The Garden of Earthly Delights at a glance
The Garden of Earthly Delights (Der Garten der Lüste) is a triptych by Hieronymus Bosch, known in Spain as El Bosco. It was made between 1490 and 1500 on oak panel. The museum's record lists oil and grisaille and gives the catalogue number P002823. It is shown in the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid.
This is an independent guide, not the museum's website. The room below comes from the museum's record for the work. It is not a promise about today's hanging, so look at the digital plan on your visit day.
Size and structure
Three panels, one scene.
| Part | Width | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Central panel | 172.5 cm | 185.8 cm |
| Each side wing | 76.5 cm | 185.8 cm |
| All three panels together | About 325 cm | 185.8 cm |
The combined width is our sum of the three panels, 172.5 plus two times 76.5. It is a wide work, so give yourself room to stand back, and walk along it from the left wing to the right.
Our picks: tours for the Garden of Earthly Delights
Guided Prado visits with entry included, one of them before opening hours.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in euros (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Prado tour before opening hours
Museum entry before the public opens and an English-speaking guide are included, covering Las Meninas, the Black Paintings and the Garden of Earthly Delights. Tips and hotel transfer are extra.
Check availability →
Prado masterpieces tour in a small group
Museum entry and a guide are included, with up to seven people in the group. No exclusions are listed.
Check availability →
Prado small-group tour for up to seven
Museum entry, a guide and headsets are included. Food, drinks and hotel transfer are not.
Check availability →Prado Museum tours and tickets
Guided visits of the Prado's masterpieces and entry tickets, with live prices and availability.
How to look at the triptych
Take the panels one at a time, then as a whole.
Start with the whole
Stand a few metres back and take in the three panels together. Then move closer and read one section at a time. The detail is small, so allow time.
Do not expect one answer
There is no single agreed reading of the scene. Guides and books offer different ones, so treat any one explanation with care. An audio guide can be one more source, and you can make up your own mind.
Oil and grisaille
The register lists both techniques. Grisaille means painting in tones of grey. Whether the outer sides of the wings can be seen on your visit depends on how the museum shows the work, so do not plan around it.
Leave time for the nearby rooms
Fra Angelico's Annunciation (room 056B), Dürer's Self-Portrait (055B) and Bruegel's Triumph of Death (055A) carry nearby numbers. Use the plan to find out how the rooms connect.
All 15 famous paintings →How the Garden came to the Prado
The triptych was moved from El Escorial to the Prado in 1933. The museum's record describes it as a deposit of the Patrimonio Nacional, the Spanish state heritage body. So the record does not present the work as owned by the Prado.
That detail matters if you read about who owns the painting, because the museum's own wording is deposit. For your visit it changes nothing: the work is on show in the Prado and covered by the general ticket.
Plan your visit
Prices and times as listed for 2026.
Tickets
The general ticket costs €15 and covers the collection. Reduced tickets cost €7.50 for people over 65 and holders of an accepted youth pass or large-family card. Several groups enter free with proof, such as visitors under 18. Pick a date and time slot when you buy. See the tickets page.
Hours
The museum is open Monday to Saturday 10:00–20:00 and on Sunday and public holidays 10:00–19:00. The last entry is 30 minutes before closing. It is closed on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Read more on the hours and free entry page.
Free entry
The collection is free Monday to Saturday 18:00–20:00 and on Sunday and holidays 17:00–19:00, depending on capacity. Entry is not guaranteed when the museum is busy.
Entrances
The museum's access page names the Goya entrance for the ticket desks and the collection, and the Jerónimos entrance for the collection and special exhibitions, with preferred access for visitors with reduced mobility. The assignment can change, so read the signs at the door.
Photos
Photography is not allowed in the collection rooms, including the Bosch room. It is allowed in the Jerónimos foyer, the Sala de las Musas and the cloister.
Audio guide and tours
The audio guide costs €5 extra and covers more than 250 works in 15 languages. Our guided tours page lists the museum's own tour of collection masterpieces, which lasts about 90 minutes and costs €10 on top of the ticket. Check the current timetable before you go.
More Prado masterpieces
Other works worth adding to your route.
The Garden of Earthly Delights: frequently asked questions
Where is The Garden of Earthly Delights?
It is in the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid. The museum's record lists room 056A, but works can be moved, so confirm on the current plan.
When was the Garden of Earthly Delights painted?
Between 1490 and 1500. It is a triptych on oak panel, listed as oil and grisaille.
How big is the painting?
The panels are 185.8 cm high. The central panel is 172.5 cm wide and each side wing is 76.5 cm wide.
Does the Prado own the Garden of Earthly Delights?
The museum's record calls it a deposit of the Patrimonio Nacional. It came from El Escorial to the Prado in 1933.
Can I take a photo of it?
No. Photography is not allowed in the collection rooms. The permitted areas are the Jerónimos foyer, the Sala de las Musas and the cloister.