The third corner of Madrid's Golden Triangle of Art and the home of Spain's national collection of 20th-century painting. The centrepiece is Picasso's Guernica — the vast black-and-white canvas painted in response to the 1937 bombing of the Basque town, still arguably the most powerful anti-war painting ever made. The museum's other strengths are Dalí, Miró, Juan Gris, and the post-Civil War generation of Spanish abstract painters.
The building is the converted 18th-century Hospital General de San Carlos with a striking modern extension by Jean Nouvel. Allow three hours minimum; the Picasso and Dalí rooms alone need an hour. Free entry on weekday evenings (7-9 pm) and Sunday afternoons. The metro stop directly outside is Atocha. Closed Tuesdays.