the Museo de América free?
The Museo de América is free all day on Sundays and on Thursdays from 2pm. On top of that, the Ministry of Culture sets three free days a year: 18 April, 12 October and 6 December. Every other opening hour costs €3, unless you qualify for free entry by age or status.
Thursday is the only afternoon option. On every other day the doors shut at 3pm, with last entry at 2.30pm, so a visitor who spends the morning at another museum has one realistic slot: Thursday from 2pm to 6.30pm. In August, Thursdays close at 3pm too.
Who gets into the Museo de América for free?
The free list at the Museo de América is long, and each category needs an official document shown at the ticket desk. It covers under-18s, over-65s, students aged 18 to 25, holders of the carné joven youth card, people with disabilities and a companion, unemployed people, pensioners, members of large families, teachers, official tourist guides, working journalists, and members of ICOM, the Spanish Federation of Friends of Museums and other associations.
The €1.50 reduced ticket is narrower than its name suggests: it applies only to groups of eight or more that apply fifteen days ahead, and to cultural volunteers. A couple or a family on holiday pays either €3 or nothing.
For repeat visits, the Ministry of Culture lists four passes on the museum’s price list: the Four Museums pass at €8 for ten days, the Eight Museums pass at €16 for fifteen days, an annual card for the Museo de América at €25 and an annual State Museums card at €36.06 that adds the Prado and the Reina Sofía. The eight museums the pass covers are listed in Madrid’s state museums at 3 euros.
What should you see at the Museo de América?
The permanent exhibition at the Museo de América runs through 5 areas: Knowledge of America, the Reality of America, Society, Religion and Communication. The museum calls the Quimbaya Treasure one of its emblematic collections, and the two codices of the final area close the route.
- Quimbaya Treasure. Gold from a funerary context in Filandia, Colombia. One cinerary urn, shaped as a seated woman chief, is 17.5 cm tall and weighs 525 g. The Colombian Academy of History prefers the name Filandia Collection.
- Tro-Cortesianus Codex and Codex Tudela. Both are in Communication, the closing area on writing in the Americas.
- Stele of Madrid and Head of Viracocha. Two pre-Hispanic pieces the museum highlights in its collection pages.
- Model of Mexico City cathedral. On the first floor; until 29 November the museum’s Day of the Dead altar stands beside it, included in the ticket.
Some rooms may be closed for internal reasons, with no dates announced. Until 22 November, the La Tapada room shows Nación Trans, a photography project by Antonio López Díaz about Indigenous trans women in the Americas.
How do you visit the Museo de América without speaking Spanish?
The Museo de América publishes its audio guides in English, as well as Spanish and French, on its own website, to stream or download before you go. They follow the galleries track by track, from the welcome and the Palenque set to the Nazca vessels and the Stele of Madrid, so download them before leaving and bring headphones.
If you drive, the museum’s car park is public and free at weekends and on public holidays, which suits a Sunday visit. Buses 1, 2, 16, 44, 46, 61, 82, 113, 132 and 133 and the circular line also stop nearby.
How do you get to the Museo de América from Moncloa?
The nearest Metro station to the Museo de América is Moncloa, on Lines 3 and 6, about a 10-minute walk away; the museum recommends the Isaac Peral exit for Line 3 and the Plaza de la Moncloa exit for Line 6. Islas Filipinas, on Line 7, is about 12 minutes away via the Gaztambide exit.
Any single ticket or travel card gets you to Moncloa; fares are explained in the Madrid Metro ticket guide. Two neighbours make the trip worth more than one museum. The Faro de Moncloa observation tower is about 300 metres away; the Museo del Traje, Madrid’s state costume museum, is about a 12-minute walk and also charges €3.
| Stop | Price | On foot from the Museo de América | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Museo de América | €3, free Sunday and Thursday from 2pm | n/a | Pre-Columbian gold and codices |
| Faro de Moncloa | €4 | About 300 m | A 30-minute view over Madrid |
| Museo del Traje | €3 | About 12 minutes | Fashion and dress |
How do you fit the Museo de América into a Thursday?
A Thursday afternoon covers both the Museo de América and the Faro de Moncloa. Entry is free from 2pm, with the last visitors admitted at 6.30pm; the Faro, which costs €4, opens Tuesday to Sunday until 8pm, with the last ascent at 7.30pm and a 30-minute limit at the top, as set out in the Faro de Moncloa prices and times.
For a whole week built around free slots, the free museums in Madrid list orders them by day, and how many days you need for Madrid’s free museums spreads them over a trip. For Goya instead of gold, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando has its own weekday free window near Sol.
Museo de América tickets and free entry questions
Is the Museum of the Americas in Madrid free?
The Museo de América, Madrid’s Museum of the Americas, is free all day on Sundays, from 10am to 3pm, and on Thursdays from 2pm, when it stays open until 7pm. Entry is also free on 18 April, 12 October and 6 December. At other times a standard ticket costs 3 euros.
What are the opening hours of the Museo de América?
The Museo de América opens Tuesday to Saturday from 9.30am to 3pm, on Thursday until 7pm except in August, and on Sundays and public holidays from 10am to 3pm. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. Closing days are Mondays, 1 and 6 January, 1 May, 24, 25 and 31 December and one local holiday.
Does the Museo de América have an English audio guide?
Yes. The Museo de América publishes audio guides in English, Spanish and French that you can stream online or download before the visit. They are organised by area and object, from the welcome track to the Palenque set, the Nazca vessels and the Stele of Madrid.
Where is the Quimbaya Treasure?
The Quimbaya Treasure is in the Museo de América, at Avenida de los Reyes Católicos 6 in the Moncloa district of Madrid, next to the Faro de Moncloa. The treasure is a set of gold funerary pieces from Filandia in Colombia; one cinerary urn stands 17.5 cm tall and weighs 525 g.
Is the Museo de América open on Mondays?
No. The Museo de América is closed every Monday of the year. It opens Tuesday to Saturday from 9.30am and on Sundays from 10am, so a Monday in Madrid needs another plan; the Faro de Moncloa, about 300 metres away, is closed on Mondays too.
How do I get to the Museo de América by Metro?
Moncloa station, on Lines 3 and 6, is about a 10-minute walk from the Museo de América; the museum recommends the Isaac Peral exit for Line 3 and the Plaza de la Moncloa exit for Line 6. Islas Filipinas, on Line 7, is about 12 minutes away via the Gaztambide exit.
At the Museo de América the €3 ticket is the exception: Thursday afternoons and Sundays, the Quimbaya gold costs nothing.