10 Best Museums in Barcelona

Barcelona is a real tourist mecca. This unique city reverently protects its history, and there are several great museums in Barcelona that demonstrate this.

Barcelona Museum

Thousands of tourists try to get into most of them every year. Each museum is interesting in its own way, but to visit every one will take a lot of time – you need to choose only the most noteworthy. On this page we list of most popular museums in Barcelona along with their entry prices, opening hours and locations.

You can visit the museums of the Catalan capital for free or at a substantial discount if you purchase a Barcelona card. Together with the Barcelona card, tourists are given a map of Barcelona and a detailed guide with a list of the most popular attractions.

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Without further ado, following are the creme de la creme of Barcelona’s museums.

1. Picasso Museum

This cultural center is dedicated to the work of one of the greatest artists in the world, and it is here that the largest number of works by the master, created by him at different stages of life, are collected. All museum exhibits are placed so that visitors can conveniently track and evaluate the creative path and growing up of Picasso.

The museum also houses a large-scale collection of sculptures, typographic publications and other exhibits related to the creative and personal life of Picasso.

Picasso Museum

More detailed information about the museum with a photo is presented in a separate article.

2. National Museum of Art of Catalonia

One of the first places in the ranking of “The Best Museums of Barcelona” has to go to the National Museum of Art of Catalonia (MNAC). The building itself is already impressive: the palace rises on Mount Montjuic. To climb to the palace, you have to overcome hundreds of steps, although part of the path can be passed on an escalator. Such a climb justifies itself, because among other things, the palace has a viewing terrace with a beautiful panoramic view of the city.

National Museum of Art of Catalonia

The museum has 8 permanent exhibitions showing the best creations of famous masters of painting and sculpture of various eras. It presents Romanesque art, Gothic with paintings by Italian artists, works of the Renaissance and Baroque. The most impressive collection is recognized as a selection of works of art from the middle of the XIX to the middle of the XX century. A very rich section of numismatics: the oldest coins from the collection belong to the VI century BC.

Practical information

Museum of Art Location: Parc de Montjuic / Palau Nacional, 08038 Barcelona, ​​Spain.

Opening times:

  • In October – April: from Tuesday to Saturday inclusive from 10:00 to 18:00, on Sunday from 10:00 to 15:00.
  • In May – September: from Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 20:00, on Sunday from 10:00 to 15:00.
Exposition at the National Museum of Art of Catalonia

Entry fees – Tourists under the age of 16 are admitted without payment. On the first Sunday of every month, admission is free for all visitors. To visit the museum at another time, you need to pay, and there are several types of entrance tickets:

  • General – it is relevant for 2 days during the month from the date of purchase and costs 12 €.
  • Combined (general ticket + audio guide) – 14 €.
  • Climbing to the terrace of Las Terrasas Mirador – 2 €.
  • For students there is a 30% discount.

You can buy a ticket at the box office or on the museum’s official website: www.museunacional.cat/es.

3. Juan Miro Foundation

The surrealistic orientation of the work of the Spanish artist Juan Miro is even indicated by the appearance of the building in which Fundacio Joan Miro is based. Thanks to the architect Luis Sert, who designed the marvelous building with a glass roof and numerous huge windows, natural light is available in the exhibition halls all day.

Juan Miro Foundation

In 1968, the first exhibition of the works of Juan Miró took place – it attracted such attention that it was decided to create the Miro Fund. So in 1975 Fundacio Joan Miro appeared, adding to the list of the most interesting museums in Barcelona.

The collection of the fund contains 14,000 items, of which 8,400 are sculptures and paintings by Miro. The rest of the work belongs to 10 more talented artists.

Sometimes a collection evokes conflicting feelings – from perplexity to admiration, and certainly leaves no one indifferent. A particularly impressive masterpiece is the 22-meter sculpture “Woman and Bird”, which is considered an unsurpassed example of surrealism around the world.

Practical information

The Juan Miro Foundation is located on Mount Montjuic.

Address: Parc de Montjuic, s / n, 08038 Barcelona, ​​Spain.

Exposition of the Juan Miro Foundation

You can visit the surreal landmark of Barcelona on any day except Monday.

Opening times:

  • In November – March: from Tuesday to Saturday inclusive from 10:00 to 18:00, on Sunday from 10:00 to 15:00.
  • In April – October: from Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 20:00, on Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00.

Children under 15 years old and unemployed are allowed without fees, for other guests entrance is paid:

  • full price – 13 €
  • for students and senior citizens – 8 €

Audio guide is paid separately – 5 €

More information and a list of temporary exhibitions can be found on the official website.

4. Museu Maritim de Barcelona (Naval museum)

The list of museums in the capital of Catalonia would not be complete if Museu Maritim de Barcelona were not included. It occupies the building of the former Royal Shipyard, which is a unique example of medieval Gothic architecture.

Naval museum

Valuable museum exhibits illustrate the fascinating history of the development of Spanish maritime shipbuilding and navigation. Visitors can see models of famous military and passenger ships, navigation equipment, diving equipment, various maps, and artworks by the mariners.

In the list of the most notable exhibits:

  • genuine 4 mast sailing schooner Santa Eulàlia;
  • A 100-meter replica of the Spanish Real Galley, which you can climb and see in detail;
  • The world’s first submarine designed by the Catalan Narsis Monturiol – submarine Ictíneo.

Practical information

Museu Maritim is located by the sea, near the city port.

Location: Av de les Drassanes S / N / Drassanes Reials, 08001 Barcelona, ​​Spain.

Opening times: The Naval Museum is open every day from 10:00 to 20:00, except December 25 and 26, January 1 and 6. The last entrance is an hour before closing time.

Exhibit at the Naval Museum

Entry fees: On Sundays from 15:00 to visit the museum is absolutely free. Young people under 17 years old are always allowed free of charge, the remaining categories of visitors need a ticket:

  • total price 10 €;
  • for students under 25 years of age and pensioners after 65 years – 5 €.

They provide an audio guide for free, available in 8 languages.

More information can be found at www.mmb.cat.

5. Gaudi House Museum

Quite interesting is the historical house-museum of Gaudi, which is located in the park Guell.

Gaudi House Museum

For almost 20 years, the building was the residence of a famous Spanish architect, and since 1963, some rooms have been open for tourists. There are Gaudi’s personal belongings, paintings, sculptures, exclusive furniture designed by the architect.

On the second floor is the library of Eric Casanelli, access to which can be obtained only by appointment.

More information about Gaudi’s home is available on this page .

6. Museu d’Historia de Barcelona (Museum of the History of Barcelona)

On the Royal Square of the Gothic Quarter stands the old mansion of Casa Clariana Padeias – this is the main building of the Museu d’Historia de Barcelona (MUHBA). Thousands of items from different eras are offered for inspection: from the Neolithic era to the twentieth century. The list of the most interesting exhibits includes a collection of Roman sculptures and portraits, a selection of antique dishes and furniture, a collection of engravings. Visitors pay increased attention to interactive exhibits, because you can try on knightly armor, hold a sword with a shield in your hands, and sit on a wooden horse.

The Barcelona History Museum includes an ancient Roman settlement, which archaeologists discovered under Rey Square. The elevator, like a time machine, takes passengers to the underground city, where you can see fragments of ancient buildings, Roman baths, streets and sewage systems.

Practical information

Museum of the History of Barcelona

Opening times:

  • from Tuesday to Saturday – from 11:00 to 19:00;
  • Sunday – from 10:00 to 20:00.

Entrance costs 7 €, an audio guide is issued. Children under 16 are allowed without pay.

The Barcelona Historical Museum has allowed free visits for everyone on the first Sunday of every month throughout the day and from 15:00 on all other Sundays. But, as tourists say, it’s better not to visit this museum for free: they don’t give out an audio guide, most of the exhibition rooms are simply closed.

You can buy tickets at the box office and online at the museum website.

7. CosmoKaish Science Museum

A museum in Barcelona that is interesting for both children and adults is CosmoCaixa. Here you can get acquainted with the fascinating world of science, shown through a variety of installations.

The list of what you can see in the museum is impressive: a submarine, rainforest, fish, a planetarium. Here you can see how vortices form and a thunderstorm appears. And almost everything you can not only see, but also touch, touch.

CosmoCaixa has several permanent exhibitions and many temporary ones.

CosmoKaish Science Museum

Practical information

Unfortunately, in the list of languages ​​in which there is an audio guide, Only Catalan, Spanish, English, French, German are available. For those who do not understand them fairly well this museum will not be so interesting.

  • CosmoCaixa Address: Carrer d’Isaac Newton, 26, 08022 Barcelona, ​​Spain.
  • Opening times: The science center is open daily from 10:00 to 20:00. On holidays, the schedule may change, but this is always warned on the official website https://cosmocaixa.es/es/cosmocaixa-barcelona.
  • Entrance fees:Access to the museum and exhibitions is paid – 6 €, entrance to the planetarium is paid separately – 6 €. For children under 16 years of age, admission is free, but please note that children under 14 are allowed only when accompanied by adults.

8. Erotic Museum in Barcelona

Sensuality, sexuality, provocation – this museum can by no means be excluded from the list of the most interesting museums in Barcelona.

Museum of Erotica

Erotic Museum of Barcelona will talk about eroticism and sex in different cultures and in different eras. The collection of this museum contains about 800 exhibits: ancient devices for receiving pleasure are replaced by the most modern, and some products can even be bought. There was a place in the museum for Monroe, Picasso, Dali and for the Lennon + Ono couple.

Practical information

  • Address: La Rambla 96, 08002 Barcelona, ​​Spain.
  • Erotic Museum is open daily from 10:00 to 00:00.
  • The price of entrance tickets varies for different exhibitions, in addition, promotions are periodically valid. The cheapest ticket is 7 €. A list of all types of museum tickets with current prices is on the official website www.erotica-museum.com
  • An additional audio guide is paid, and even at the entrance you can treat yourself to champagne – taking into account such nuances, the ticket price increases by 3 €.

9. Marijuana and Cannabis Museum

In the Gothic quarter of Barcelona, in the Palau Mornau Palace (an architectural monument of the 16th century), the Marijuana & Hemp Museum has been operating since 2013.

Marijuana and Cannabis Museum

Collected from around the world, exhibits talk about a variety of ways to use this plant. It turns out that hemp is used as a raw material for the manufacture of clothing, cosmetics, medicines, building materials, and even automobiles. In the list of manufacturers using hemp, there are a lot of world-famous brands.

This unusual museum is allowed to take photos and videos for personal use. For example, you can take a picture against the backdrop of a field with hemp.

Practical information

  • Attractions Address: Ample 35, 08002 Barcelona, ​​Spain.
  • Opening hours: Sunday from 11:00 to 20:00, all other days of the week from 10:00 to 22:00.
  • Admission is 9 €, tickets online on the official website https://hashmuseum.com/ are sold with a 5% discount. Together with the ticket, a guide book on the museum in Russian is issued. Free children under 13 years old, but only accompanied by adults.

10. Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes

On the outskirts of Barcelona, ​​away from popular tourist routes, stands the Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes – a unique architectural monument of medieval Gothic architecture, in which nuns still live. In 1931, the monastery was included in the list of national historical and artistic monuments of Spain.

Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes

Now the basement, the first and second floors of the monastery, and its courtyard are open for visitors. Of particular interest are the kitchen, in which old utensils have been preserved, and the basement with various household items.

The monastery has a permanent exhibition, which is mainly religious in nature. There are exhibits of artistic value. The Chapel of St. Michael belongs to these works of art: in 1346, the Catalan artist Ferrera Basa painted the walls and ceiling of this room with frescoes depicting the life of the Virgin Mary and the Passion of Christ.

The courtyard features a cozy garden. On all sides it is surrounded by a covered gallery with a beautiful three-tier colonnade.

Practical information

The address of the monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes: Baixada del Monestir, 9, 08034 Barcelona, ​​Spain.

Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes inside

The monastery receives visitors:

  • In October – March: from Tuesday to Friday inclusively and on holidays – from 10:00 to 14:00, on Saturday and Sunday – from 10:00 to 17:00.
  • In April – September: from Tuesday to Saturday inclusive – from 10:00 to 17:00, on Sunday from 10:00 to 20:00, on holidays from 10:00 to 14:00.

The first Sunday of every month for a whole day, and on the rest of Sunday from 15:00 admission is free. Children under 16 years of age can come without payment on any day, for other visitors the following prices are set:

  • for adults – 5 € (+ 0.6 €, if you take the audio guide);
  • for the unemployed, students under 30 years of age, pensioners – 3.5 €.

You can see a lot of additional information on the official website .

Conclusion

The Wax Museum

Of course, visiting everywhere is very difficult, but you must see the most interesting! Include the most popular museums in Barcelona in the list of what you need to see in this city – they deserve attention!

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