Barcelona

Barcelona has so many museums that you will need to plan your visit carefully to do them justice. We have selected the highlights.

Fundació Joan Miró
One of the greatest Catalan artists of the 20th century, Miró set up the Foundation in 1971, as a gift to his native city. It houses the greatest collection of Miró’s work, with around 300 of his paintings, and a large number of sculptures, tapestries and sketches that span his entire life. His playful and colourful works are displayed on gleaming white walls, lit by natural light from above. Miró’s friend, the architect Josep Lluís Sert designed the building. The collection also includes works by Henri Matisse, Marcel Duchamp, Claes Oldenburg, Henry Moore and Fernand Leger. 

In the summer, the Foundation hosts classical music concerts. There is a good art bookshop and the contemporary art library is open to the public. Look out for Alexander Calder's mercury fountain outside. Miró rests in the cemetery on Montjuïc's southern slopes.

Address: Parc de Montjuïc.
Telephone: 934 439 470
Admission: 8 euros; concessions: 6 euros.
Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 10am-7pm (Oct-Jun), until 8pm July to September; all year until 9.30pm on Thursday; Sunday and holidays: 10am-2.30pm

Gaudí Casa-Museu
Gaudí spent most of his last twenty years (1906 to 1926) with his niece in this pink, Alice-in-Wonderland style house, now a museum. Exhibits include Gaudí-designed furniture, decorations, drawings, and portraits and busts of the architect.

Address: Parc Güell.
Telephone: 93/219-3811
Admission: 3 euros.
Opening times: 10am to 8pm daily (May-Sept.); to 7pm (Mar.-Apr.); to 6pm (Oct.-Feb.); 10am to 2pm on Sunday.

Museu Picasso
The Picasso Museum is situated on Carrer Montcada - a street known for its most elegant medieval palaces. It is the most visited museum in Barcelona, although you can just wander in and admire the courtyard and internal staircase at no 15. Picasso spent several of his formative years (1901-06) in Barcelona, and the museum is home to one of the world’s largest collection of his work. It is particularly strong on his early work up until 1904. The paintings are arranged chronologically: displays include childhood sketches, pictures from the Rose and Blue periods, the famous 1950s Cubist variations on Velázquez's Las Meninas (Ladies-in-Waiting) and on the top floor, a series of lithographies done towards the end of his life.

Address: Carrer Montcada 15-19
Telephone: 93/319-6310
Admission: 9 euros; free 1st Sunday of each month.
Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday,10am-8pm; Sunday and holidays, 10am-3pm.

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) – Montjuïc
The museum is housed in the Palau Nacional, built in 1920 for the World Exhibition and is home to the largest collection of Catalan art in Spain. Two of the main permanent collections present Romanesque and Gothic art, including an impressive collection of early medieval artwork. It is worth a visit  for the fabulous views that you get of Barcelona from the top of the hill.

Address: Palau Nacional - Parc de Montjuïc
Opening times: 10am – 7pm (Tuesday to Saturday); Sundays and public holidays, 10am to 2.30pm; Monday: closed, except public holidays
Admission: 8.50 Euros

Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona
The Museum of Contemporary Art (or MACBA as it is known) opened to the public in November 1995. The huge, glassy building by Richard Meier stands as a symbol of the city’s urban renewal. Every floor is bathed in natural light. Exhibitions change frequently, although they tend to be organised around three periods: the 1940s and 1950s, with a collection of works by artists influenced by the Surrealists and Joan Miró; works from the 1960s and 1970s which show the impact of consumer culture on art; and works from the 1980s and early 1990s which include good photographic pieces. The gallery also hosts temporary exhibitions and boasts a good bookshop.

Address: 1 Plaça dels Àngels
Telephone: +34 93 412 08 10
Admission: €7.50
Opening hours: Weekdays, 11 am to 8 pm. Saturdays, 10 am to 8 pm.
Sundays and holidays, 10 am to 3 pm. Closed: Tuesdays (except holidays), December 25th and January 1st.

Fundació Antoni Tàpies
The 20th century Cátalan artist, Antoni Tàpies created the Foundation in 1984 to promote modern and contemporary art, and it hosts over 300 of his works. The Foundation also includes a research library, and houses temporary exhibitions from other leading contemporary artists. The pioneering Modernista building designed by Domènech i Montaner in 1885 combines a brick-covered iron frame with Islamic inspired decorations. Tàpies later crowned the building with what looks like a pile of entangled wire.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 8 pm. Closed: Mondays, 25th and 26th December, 1st and 6th January.

CaixaForum social and cultural centre
Located near Plaça Espanya, it is one of Barcelona’s most exciting contemporary art spaces. The gallery is housed in an old textile factory, with a redbrick façade and modern walkway and is a unique example of Catalan Art-Nouveau industrial architecture of the early twentieth century. Inside, an elevator takes you up to the three exhibition spaces. A permanent exhibition explores the history of the building, from its original design to its refurbishment.

Address: Av. Marquès de de Comillas, 6-8
Tel. +34 93 476 86 00 
Opening times: 10am-8pm daily (until 10pm on Saturday)
Entrance: free.

Museu d'Història de la Ciutat - Conjunt Monumental de la Plaça del Rei
Most of the buildings on Plaça del Rei, in the heart of the Gothic quarter, are now open to visitors as part of the city history museum.  The museum provides a fascinating journey through the various civilisations that have passed through the city, including the Visigothic and Roman periods. A most interesting part of the museum is the extensive archaeological site under the square: as you wander around the ruins along elevated walkways, you discover public baths, shops and houses, some with floor mosaics. There is a good audio guide in English. The museum also features the Palau Reial Major, the residence of the kings and queens of Aragon.

Address: Plaça del Rei
Admission: 6 euros
Opening times: 10am-2pm & 4pm-8pm, Tuesday to Saturday; 10am-2pm, Sunday and public holidays. Closed on Mondays & January 1st, May1st, June 24th, December 25th.
Free entry every 1st Saturday afternoon of the month.

Museu de Ceramica
The Palau Reial de Pedralbes, an early 20th-century building that belonged to the family of Eusebi Güell, now houses the Ceramics museum, Spain’s most important collection of glazed ceramics from the 11th century to the present day. It also includes works by Miró and Picasso.

Address: Palau Reial de Pedralbes – Avinguda Diagonal. 686
Opening times: 10am to 6pm, Tuesday to Saturday; 10am to 3pm, Sunday and holidays.
Admission: 4.20 euros (concessions: 2.40 euros)

Palau de la Música Catalana
The concert hall is a Barcelona landmark, and one of the high points of Modernista architecture. Designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner in 1908, the Palau is a flamboyant tour de force: amongst its splendours, note the main façade with its mosaics and floral capitals, the tiled pillars inside the ticket office entrance and the auditorium, with its ceiling of blue and gold stained glass. You can take a guided tour (Sept-July: 10am-3.30pm daily. August: 10am-6pm.) The tour lasts about 50 minutes and costs 10 euros (concessions: 9 euros).

Address: Sant Francesc de Paula 2
Telephone: 93/268-1000

The Barbier-Mueller Museum of Pre-Columbian Art
This museum is devoted exclusively to Pre-Columbian cultures and its collection is one of the most prestigious in the world. Housed in a gothic palace, the Palau Nadal, the museum contains wood and stone sculptures, ceramics, tapestries, textiles and artefacts from the rich world of South American earliest cultures.

Opening times: Tuesday to Friday, 11am to 7pm; Saturday, 10am to 7pm; Sunday and public holidays from 10am to 3pm. Closed on Monday (except public holidays)
Admission: Adults 3 €; concessions 1.50 €
Under 16 years old: free.

Museu Marítim
Located in the heart of the Old port, the maritime museum tells the story of Catalunya’s long history as a sea-faring kingdom. It is housed in the Reials Drassanes, the former Royal dockyards, a rare work of non-religious monumental Gothic architecture. The buildings were restored to their medieval glory in 1987 and the museum is a great place to visit with children, with sound effects and plenty of hands-on exhibits.

Address: Avenida de les Drassanes
Telephone: +34 933 429 920
Admission: €6.50
Opening times: Monday to Sunday, 10am to 7pm.

FC Barcelona Football Museum
The museum is located within the stadium of the famous “El Barça” club. A must for all football fans, it actually is the fourth most visited museum in Barcelona. The museum presents a comprehensive history of the club and displays its trophies. The cheaper ticket gives you access to the museum. Alternatively, for 17 euros, you can get a guided tour of the changing rooms, VIP rooms, pressrooms and  players’ benches.

Address: Avinguda Aristides Maillol
Opening times: 10am-1pm and 3pm-6pm (Tuesdays to Fridays). Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays: 10am to 2pm (closed on match days). April to October: 10 am-1 pm and 3 pm-6 pm (Mondays to Saturdays). Holidays: 10am to 2pm. Closed on Sundays.
Admission: 8.50 euros (museum)

Museu Taurino (Bullfighting Museum)
Housed in the bullring on Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, it consists of two large galleries above the bullring stables and displays a large collection of memorabilia: the branding-irons and emblems of famous stock farms, the heads of famous bulls, a collection of posters from the past, old tickets, the suits of famous bullfighters, photographs, documents and a library.

Opening times: 10.30 am-2pm and 4pm-7pm daily (April to September). On bullfighting days, the museum is only open from 10am to 1pm.

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