How to visit and what to see at the Cerralbo Museum (Madrid): schedules, prices

One of the least known museums that will surprise you the most Madrid is  Cerralbo museum, which a few years ago was reopened for visits after being closed to the public for a long period of time for restoration works.

Possibly when you have passed by on the street Ventura Rodríguez, near the Plaza of Spain, you may have wondered which building is the one that has a beautiful tower in the corner of the garden that also faces the street Álvarez de Mendizábal.

This is the mansion that is currently the headquarters of the Cerralbo museum, a building from the end of the 1893th century that was completed in XNUMX by order of the Marquis of Cerralbo.

With an eclectic architectural style on its facades, and with a 19th century English style romantic garden, inside it combines neo-baroque and rococo decoration.

Curiosities about the history of the Cerralbo Palace

El palace headquarters of the Cerralbo Museum It was already conceived from the beginning as a home and museum by the aristocrat Enrique de Aguilera and Gamboa, Marquis of Cerralbo, as well as a politician, writer, collector and archaeologist.

The palace is an important reference point for learning about the life of the Madrid aristocracy at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

El Marquis of Cerralbo got married with Doña Inocencia Serrano y Cerverwidow of Don Antonio del Valle, who was 29 years older than him and who brought two children to the marriage.

They spent 22 years on their honeymoon traveling around the world, and three years after moving to the palace the marchioness died and the marquis stayed living with the two stepchildren.

After his death in 1922, he gave the palace to the State for its conversion into a museum.

The great attraction of Cerralbo museum is in the great art collection of more than 50.000 objects from all over the world, including paintings, sculptures, ceramics, furniture, tapestries, etc...

This is the experience of visiting the Cerralbo museum in Madrid

The visit begins by entering through two enormous doors through which the carriages entered and left during the life of the marquises.

Stair of Honor of the Cerralbo Palace

We access the mezzanine floor through a beautiful and impressive Stair of Honor with double ramp and marble balustrade, with iron railing.

The decoration highlights the coat of arms with the emblems of both families, in addition to two precious tapestries made in Brussels and Pastrana.

This floor is where trusted visitors were received and where the daily life of the marquises and their family took place.

Cerralbo Palace Garden

crossing the Summer Hall y The galery, you will access the garden, which is a reconstruction carried out in 1995 since after the Civil War the original garden was destroyed.

A temple-viewpoint located in one of the corners of the palace fence stands out, and in its central area is the pond, in which different sculptures are reflected.

One of the most important pieces is the boar that overlooks the pond. It is a replica of the original piece that comes from the old Medinaceli palace.

The entire garden is also surrounded by busts of Roman gods and emperors, and there are currently organized painting workshops for young children.

On the tour of this floor you will pass through different rooms with views of the garden.

Red Room of the Cerralbo Palace

Thus, the Red Room It was the one the Marquis used daily to handle correspondence and everything related to his estates, where you can see a telephone hanging on the wall. Ericsson of wood, bakelite and metal.

El Yellow Room It was the summer dining room and trusted cabinet, and has the only original wallpaper preserved in the entire palace.

La Pink Living Room It overlooks the garden and is where the Marchioness spent her spring afternoons, as well as the place where she received her most intimate friends.

Bedroom of the Marquis of Cerralbo

El bedroom of the Marquis of Cerralbo was the place he used Don Enrique since she became a widow, and its austerity compared to the opulence of the rest of the palace will catch your attention, as well as a curious alarm clock with light.

In this room the marquis died sitting in his armchair at the foot of the bed.

Confidence Hall of the Cerralbo Palace

El Trust Hall It is an elegant room where the closest friends gathered weekly to play cards or have tea, and it is full of the most intimate memories of the trips they made.

The lamp stands out murano glass acquired by the marquises on one of their trips to Italy.

Next, during your visit you will access the main floor which is considered the noble area of ​​the Cerralbo palace.

As it was intended for protocol, it was decorated more sumptuously since it was a reflection of the economic position of the marquises.

The best spaces were reserved for guests and were only opened on special occasions for receptions, parties and dances.

The distribution is similar to the mezzanine floor, with rooms lined up except that here three large galleries are added around an interior patio.

Cerralbo Palace Armory

On the tour of this plant you will pass by The Armory, place where the hosts received their guests and proceeded to the hand-kissing ceremony.

Here you will find some 700 pieces of armor and weapons, and on the ceiling you can see heraldic shields in painted plaster.

Curious it turns out the bathroom, having a roman style marble bathtub, basically intended to show off the installation of hot and cold running water, as well as the drains that the palace had, something unusual at the time.

Arab Room of the Cerralbo Palace

La Arab Room It is one of the most beautiful decorated with objects that come from Japan, the Philippines, China, Morocco, Turkey or New Zealand.

This type of room, very fashionable in Europe during the 19th century, was associated with smoking, so it was mainly used by men.

Cerralbo Palace Gala Dining Room

the so-called Drawing Hall communicate with him Gala dining room and it is a corner that the marquis used due to its dim lighting to display 80 drawings from a collection of up to 500 copies, which includes works by authors such as Goya o Peter of Cortona.

La Room of the Columns It was another meeting place for gentlemen to discuss political as well as business issues.

Baroque in style, this room features a central table on which figurines of marble, jasper and agate columns are piled up, crowned by small sculptures from different places presided over by the bust of Luis XV and a porcelain biscuit Sevres.

The Changing Room with an oak wardrobe was the place where the marquis used to dress in front of an entourage of valets.

The swords and sabers were arranged on the central table.

Empire Room of the Cerralbo Palace

Now with a much more feminine air you will find the Empire Room in which light and cheerful colors prevail on its walls and upholstery, as well as pictorial decoration and a large number of mirrors.

You will finally reach the Gala dining room, where you find an impressive mahogany and walnut table around which the most influential personalities of Spanish society at the end of the 19th century gathered.

After passing through the Pool's room, you will access the Chamfer Living Room which is on the corner with Ventura Rodríguez street y Ferraz street, and it was used for gathering and whispering between dances.

In this room you can see Regency style stalls and paintings by Joseph Soriano y Maximum Jewish Quarters.

Cerralbo Palace Office

The office It is a room with countless artistic pieces.

It shows the hobbies and tastes of the marquis, and it was where he received the most illustrious visitors. You will see an impressive hearth with the coat of arms of marquisate Cerralbo, as well as various titles that he owned since he was Royal of Spain.

Among the most significant objects is a letter of Menendez Pelayo congratulating you on your archaeological excavations, as well as various souvenirs carlists.

Cerralbo Palace Library

La Library de English style It was the place of study and intellectual meeting, and volumes on subjects such as numismatics, archaeology, history, literature and travel monographs and manuscripts are preserved there.

In the upper part of the Library There are volumes from before 1500 and the numismatic collection is one of the most important in the country.

Next, during your tour you will pass through the galleries that imitate those of Italian palaces and where you could see the most important works of his picture gallery.

Galleries of the Cerralbo Palace

Thus, the First Gallery shows us the paintings of the ancestors mixed with vases, clocks, couches and consoles, and in the central part there is a display case with curious details such as the Golden Fleece which was awarded to the marquis.

La Second Gallery It is decorated with Italian furniture inspired by Florentine and Baroque productions, and there stands out a large canvas of ““Pity” de Alonso Cano.

It is an eclectic decoration as there is a large accumulation of objects from different origins displayed without any order.

La Third Gallery with beautiful Salamanca desks and neo-Renaissance chests, marble busts and large mirrors with gold moldings to give more light to the gallery.

A painting of Greco decorates its walls, the magnificent work “Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy".

Cerralbo Palace Ballroom

And you will finish the tour by accessing the jewel of the palace.

This is the Dance room, a large room covered with Lyon silks, agate and marble panels that cover its walls.

You will also be struck by its numerous Venetian mirrors and an impressive French clock crowned by a silver bronze sculpture.

This room was also dedicated to housing important archeology and numismatic exhibitions, as well as literary evenings.

El Marquis of Cerralbo He is portrayed in one of the corners of the room, dressed in a red frock coat. Do you dare to find it?

Cerralbo museum visit schedules

The Visiting hours of the Cerralbo museum in Madrid They are, from Tuesday to Saturday, from 9,30:15 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sundays and holidays, from 15 a.m. to XNUMX p.m.

On Thursdays it has a special opening in the afternoon, from 17 to 20 p.m., except on holidays.

Cerralbo museum ticket prices

El Cerralbo museum ticket price It is 3 euros, with a reduced entry of 1,50 euros for groups.

How to visit the Cerralbo museum for free

Also keep in mind that you can visit the Cerralbo museum for free Thursday afternoons, from 17 to 20 p.m. (except holidays), and every Sunday, as well as on specific dates; April 18, May 18, October 12 and December 6.

On normal days, they have free entry to the Cerralbo museum those under 18 years of age, pensioners, seniors+65, Youth Card holders, university students up to 25 years of age and other groups.