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The Prado, the Reina Sofia and the Thyssen-Bornemisza are all within walking distance of one another and are located in the so-called 'Golden Triangle of Art' in central Paseo del Prado.

Throughout the year crowds of people can be seen swarming on the cultural hotspots, queuing for tickets and eager to see works by great artists such as Pablo Picasso.

Miguel Angel Recio, director general of the Thyssen-Bornemisza, explained that foreign visitors make up 50% of overall visitors.

He revealed that this has kept attendances high despite the financial problems in the country, with most of the tourists coming from Britain, France and Germany.

They are no doubt being drawn in by the chance to savour the art collections, which cover everything from Italian primitives to 20th century Pop Art.

Mr Recio said: 'The museum has really consolidated its place as a tourist attraction in the city.'

During 2011 Thyssen Bornemisza welcomed more than one million visitors for the first time and Mr Recio believes it will enjoy similar fortunes this year.

Meanwhile the Reina Sodia, which houses Pablo Picasso's Guernica, has revealed that continuing to have a collection appealing to a wide variety of tastes has been key to boosting visitor numbers.

'I think it is due to a policy that understands that the public consists of multiple minorities, each with its own vision of the world,' said Reina Sofia director Manuel Borja-Villel.

'If this model works, attendance should continue to rise. The crisis affects the model of growth that is needed, not interest in culture.'

Over the next 12 months Thyssen-Bornemisza will be marking its 20th anniversary in style with five major temporary exhibits, which include the first retrospective of Russian artist Marc Chagall's work in Spain.

It will include an estimated 150 pieces of Mr Chagall's art, which will be on loan from 20 other museums, private collections and the artist's family.

The other temporary exhibits will feature a retrospective of US painter Edward Hopper's work, as well as a tribute to French post-Impressionist painter Paul Gauguin.

Steven Birch