Royal Monastery of Guadalupe and Its Museums

What It Is

The sanctuary of the Virgin of Guadalupe, patron of Extremadura, built between the 14th and 16th centuries and a World Heritage Site since 1993. The Gothic basilica can be visited freely during hours of worship. The museums are seen on an accompanied visit that tours the Mudéjar cloister with its shrine, the Embroidery Museum in the former refectory, with copes and mantles embroidered in the monastery workshop since 1415, the Museum of Illuminated Books, with 107 codices and choir books, the Painting and Sculpture one, with El Greco, Goya and Juan de Flandes, and the sacristy, with eight canvases by Zurbarán and, in the chapel of San Jerónimo, his Apotheosis of Saint Jerome.

Hours and Admission

The museums open Monday to Sunday, from 9:30 to 12:50 and from 15:30 to 17:50; they close on 1 January and 25 December. Admission costs €7; €6 for over-65s; €3 for children aged 4 to 13, and it is free under 4. It is bought at the monastery shop, on a first-come basis: tickets are not reserved, except for groups of more than 30 people who give notice on 927 367 000.

What the Visit Is Like

In groups of forty or fifty people, accompanied (not guided) by monastery staff, for about 45 or 50 minutes. The ticket comes with a simple explanation and a QR code to expand on it on your phone.