Barcelona Museums

Located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, Barcelona is a city that breathes art and culture. Its museum offer is one of the most varied and interesting in Europe with spaces dedicated to both modern and classical currents.

A trip is the perfect opportunity to visit some of the museums of Barcelona and soak up its history, culture and personality of the city. I tell you what for me are essential museums!

Before choosing one museum or another, I recommend that you get well informed about what you can see in each of them. Here are the ones that for me are the best in the city:

This is one of the best museums in Barcelona that you can visit, in fact it is considered one of the most important in Spain, so it can't be missing in your list to visit it. I would even say that it should occupy the first place in it for two reasons:

First for its impressive art collection ranging from Romanesque to mid-twentieth century (almost a historical period of 1,000 years!) And secondly for the spectacular building in which it is located, the National Palace, built in 1929 on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition held in the city. It is a beauty.

How to visit it?

Since the MNAC is one of the most popular museums in Barcelona, I advise you to book your tickets to the National Art Museum of Catalonia online well in advance to ensure your seat on the day of the visit you choose.

What will you see?

Mainly a review of Catalan art from the Romanesque to the mid-twentieth century to explain its evolution and the different artistic currents, although there is also special mention of the Renaissance and the Spanish and European Baroque, as well as modern Catalan art among some other surprises.

Believe me if I tell you that it will be difficult to choose the room you like the most! Personally, I think the samples of Romanesque and Gothic art that you will find in the National Art Museum of Catalonia are something from another planet, a marvel. Especially the frescoes of Sant Climent de Taüll, which will blow your mind!

Recommended if... you are enthusiastic about Romanesque and Gothic art or the work of world-renowned painters.

Information of interest

• Where: Palau Nacional, Parc de Montjuïc, s/n, 08038 Barcelona
• How to get there: By bus with lines 55, 150, 13, 37, 27, 27, 50, 65, 79, 109, 165, D20, H12 and V7. / By metro with lines 1 and 3, Plaza España station.
• How long does it take to see it? About 3 hours.

The Picasso Museum is one of the most beloved museums in Barcelona by art lovers. Not only because it has a very complete repertoire of the Malaga painter's youth and training period (nearly 4,000 works!) but also because this institution was created by himself and a friend, who donated most of the pieces in the collection.

So that's all the more reason to go! It can be said that this museum, in which he put a part of his soul, was a gift to Barcelona for being a city very dear to him in which he spent so many good times.

How to visit it?

You can get your tickets for the Picasso Museum in Barcelona at the ticket office. The general admission ticket costs 12 euros while the reduced ticket costs 7 euros.

However, admission is free on Thursday afternoons from 5 PM and the first Sunday of each month, so if you have a free slot in your schedule it can be a great option to visit.

What will you see?

Visiting the Picasso Museum is a good opportunity to discover perhaps one of the most unknown stages of the painter, that of his beginnings. However, it is also a good opportunity to take a closer look at the five Gothic palaces in which the museum is located. One of the best examples of medieval civil architecture in Catalonia.

Recommended if... you are enthusiastic about Picasso and his work. I recommend that you combine the visit with the entrance to the European Museum of Modern Art as both are located very close to each other in the neighborhood of El Born.

Practical information

• Where: Calle Montcada, 15-23.
• How to get there: By bus lines 39, 51, 45, 120, V15, V17, H14. / By metro line 1 station Arc de Triomf; line 3 station Liceu and line 4 station Jaume I.
• How long does it take to see it: about 2 hours and 45 minutes.

I remember that this was one of the museums in Barcelona that surprised me the most because its theme, unlike other contemporary art galleries, is not dedicated to abstract art but to realist art. And its aim is to share the figurative art of living artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

If you think that contemporary art does not suit you, I recommend you to visit the European Museum of Modern Art because you will surely change your opinion, it is much more interesting than most visitors think!

How to visit it?

Plan your cultural day in the streets of Barcelona and get your tickets to the European Museum of Modern Art online so you don't miss out on the date you want.

This ticket will give you access to both the permanent and temporary exhibitions so you will be able to see the museum in detail, without missing anything.

What will you see?

If you like contemporary art, you will see pieces in their collection that will leave you speechless, they are so hyper-realistic that you will think you are looking at a photograph!

Many people do not know the MEAM and pass by the nearby Picasso Museum but now that you know of its existence, do not hesitate to visit it because they also have an interesting program of concerts, plays and workshops for children quite entertaining to spend a different day.

Also with the MEAM is the same as with the National Art Museum of Catalonia: the visit is worth both for the content and for the continent. And this museum is located in the Palau Gomis, a neoclassical building unique in Barcelona.

Recommended if... you like realistic art or are looking for a different museum that is not overcrowded to spend a cultural day. At the end you can go out for tapas in the neighborhood of El Born.

Practical information

• Where: Barra de Ferro, 5.
• How to get there: By bus with lines 14, 40, 42, 45, 59, 64, 120, H14, H16, V15 and V17. / Metro line 1 station Arc de Triomf and line 4 station Jaume I.
• How long does it take to see it: 1 hour and 30 minutes approximately.

Another of the most interesting museums in Barcelona that you can visit during a getaway is the Museum of History of Catalonia.

If you are passionate about history you will really enjoy its exhibitions because you will discover in a fun and interactive way (a relief for children if you visit it with them) the history of the Catalan community from the Paleolithic to the late twentieth century.

Imagine trying on medieval armor, grinding wheat in the style of the Iberian people, or getting on a streetcar... Come on, you won't just be looking at display cases!

How to visit it?

This is one of the museums in Barcelona where it is typical that queues form at the entrance, not only for its collection but also because on its terrace there is a panoramic viewpoint with great views of the port of the city.

My advice is to buy online this ticket to the Museum of History of Catalonia that will give you queue-free access to the museum to see the permanent and temporary exhibition as well as its terrace.

What will you see?

On the outside, the Palau del Mar, the only nineteenth-century building still standing from the old port of Barcelona. Inside, you will take a trip back in time through the history of Catalonia to learn in a visual and interactive way all about this community.

In addition, from its terrace you can enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the port of Barcelona and even have some tapas in its restaurant "1881". It has delicious cocktails! It's a good plan to do after visiting the museum, don't you think?

Recommended if... you like history and want to learn more about Catalonia to contextualize your trip or you want to enjoy spectacular views of the port of Barcelona.

Practical info

• Where: Plaza de Pau Vila, 3.
• How to get there: By bus with lines 14, 17, 19, 36, 39, 40, 40, 45, 45, 51, 57, 59, 64 and 157. / By metro with line 4 Barceloneta station.
• How long does it take to see it: 2 hours approximately.

If you are an art lover and one of the reasons why you travel to Barcelona is to visit its museums and soak up culture I recommend you to buy the Articket, the Barcelona Museums Pass.

With this pass you will not only save money but also time because you can enter directly to several of the most important museums in Barcelona without queuing.

In addition, you will have access to both the permanent and temporary exhibitions of the Picasso Museum, the National Art Museum of Catalonia, the Joan Miró Foundation, the Center of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB), the Antoni Tàpies Foundation and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona (MACBA).

Most museums in Barcelona have free access for children between 0 and 15 years, so if you are traveling with your family I advise you to find out before buying the Articket.

When you purchase your ticket or book your tour, you will receive a confirmation email. With the exception of the museum pass (which you will need to exchange), you will be able to show your ticket at the museum to access the exhibition of your choice. In the case of the museum pass, it is also valid for one year from the time you redeem your voucher for the pass.

Opening days and hours

• If you can't decide on just one museum, my opinion is that the Picasso Museum is the most worthwhile for its large collection and the possibility of exploring the artist's work in depth.
• If you decide on the National Art Museum of Catalonia, keep in mind that it is located at the top of Montjuïc, the city's mountain, from where you can see some very beautiful sunsets. It might be a good idea to go up in the afternoon, explore the museum and the area, and end the day watching the sunset.
• Allow between 45 minutes and 1 hour 30 minutes to visit the museum of your choice, as long as you don't want to make an exhaustive visit that will take you a whole morning or part of the afternoon.
• Besides the museums mentioned here, which in my opinion are the most outstanding in Barcelona, the city has many others that might interest you for the specifics of their exhibitions. Some examples of other museums in Barcelona are the Maritime Museum, the Erotic Museum, the Design Museum, the Chocolate Museum, CosmoCaixa or the Olympic Sports Museum, to name a few.

On your trip to Barcelona, most of your visits will be related in one way or another to **Gaudí'**s architecture. Of course, the Sagrada Familia is a must-see so I have written a guide about Sagrada Familia - Skip The Line Tickets that will surely be very useful when it comes to get your tickets.

I also recommend you to read my guide on Barcelona Park Güell Tickets and Tours to know all the tricks to visit it. And while you are at it, take a look at my guide of Barcelona La Pedrera Tickets and Tours and Barcelona Casa Batlló Tickets and Tourswith the best tips to explore these two architectural gems of the city.

For soccer fans, visiting the Camp Nou is an experience that can be very interesting because in the Camp Nou Experience you can explore the trophy gallery, a space dedicated to Messi, a very interesting audiovisual area and of course the stands, the locker rooms, and the press room. Find out how to visit it here: Spotify Camp Nou Experience Tickets.