We sliced this section out of the book and followed it at the Prado. The result was a highly satisfying visit. There were detours, of course, to other paintings that caught our eye, and we passed on a few works that didn't interest us, but following a set route was surprisingly effective and enjoyable. The clear directions also defused gallery navigation rage, which I'm prone to when lost in large museums and IKEA.
Lunch at the main floor cafeteria was actually pretty tasty - the poke salad bowl easily feeds two. In all we were in the Prado for 3 hours, and our heads weren't spinning from art fatigue when we left. A win.
Posted by
North Carolina
2497 posts
'Gallery navigation rage' - I like that term, and can relate. Glad Rick helped you out there.
Posted by
USA Southwest
99 posts
I'm thinking of using the RS guide at the Prado, but I was hoping we could do it on a free evening which only lasts 2 hours. Is that too little time for that route, or does that give us a fairly leisurely pace?
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Claire - it depends on how long you spend looking at each painting. For me, many of them required some "study" and took a while to see. If you're fine with quicker looks, two hours may be enough; if not, you'll have to cut the tour short.
If there are certain works that are absolute musts for you, see them first.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4656 posts
I went into the Prado with no time line and spent 7 hours. I'm pretty sure I saw every item on display except the chapel which was in a separate building. I fully enjoyed that there was also a 'no photography' rule as I had no distractions from all the art I had waited 45 years to see. It helped that unlike so many museums, the lighting and air wasn't stultifying which tends to result in mental and physical shut down after 2-3 hours. I did take a mental break for about 30 minutes for a thoroughly unsatisfactory bagette and cheese 'lunch', but it sufficed to keep me going the rest of the afternoon. So, each of us has our own tolerance level or interest. There wasn't much that I would have been willing to miss.
There are a lot of Goyas and he isn't everyone's favourite - particularly his last dark period. Having read some about it before arrival, it became more interesting and relevant.