Prado cannot be like ‘the Metro at rush hour’, says Madrid museum’s chief

The head of the Prado has said the Madrid art museum does not need “a single visitor more” after it welcomed a record 3.5 million people last year, adding that plans are being drawn up to ensure it does not become a victim of its own success like the Louvre in Paris.In 2025 the Prado, which is home to such masterpieces as Velázquez’s Las Meninas and Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights, was visited by 3,513,402 people, an increase of more than 56,000 from the previous year. Visitor numbers have risen by more than 816,000 over the past decade.While some museum bosses would be toasting such a success, the Prado’s director, Miguel Falomir, is treating it with caution. “The Prado doesn’t need a single visitor more,” he told a press conference on Wednesday. “We feel comfortable with 3.5 million. A museum’s success can collapse it, like the Louvre, with some rooms becoming oversaturated. The important thing is not to collapse.”Detail from The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch (1450-1516) in the Prado. Photograph: Album/AlamyFalomir said the museum had embarked on a new project, called Plan Host, to prioritise quality over quantity and to try to improve or at least maintain visitors’ museum experience.“It can’t be like catching the Metro at rush hour,” said the director, who has been in his post since 2017. “You can’t judge a museum on visitor numbers. The quantity isn’t as important as the quality; there should be a diverse and inclusive range of visitors.”Sixty-five per cent of the Prado’s visitors last year were from overseas. Photograph: Alex Segre/AlamyFalomir said 65% of visitors last year were from overseas and he would like to see more Spaniards taking advantage of one of the country’s greatest cultural treasures. Among the plans for improving the quality of visits are optimising entrances to the museum, rethinking the size of visiting groups, and making sure people know they are not allowed to take photos in the galleries.The Louvre made non-heist-related headlines a year ago when its director said in a leaked memo that visiting the museum was “a physical ordeal”. Laurence des Cars said: “Visitors have no space to take a break. The food options and restroom facilities are insufficient in volume, falling below international standards. The signage needs to be completely redesigned.”The Louvre received 8.7 million visitors in 2024, the Vatican museums 6.8 million, the British Museum in London 6.5 million, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York 5.7 million.