We currently publish 4 free admissions or free time slots at museums and monuments in Spain, and the conditions vary a lot from one to another: theThyssen does not require buying a ticket, just turning up in its slot, theReina Sofía asks you to book the free ticket online, and theRoyal Palace is only free for EU citizens, EU residents and Latin Americans, with original ID. To get connected there are 8 travel eSIMs with a welcome discount, but coverage at your destination should decide which one you buy; the code comes afterwards.
Museums and monuments with free admission
These are the 4 current options in Spain, with when each is free and what it asks for. Each one carries the date it was checked: between 28 October 2026 and 28 October 2026.
| Place | When | Requirement | Checked | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Museo Reina Sofía | Mon and Wed–Sat, 19:00–21:00 | no code — free ticket bookable online | official source ↗ | |
| Museo Thyssen | Monday 12:00–16:00 · Saturdays 21:00–23:00 | no code — direct access at the ticket office | official source ↗ | |
| Palacio Real de Madrid | Mon–Thu afternoons, hours depend on the season | no code — with original ID at the ticket office | official source ↗ | |
| Museos Estatales | 18 Apr · 18 May · 12 Oct · 6 Dec, across Spain | no code — direct access on the dates shown | official source ↗ |
What to bring to get in
- Original ID at the Royal Palace. Free admission there is for EU citizens, EU residents and holders of an EU work permit, and Latin American citizens, shown at the ticket office with original ID. The source does not list other nationalities.
- Book online at the Reina Sofía. Even though it is free you need a ticket, which can be booked on its website at no cost. It is for individual visitors only and the museum is closed on Tuesdays.
- No ticket to buy at the Thyssen. In both slots access is direct at the ticket office, with no need to buy a ticket; some temporary exhibitions may require a ticket.
- Arrive with time to spare at the Royal Palace. Entry closes 60 minutes before closing time.
When to go: times are Madrid time
The slots are Madrid time and some change with the season. We only count what the official terms say:
- Reina Sofía: Mondays and Wednesday to Saturday, 19:00 to 21:00. On Sundays there is another free slot with different hours, to be checked on the museum’s website.
- Thyssen: Mondays 12:00 to 16:00 (collections and some temporary exhibitions) and Saturdays 21:00 to 23:00, which also include the temporary exhibitions. Sponsorships may be renewed for periods, so validity is re-verified every 14 days.
- Royal Palace: Monday to Thursday, 17:00 to 19:00 between April and September and 16:00 to 18:00 between October and March.
- State museums: 18 April, 18 May, 12 October and 6 December, across Spain. In addition, each museum designates at least four free days a month, different at each centre: check them on the website of the individual museum.
Travel eSIMs with a discount
These are the 8 eSIMs we have published, with what whoever joins through the code receives. Each one carries the date it was checked: between 27 October 2026 and 1 November 2026.
| eSIM | What you get | Checked | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holafly | 10% discount | official source ↗ | |
| Saily | €4.00 discount (€8.00 on the Ultra plan) | official source ↗ | |
| eSIM io | €2.50 of io balance credit | official source ↗ | |
| Roamless | $10 of Roamless credit | official source ↗ | |
| Nomad | $5 off your first plan | official source ↗ | |
| Airalo | €3 off your first purchase | official source ↗ | |
| Kolet | €3 off | official source ↗ | |
| Eskimo | 500 MB of data, no expiry and no purchase needed | official source ↗ |
Coverage decides the eSIM
With welcome discounts of between €2.50 and about €9, paid only once, choosing the right eSIM is worth more than picking the most generous code. Look first at real coverage at your destination in Spain, the type of plan (per country, per region or global) and what happens to the data you do not use. The detail of each programme — discount or credit, currency, caps and the mistakes that leave you without the discount — is in the guideTravel eSIMs: what each discount gives.
Why we put our name to this list
Each row comes from the official page of the museum, the monument or the eSIM programme, linked in the table, with the date we looked at it. The eSIMs in the second table are house referrals: if someone joins through them, we earn something, and we say so just as each store page does with its #referrallabel. The free admissions carry no affiliate link. Opening times and conditions can change without notice: if in doubt, the place’s official website prevails. If something no longer works, the "Not working?" button on the store page tells us.