National Museum of Romanticism — Attraction in Madrid

Neat little museum, but the staff at the front desk/tickets/information don't speak any English and were incredibly rude to me. Yes, I realize it's not an English speaking country but if you're going to work at a tourist attraction, you should have a passing knowledge of a few different languages because guess what? You're going to have to interact with tourists from other countries. I am a pretty seasoned traveler and I have NEVER encountered anything like the behavior from these people, all over a misunderstanding about one euro. Enter at your own risk or skip altogether and visit "The Big Three" (Prado, Thyssen, Reina Sofia) or the Royal Palace where you will be treated as a welcome guest and not subjected to an employee shouting at you in Spanish, stomping, and flailing her arms around making a spectacle of herself in front of other visitors because I don't have one euro to lock up my very small bag - which no other museum in any other part of Madrid or the world has ever insisted I lock up before. In contrast, the employees actually inside the exhibit were extremely pleasant...

The museum is a real treasure and the collection of artworks and furniture is quite beautiful. It would have become one of my favorite museums in Madrid next to Ceralbo If not for the staff working there… I have never felt more scrutinized in my life! Every time you entered a room someone ran to stare at you and if you looked at something they came closer and looked at you to make sure you are not doing anything. I imagine there must have been some incidents before that is why they behaved like that but it was really like being in a prison ! Also they talked loud - louder than any visitors - about their vacation and plans and when a girl got a cellphone call and was softly answering it they shouted at her that she can’t talk on the phone- but they made much more noise than she did !!! It really took out all the beauty from the visit… and to make matters worse - the bathroom “ was being cleaned “ in the middle of the day and with a large cue of people waiting … couldn’t they clean it one by one - why close the...

The museum was excellent and very interesting, and the entry price offered brilliant value.

However, some interactions with security staff negatively affected our experience. A member of staff adjusted my tiny handbag to the front of my body, while others with much larger handbags were not asked, and a warning was given about standing too close to a display even though other visitors at the same distance were not approached. We also felt observed more closely than others, which created an impression of being singled out — something we have not experienced in any other attraction. There is nothing wrong with being strict and ensuring the exhibitions are protected, but it is important that the same rules are applied consistently to all visitors.

That said, another security staff member was very friendly and helpfully translated information into English, and overall the museum is still...