Barcelona Museum Pass

When planning your trip to Barcelona, you’ll come across various tourist cards and discount passes that can help you save money on your trip.

One of my favourites is the city’s Museum Pass. Simple and practical, it’s a resource that art lovers should make the most of to enjoy one of their favourite activities in Barcelona: exploring world-famous museums and galleries!

As the name suggests, the Barcelona Museum Pass is a sightseeing pass designed to take you around the city’s most iconic museums.

It includes a total of 6 museums, with access to both temporary and permanent collections at no extra cost. The best part is that the Barcelona Museum Pass is valid for a year, so if you don’t have time to visit all the museums on your first visit, you always have the chance to return and make the most of your investment.

According to experts in the field, Barcelona’s museums and art galleries are among the best in Europe, at least as far as the early 20th-century artistic avant-garde is concerned, given that the region of Catalonia was home to some of the most influential artists of the era, including Miró, Picasso and Dalí.

From Impressionism to Modernism, via Postmodernism and Cubism, you’ll find all this and more in Barcelona’s museums.

The Barcelona Museum Pass costs approximately €35 per person, which means a saving of up to 45% on ticket prices compared to buying each one individually.

Museums included in the Barcelona Museum Pass

Below is a list of the museums you can visit with the pass, as well as what you can see in each of these venues.

• Picasso Museum, a must-see for all lovers of Picasso’s art.
• The Antoni Tàpies Foundation, dedicated to one of the most prominent artists and writers of the early 20th century.
• Joan Miró Foundation, created to promote awareness of this highly talented artist.
• Barcelona Centre for Contemporary Culture, well worth a visit not only for its extensive art collection but also for the beautiful venue and stunning views.
• National Art Museum of Catalonia, a leading venue for Catalan Modernism, featuring works by artists such as Gaudí.
• Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, showcasing the best of local and international contemporary art.

The first and most important step is to purchase your Barcelona Museum Pass. Above all, I recommend buying it online a few weeks before your trip, so as to avoid wasting valuable time that you could otherwise spend exploring and getting to know the city.

You can collect it directly at any of the museums included in the pass; you simply need to present your purchase voucher at the ticket office. As soon as you visit the first museum, your pass is activated, and as you visit the other exhibition centres, you will receive stamps confirming your visit.

Validity and terms of use

Perhaps the most important aspect, and the one that attracts the most attention from tourists, is that this museum pass is valid for a full year.

If your first visit is short, for example two days in Barcelona or three days exploring the city, but you plan to return within the next 12 months, you can reuse your pass at those museums you were unable to visit on your first trip.

If you plan to spend around four days in Barcelona and have a particular interest in the arts, this pass will save you approximately 45% on ticket prices.

Remember that the pass is valid for one year, so if you don’t manage to complete the full tour on your first visit, you’ll always have the chance to return.

What’s more, you’ll have an express pass that means you won’t have to queue to enter any of the included museums; this is particularly valuable during peak tourist seasons, such as the summer months in Barcelona.

There are some situations where buying the Barcelona Museum Pass isn’t the best option, namely:

• When you’re onlyvisiting for a few days: If you’re visiting Barcelona for just a day or two and it’s your first trip, it’s best to explore the city (streets, architecture, parks, bars) and leave the more artistic side for a second visit.
• Catalan or Spanish art isn’t your thing: If you’ve seen this type of art before and it doesn’t spark any particular interest in you, it’s best to skip this sort of experience.
• When visiting Barcelona with children: Ifyou’re visiting Barcelona with children, there’s no need to buy a museum pass for them. As long as they’re accompanied by an adult with a pass, children under 16 can visit all the museums on the list.

In Barcelona, you’ll find other tourist passes that might be of interest. Like the Museum Pass, these aim to help visitors get to know and explore the city, whilst also saving a bit of money in the process.

Barcelona Card

This is a very comprehensive tourist pass offering travellers numerous benefits. These include entry to around 25 popular tourist attractions in the city; use of public transport; and discounts at selected museums, monuments and restaurants in the city.

• Attractions included: highlights among the attractions included in this tourist pass are the Pedralbes Monastery, the Chocolate Museum and the Joan Miró Foundation.
• Attractions with discounts: Some attractions offering discounts on admission prices include Gaudí’s La Pedrera, the Spotify Camp Nou and the Palau de la Música Catalana.
• Price: You can purchase a pass valid for a minimum of 3 days and a maximum of 5; prices start from €48 for adults and €26 for children aged 4 to 12.

Barcelona Pass

The Barcelona Pass is designed to offer tourists free access to many of the most popular attractions included in any visit to Barcelona. It offers the option to skip the queue at selected attractions and the option to add a transport pass to get around the city.

• Attractions included: With this card, you’ll have free access to attractions such as La Pedrera and Casa Batlló, as well as other works by Gaudí, the Museum of the History of Catalonia and the Hospital de Santa Cruz.
• Price: The two-day pass is available from €99, and if you wish to include transport, it costs around €125. If you wish to add more days, the price of the pass increases.

If you decide to purchase the museum pass for your next visit to Barcelona, here are a few additional tips that may be of great help when planning your trip around the Catalan capital.

Plan when to visit each museum

The Barcelona Museum Pass is a worthwhile purchase for most travellers, mainly due to its affordability, but to get the most out of your investment, you need to plan your itinerary in advance.

This means visiting 2 to 3 museums in a day and alternating these visits with strolls through Barcelona’s beautiful streets or areas such as the Gothic Quarter.

Bear in mind opening times and the duration of the visit

Of course, if you’re a true fan of avant-garde and contemporary art, you might need a little more time, but on average, this is how long you’d spend at each museum:

• Picasso Museum: around 90 minutes.
• Antoni Tàpies Foundation Museum: around 60 minutes.
• Joan Miró Foundation: at least 2 hours.
• Barcelona Centre for Contemporary Culture: around 2 hours.
• National Art Museum of Catalonia: 2 to 3 hours.
• Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art: you can see the entire collection in 90 minutes.

If you’re visiting Barcelona with children…

If you’re visiting Barcelona with children under 16, select the free option for them when purchasing the Barcelona Museum Pass.

Children are given a special, free card called a Boarding Pass, which they can use to get their attractions stamped when visiting with adults.

Buy the museum pass online

It’s one of the best ways to save time and have all the important details sorted out well in advance of your arrival. Believe me, with all the rushing about and transfers, the last thing you want is to have to go out of your way to sort this out.