Caixa Forum Madrid is a free art space where you can
enjoy numerous works of art

Sometimes we can´t travel too far from our own city in the summer. Maybe because of money or time or because of some family reasons we wind up in Madrid. Just like La de Bringas in the novel by Galdós we would love to go to the coast for a while to escape the sofocating heat of the city. But what if we choose to enjoy our situation? What if we find an alternative and become tourists in our own city? Although you might not think so, its cool to be a traveler in your own environment.

Today we go to the Caixa Forum. Located at number 36 Paseodel Prado, and open every day from Monday through Sunday 10 to 20h, it is a free space to enjoy a bit of art and air conditioning. Many times forgotten among the museums of Madrid since the Thyssen, the Reina Sofia and the Prado take precedence with their (well deserved) fame, but the Caixa Forum is a good option to avoid the long lines of tourists and to see some exhibits that always make you think.

You probably know the building. It has a vertical garden that is quite impressive. It invites us to see living art that changes with the seasons and see the world from another angle. This feeling continues with the building, which has very modern architecture that is quite unusual for a museum. But in actuality, the Caixa Forum is much more than a museum. It forms part of the Obra Social “la Caixa” together with CosmoCaixa in Alcobendas and among other things it offers us temporary exhibits, conferences, summer night programs, educational activities for kids and families such as independent cinema and concerts. You can see the calendar of events in their website.

Apart from the exhibits (the current exhibit for the month of July is “Constructing the Revolution: Art and Architecture in Russia 1915-1935) you can also enjoy a coffee or afternoon snack on the fourth floor. The cafeteria is very modern with prices that are a bit high, but affordable. The café is very modern with purple modern looking chairs and lamps that look like sprouts coming down from the ceiling. It’s a calm place to be able to talk about an exhibit or just have a break with a friend in the area of Atocha and Paseo del Prado.

The shop also has lots of unique and interesting things. You can spend a while looking at all the toys for adult children and books for young and old. It’s the ideal place for anyone who loves to be creative. I couldn´t resist buying these two little friends that you see in the photo below or the postcard with the famous slogan “Spain is Different.” The visit to the Caixa Forum is “ruskomended” with 4 boquerones for anyone who likes to travel, regardless of where you call home.