There is always something to do in Barcelona. Even when you think you have seen the whole city, there is always something else to see and enjoy in this great cosmopolitan city.
I am a particular fan of museums and especially on rainy days. When I am on holidays I take a chance to get to know as many museums as I can when its raining.
Here are some of the best and most interesting museums in Barcelona. I have also included a special note on each one, when the entrance is on the house and free! That’s always great news!
MNAC: Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
The Palau Nacional, built for the World Fair of 1929 holds this great museum of National Art. It contains works from sculpture, painting and drawings, posters and photography. It explains the importance of the Catalan art from the Romanesque period until the mid 20th century. Recently it also holds some of the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection that used to be at the Convent of Pedralbes for so many years.
Price: 12€ per person over 16 years (valid for 2 days for one month since the day of purchase)
Admission is free every Saturday from 3pm, and on the first Sunday of every month. Admission is also free on 11 and 24 Sep, as well as on 18 May, coinciding with International Museum Day.
MUHBA Museu d’Història de Barcelona
When you are walking around the gothic quarter with your private guide, you hear great stories of what Barcino was and amazing explanations of the history and story of Barcelona. The MUHBA will give you a change to enjoy, in around 4000sqm (43,000sqft), great subterranean Roman excavations. You will be able to see streets, villas and storage vats for oil and wine. All this was discovered by accident in the late 1920s.
Price: 7€ per person
Admission is free every Sunday from 3pm and the first Sunday of every month all day. Other open days include 12 Feb, 24 Sep and 18 May.
Museu d’Història de Catalunya
Enjoy in the historical museum of Cataluña exhibits from the Paleolithic era until the 1980s, when Jordi Pujol was proclaimed President of the Generalitat. There are also excellent temporary exhibits. From its terrace you can enjoy great views of the city.
Price: 4,50€ per person
Admission is free the first Sunday of every month, as well as the following dates: 12 Feb, 23 Apr, 18 May, 11 Sep and 24 Sep.
Museu de la Música
The Music Museum includes over 1600 instruments displayed like if it were diamonds we were talking about. There are pieces from the ancient world to the modern day today. It includes musical instruments from all over the world.
Price: 5€ per person
Admission is free every Sunday from 3pm, and the first Sunday of every month all day, as well as the following dates: 12 Feb, 18 May, 21 Jun, 24 Sep and 22 Nov.
Museu Frederic Marès
The Museu Frederic Marès is an art and sculpture museum in Barcelona. It contains the collection of thousands of items donated to the city by sculptor Frederic Marès.
It includes many things that he laid his hands on like hairbrushes, opera glasses and gargoyles. There are 3 main sections: the first is the pre-Roman era to the 20th century. The Sentimental Museum where you can see objects from everyday life and the last section is a room filled of photography.
Price: 4.20€ per person
Admission is free every Sunday from 3pm, and the first Sunday of every month all day, as well as the following dates: 12 Feb, 18 May and 24 Sep.
Virreina Centre de la Imatge
In the Museum of Virreina Centre de la Imatge you can see great photographies, audiovisual works, broadcasts, book publishing, literary festivals, talks, digital documentation and literature in the age of the image.
Free admission
Museu Picasso
The Museu Picasso houses one of the most extensive collections of artworks by the 20th-century Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. With 4,251 works exhibited by the painter, the museum has one of the most complete permanent collections of works. The museum is housed in five adjoining medieval palaces in Barcelona’s La Ribera and is located on Montcada Street. It opened to the public on 9 March 1963, becoming the first museum dedicated to Picasso’s work and the only one created during the artist’s life. It has since been declared a (museum of national interest) by the Government of Catalonia.
Highlights of the collection include two of his first major works, The First Communion (1896), and Science and Charity (1897). In particular, the Museu Picasso reveals Picasso’s relationship with the city of Barcelona, a relationship that was shaped in his youth and adolescence, and continued until his death.
Price: 11€ per person
Admission is free every Sunday from 3pm to 7pm, and the first Sunday of every month all day, as well as the following dates: 12 Feb, 18 May and 24 Sep.
Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona
This museum opened in 1994 at the Casa of the Caritat, a beautiful building built in 1802 on the site of a medieval monastery. Great museum to spend a quiet morning.
Price: 6€ per person
Admission is free every Sunday from 3pm to 8pm, and on the following dates: 12 Feb, 17 May (Museum Night), 18 May and 24 Sep.
Museu Marítim de Barcelona
Even if you can’t tell a caravel from a catamaran, the Maritime Museum is worth a visit. You will be able to see to enjoy perfectly preserved examples of civil gothic architecture. You can also enjoy great temporary exhibitions.
Price: depending on what you want to see. Around 10€ per person
Admission is free every Sunday from 3pm, and on 18 May and 24 Sep.
Jardí Botànic
Thanks to the 1992 Olympic Games that changed the city of Barcelona, it favored the proposal to create a new botanical garden for the city. You can find this botanical garden between the Olympic Stadiun and Montjuic. You can enjoy around 14 hectares of good preserved collections of Mediterranean plants worldwide and great views over the Llobregat delta and part of the city of Barcelona.
Price: 3,50€ per person
Admission is free every Sunday from 3pm and the first Sunday of every month all day, as well as the following dates: 12 Feb, 18 May and 24 Sep.
Museu Blau
The Museu Blau (‘Blue Museum’) started in 2011 in the Parc del Fòrum as part of the Natural Science Museum. All 9,000 square metres of it are spread over two floors. At the main entrance you’re welcomed by the skeleton of a whale that beached itself on Catalan shores in 1862. The museum is made up of installations and spaces that include ‘Planet Life,’ an exhibition that takes you through the history of life and its co-evolution with Earth; the media library; and the Science Nest, where children up to age six can explore and play with natural materials.
Price: 6€ per person
Admission is free every Sunday from 3pm and the first Sunday of every month all day.
The Museu del Disseny de Barcelona
It is a new center of Barcelona’s Institute of Culture, who works to promote better understanding and good use of the design world, acting as a museum and laboratory. It focuses on 4 branches or design disciplines: space design, product design, information design and fashion.
The Museum is the result of the merging of several previous existing museums, such as the Museu de les Arts Decoratives, the Museu Tèxtil i d’Indumentària and the Gabinet de les Arts Gràfiquescollection. The opening of the new headquarters, located on Plaça de les Glòries, was set gradually during 2014.
Price: 5€ per person
Free admission
Sunday afternoons, from 3 to 8 pm, and the first Sunday of each month
Open days: February 12 and 8 (Saint Eulàlia’s Day) and September 24 (Our Lady of Mercy)
We can offer you an official tour guide to enjoy even more each and every one of these hotels. Please don’t hesitate in contacting us.
Info@barcelonatourtravel.com
