The Prado shows Spain through paintings; the Museo del Traje shows it through what people wore. The Museo del Traje is Spain’s national museum of costume and fashion, run by the Spanish Ministry of Culture on the university campus in Madrid. It stands at Avenida de Juan de Herrera 2, and the Ministry charges €3 for a standard ticket, and the museum opens free on Saturdays from 2pm and all day Sunday, from 10am to 3pm. It closes on Mondays. Metro Ciudad Universitaria on Line 6 is about an 11-minute walk.
How much does the Museo del Traje cost, and when is it free? The Museo del Traje in Madrid costs €3, or €1.50 reduced, and is free for every visitor on Saturdays from 2pm to 7pm and on Sundays from 10am to 3pm. Under-18s, over-65s and students aged 18 to 25 get in free on any day with proof of age or student status.
- Ticket: €3; reduced €1.50
- Free for all: Saturday from 2pm, Sunday
- Now showing: La moda a tus pies, until 31 January
- Metro: Ciudad Universitaria (Line 6), about 11 minutes
Is the costume museum worth the trip out from the centre?
For fashion, textiles or design rather than another gallery of paintings, the Museo del Traje is worth the Metro ride: it costs €3, about a fifth of the Thyssen’s €14 or the Prado Museum’s €15, and its permanent display holds more than 1,000 pieces out of a collection of over 30,000. If you only have one free afternoon and want old masters, stay on the Paseo del Arte.
Along with seven other state museums in Madrid, the Museo del Traje shares the same €3 rate; the Ministry sets an €8 four-museum pass valid for 10 days, and the full list is in Madrid’s €3 state museums. Free time slots across the city are compared in Madrid’s free museum hours.
Who gets in free at the Museo del Traje?
Entry is free on any day for under-18s, over-65s, students aged 18 to 25 and European Youth Card holders, as well as visitors with disabilities and one companion, the unemployed, pensioners and members of large families. Each group needs accreditation at the desk, so carry ID or a student card.
Everyone else pays €3, except in the free slots: Saturday from 2pm to 7pm, Sunday from 10am to 3pm, Thursday evenings in July and August from 7pm to 10.30pm, and four set dates, 18 April, 18 May, 12 October and 6 December. The reduced €1.50 rate covers groups of more than eight and travellers holding a Renfe train ticket under the Museos en Red scheme. Floor plans are available in Spanish, English and French.
What is on at the Museo del Traje this winter?
Until 31 January 2027, the Museo del Traje is showing La moda a tus pies, a footwear intervention in 35 cases of the permanent collection on the first floor. Shoes from 40 Spanish companies, among them Castañer, Chie Mihara and Magnanni, sit beside the historic garments that inspired them, with work by 12 artisans in lace, embroidery, jewellery and silk flowers.
The display is organised with the footwear federation FICE as part of the Madrid Design Festival, and needs no extra ticket. The Teresa Helbig retrospective, Helbig Archive 96-26, closed on 27 September 2026. On Wednesdays 18 and 25 November there is a free preventive-conservation workshop for Science Week, from 9.30am or noon, booking required and for ages 12 and up.
What should you see first?
The permanent display at the Museo del Traje runs through 54 cases, from the 18th century to today, and the best time to go is Saturday from 2pm, when it is free for five hours. More than 350 pieces changed in the last rotation. A route that covers the essentials:
- The early areas, from the 18th century, up to the room devoted to Mariano Fortuny.
- Area 9, The dictatorship of haute couture, and the thread called the other Balenciagas.
- Mass fashion and the Catwalk area, with the cases on film costume, street style and the television age.
- The traditional dress room, the regional costumes that started the collection at the 1925 Regional Costume Exhibition.
- The multisensory area and Area 12, The senses.
Step-free access is via the street entrance, and visitors with reduced mobility can use the Calle Paul Guinard entrance; the museum lends 2 wheelchairs.
How do you get to the Museo del Traje from Sol?
From Sol, Metro Line 3 runs to Moncloa without a transfer; from there the Museo del Traje is about a 17-minute walk, or one stop on Line 6 to Ciudad Universitaria, about 11 minutes from the door at Avenida de Juan de Herrera 2. A Metro single ticket costs €1.50 to €2, loaded onto the contactless public transport card. Buses 46, 82, 83, 132, 133 and G also stop nearby.
A 12-minute walk away, the Museo de América charges the same €3 state rate, and the Faro de Moncloa next to it lifts you to a viewing deck at 92 metres for €4, Tuesday to Sunday until 8pm; opening times are in the Faro de Moncloa guide. The Argüelles side of Moncloa is covered in the Argüelles neighbourhood guide.
How do you plan a free Saturday afternoon around it?
A free Saturday at the Museo del Traje starts with lunch, since the in-house Café de Oriente, run by Grupo Lezama, serves its restaurant from 1pm to 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Lunch is served there before the museum turns free at 2pm, and the café stays open until 7pm.
| Time | Stop | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1pm | Lunch at Café de Oriente, inside the museum | Menu prices at the restaurant |
| 2pm to 7pm | Museo del Traje, permanent display and La moda a tus pies | Free |
| Before 7.30pm | Faro de Moncloa, about 13 minutes on foot | €4, last ascent 7.30pm |
The terrace and glazed dining rooms look onto the museum’s pine gardens, and the restaurant takes table booking on 91 550 20 55. For temporary exhibitions in the centre, CaixaForum Madrid charges €6 for all its galleries.
Museo del Traje FAQ
How much is the Museo del Traje in Madrid?
A standard ticket to the Museo del Traje costs €3 and the reduced rate is €1.50, which applies to groups of more than eight and to Renfe ticket holders under the Museos en Red scheme. Temporary exhibitions are free, and an annual pass to the Museo del Traje costs €25.
When is the Museo del Traje free?
The Museo del Traje is free for everyone on Saturdays from 2pm, all day Sunday, on Thursday evenings in July and August from 7pm to 10.30pm, and on 18 April, 18 May, 12 October and 6 December. Under-18s and over-65s go free on any day with proof of age.
Is the Museo del Traje open on Mondays?
No. The Museo del Traje closes every Monday. It opens Tuesday to Saturday from 9.30am to 7pm and on Sundays and public holidays from 10am to 3pm, and the ticket desk stops selling 15 minutes before closing. In 2026 it also closes on 24, 25 and 31 December.
What is on at the Museo del Traje now?
Until 31 January 2027, the Museo del Traje is showing La moda a tus pies, a footwear display in 35 cases of the permanent collection on the first floor. Shoes by 40 Spanish companies, including Castañer and Chie Mihara, sit next to the historic garments that inspired them.
How do I get to the Museo del Traje from Sol?
Take Metro Line 3 from Sol to Moncloa without changing, then walk about 17 minutes to the Museo del Traje on Avenida de Juan de Herrera 2. Alternatively, change at Moncloa to Line 6 for one stop to Ciudad Universitaria, which is about an 11-minute walk from the museum.
Madrid’s fashion history costs €3, and nothing on a Saturday afternoon.