National Archaeological Museum (Museo Arqueológico Nacional)

The Museo Arqueológico Nacional occupies a grand 19th-century building on Calle de Serrano in the Recoletos neighbourhood of Madrid, sharing its structure with the National Library of Spain. Founded in 1867 under Isabel II, the museum holds over one million objects spanning from prehistoric times through the Medieval period and covers the ancient civilisations of Iberia, Greece, Rome, Egypt, the Near East, and the pre-Columbian Americas. A comprehensive renovation completed in 2014 transformed the museum's layout, with new underground galleries and improved lighting giving the collection a thoroughly contemporary presentation.

The museum's most celebrated object is the Dama de Elche — a polychrome stone bust dating from the 4th or 5th century BC, discovered in 1897 in Elche, Alicante, whose elaborate headdress and jewellery make it the defining image of pre-Roman Iberian civilisation. The Dama de Baza, a seated funerary figure of similar age and comparable sophistication, is displayed nearby. The Iberian and pre-Roman galleries on the ground floor also contain extraordinary gold and silver torques, Phoenician ivories, and ritual objects from the Tartessian culture of southwestern Iberia.

The Roman collection occupies the first floor with mosaics, sculpture, bronzes, and everyday objects from Hispania and the broader empire. The Visigothic section — including the Guarrazar Treasure, a group of royal votive crowns from 7th-century Toledo — represents the finest collection of early medieval Christian goldwork in Spain. Below ground, a faithful replica of the Altamira Cave ceiling allows visitors to experience Upper Palaeolithic painted art without the restrictions of the actual site in Cantabria. Entry at €3 is exceptional value for the depth and range of the collection.