Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales

Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales

Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales
3.5
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
About
The National Museum of Natural Sciencies: a unique place in Madrid. From December 2010 new exhibits of Geology, Zoology, Paleontology and Human Evolution are on display. It is worth a visit!
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Chamartín
How to get there
  • Gregorio Marañón • 5 min walk
  • República Argentina • 8 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

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3.5
3.5 of 5 bubbles602 reviews
Excellent
154
Very good
206
Average
143
Poor
70
Terrible
29

bill h
Bristol, UK590 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Couples
We stayed in Madrid for 7 nights but I would suggest 5 is about right.

We visited three of the famous museums and saw some iconic artwork by famous artists. But, the queue’s were very long, even late at night. So buy tickets on line, then you can go to the head of the queue.
We visited the Zoological gardens which was a bit of a disappointment. Better to visit the larger park directly behind it with the huge lake.

We walked everywhere rather than use taxis.

We caught the Metro from the airport to Sol subway station and walked to our Hotel from there.

There were hundreds of bars and restaurants within walking distance of our Hotel. The Tapas was amazing but Madrid is much more expensive than other places in Spain, so drinks and food are obviously more expensive too. But we found some great restaurants that didn’t break the bank.

Don’t be afraid to go off the tourist trails. Use local bars and eat what the locals eat. Night life is buzzing and it’s safe. Or we thought so.

There is loads to see and do during the day but my suggestion is just to walk and see where you end up. Around the palace is a great walking area.

Our hotel was fine but if I did it again I would find somewhere a bit more up market with s nice lounge, a bar and maybe a pool or spa. There was a gym right next to our Hotel but it was very busy all of the time.

Give Madrid a try it’s a great City.
Written 22 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

universemonkey
Whitley Bay, UK168 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2019
Came here for the afternoon to get out of the rain, and really enjoyed it. Initially it looks a bit overwhelming - there's so much taxidermy on display in a relatively small space - but when you take the time to read the information (mostly bilingual displays in spanish and english) and look closely at the exhibits it's all very informative and some of the displays are absolutely stunning.
We got a discounted entry rate because the geological side of the museum was closed for refurbishment, but to be honest once we had gone round all the biological exhibits we had spent at least 2 hours and had seen enough.

Not the biggest museum by any means, but a good way to spend half a day.
Written 1 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mario G
Madrid, Spain241 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2018 • Family
If you have nothing to do in a Saturday or Sunday morning, it might be a good paln.
It's located in Plaza San Juan de la Cruz, very near to Nuevos Ministerios. You can easily access there.
There are two buildings:
The first one dedicated to animals in general and the second one dedicated to dinasours (actually, a few of them), fossiles and rocks (and some meteorites).
I was told that the workshops for kids are really good. I cannot say anything about that but it's true that there are some workshops. But be aware that they are not included in the ticket so if you go or take your children there, you will have to pay extra money for that.
I've been in several Smithsonian Museusms, this Natural Science Museum in Madrid has nothing to do with the Smithsonian in NY.
I would say it is more children than for adults but a visit with the family might be a good plan (especially, in a rainy day ;-)
Written 16 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

GemsNI
Armagh, UK648 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
Lots of artifacts, animal and bird species to view, minerals, fossils, dinosaur replicas and historical information about explorers, naturalists and scientists. Some videos to watch as you go around. There were different groups of school kids which added to the noise in the building, but it was fine. Really enjoyed this museum.
Written 12 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jac-and-Jek
Madrid, Spain1,032 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2017 • Couples
I remember going to this museum when I was a child and being surprised by so many things to see and learn. After visiting other similar museums in the world I realized that ours was a very old and naive museum. After so many years I expected the museum had changed, but the only thing that happened was a reorganization of the exhibits, with not much a clear sense of what a museum should be. Instead of providing insights of why things happen or why the world is like it is, it only showcases old stuffed animals and fake dinosaur bones. Honestly it has been such a disappointment that I found the 6 EUR per entrance a rip off. Instead of learning from other museums, this one has gone down the pipe. Natural sciences are not just an exhibit of animals, bones and rocks, but they should provide learning tools for kids and adults to find out how the earth was formed, some astronomy would be beneficial too, what animals live in each area of Spain and why, what dinosaurs lived here and where, some physics, some chemistry, some of the great minds Spain had in areas, the job of Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, Ramón y Cajal, the discovery of platinum, the Malaespina expedition (which is barely mentioned), etc. Give our history of science a chance to stand in a different way.
Written 2 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

PrestonGuild
United Kingdom56,018 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2017 • Solo
At the time of my visit part of the museum was closed for refurbishments. Maybe they should had reduced the price of admission as compensation.

From the outside this looks like a big museum but it is in two parts with a college in the middle. I purchased my ticket from a ticket terminal rather than line up at the slow moving queue at the ticket counter which was full of school kids.

As I showed my ticket, I was told flash photography was not allowed and I was on my way. I was not given any museum plan or even told that there was another section of the museum. I only knew when I walked to the museum that people were going in at another entrance.

The natural history bit was having work done, some of the exhibits also had an explanation in English but I just felt around the place. The second section which had fossils, minerals, dinosaur constructs and information on evolution was a bit more interesting.

The museum cannot compare to the Natural History Museum in London, American Museum of Natural History in New York or Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. However I have been to smaller natural history museums which actually have free entrance and I think this would benefit by it. It certainly not a museum I would have paid to bring my kids along.
Written 17 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Cristina R
Madrid, Spain133 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2016 • Family
If you have been to the London National History Museum don't even bother. The museum is small, unfriendly and they clearly do not want children around. It is not worthy of a capital city. Save yourself the money.
Written 6 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tyler F
Madrid, Spain12 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2012 • Friends
Most museums in Madrid are free to students with an ID card. Not the museum of natural sciences though. So my friend and I thought we'd head over after school to check it out. Turns out half of the exhibits are closed, the museum is laid out very poorly, and none of the animals or bones are actually real. Absolutely not worth paying three euros and seeing cheap knock-offs when I can go to El Prado for free and see some of the most famous art in the world.
Written 28 February 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MDOGP
Dallas, TX1,227 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2021 • Solo
I am not very fond of animals or science, but I really enjoyed the visit to this museum. It is specially interesting the room dedicated to Charles Darwin, the one to the Charles the Third and his interest for botany, and the one dedicated to Ramón y Cajal.
Written 30 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

davisonp2014
Bristol, UK66 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019 • Couples
Very educational visit - lots of very well thought out exhibits. Very thought provoking. Some examples of how the museum is working to save endangered species. A good exhibition of wildlife local to the area and national park. Exhibition of taxidermy techniques. Well worth a visit. 10 min walk from Gregorio Maranon metro stop.
Written 19 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

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