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Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales vs Museo de la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

Both are highly recommended by travel writers. On balance, Convent of the Royal Barefoot Nuns is the choice of most writers compared to Museo de la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. Convent of the Royal Barefoot Nuns comes in at #13 in Madrid with endorsements from 5 reviews like Lonely Planet, Fodor's and Travel + Leisure.

Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales
Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales
8 / 10
Plaza de las Descalzas Reales, s/n, 28013 Madrid
From $0 /night
Fodor's Fodor's
"Its plain, brick-and-stone facade hides paintings by Francisco de Zurbarán, Titian, and Pieter Brueghel the Elder." Full review
Frommer's Frommer's
"In the mid-16th century, aristocratic women -- either disappointed in love or "wanting to be the bride of Christ" -- stole away to this convent to take the veil." Full review
Lonely Planet Lonely Planet
Top Choice
"The grim, prisonlike walls of this one-time palace keep modern Madrid at bay and offer no hint that behind the sober plateresque facade lies a sumptuous stronghold of the faith." Full review
Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
"This collection of fantastic, if occasionally brutally themed, religious art, including pieces by Peter Paul Rubens, is in an appropriately creaky and forbidding 16th-century working convent." Full review
Michelin Guide Michelin Guide
2 Stars
"Home to a remarkable museum of religious art... also includes numerous canvases by Zurbarán, Bruegel the Elder." Full review
Museo de la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
Museo de la Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
9 / 10
Alcala, 13, 28014 Madrid
From $0 /night
Fodor's Fodor's
"Designed by José Churriguera in the waning baroque years of the early 18th century, this museum showcases 500 years of Spanish painting." Full review
Concierge Concierge
"The go-to gallery for Goyas; including two of the artist's self portraits, as well as paintings by Ribera and Velázquez."
Frommer's Frommer's
"An easy stroll from Puerta del Sol, the Fine Arts Museum is located in the restored and remodeled 17th-century baroque palace of Juan de Goyeneche." Full review
Lonely Planet Lonely Planet
Top Choice
"Madrid’s ‘other’ art gallery, the Real Academía de Bellas Artes has for centuries played a pivotal role in the artistic life of the city." Full review
Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
"Housed in an 18th-century Baroque palace near the Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun), the museum displays more than 1,400 paintings by artists like Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí." Full review
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