This is my insider’s guide to the best museums and art galleries in Barcelona! Read about my personal experience, with tips and valuable local knowledge given to me by my dear Catalan friends. My list contains museums that I’ve either been to or I would like to visit. I have included entrance fees and how much time to allocate, though you will still need to Google further information, like addresses and opening times. Museums are often closed on Mondays and lots of them have a free entrance day on the first Sunday of every month.
The Best Museums and Art Galleries in Barcelona
Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC)
The Nacional Art Museum of Catalonia, Montjuïc
A must see. This is one of the largest museums in Spain and houses the national collection of Catalan art. Give yourself a few days to take in this extensive exhibition. I suggest digesting one era on each half day visit (2 hours at a time is plenty). I recommend starting with the Romanesque – check the grotesque creatures in the well preserved frescoes presented in church mockups. Also there is a film where you can watch how the restorers do their work. You can work your way slowly through all the exhibition rooms. Enjoy the views of the city outside. Saturdays entrance is free after 3pm. 12€ all other times.
Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA)
Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art
I would split this visit into two half days, as there’s always so much contemporary art to take in. There are always brilliant temporary exhibitions as well as the permanent exhibition, that too seems to change quite often. The building is located in an arty area, in El Ravel and has a large pedestrian forecourt, where skateboarders hang out. 11€ entrance. Free from 4-8pm Saturdays.
Centro de Cultura Contemporánea de Barcelona (CCCB)
Centre of Contemporary culture
It doesn’t matter what you see here, go and explore whatever is on because you will always get treated to meaningful well thought out touring exhibitions. The content always leaves me with a profound message about life. I can easily spend 2.5 hours in here reading every panel.
La Caixa Forum
Extremely well curated temporary exhibitions with world class art and artefacts in a gorgeous modernist building. Again, always worth a visit no matter what is on. A couple of hours gives you enough time. There’s permanent exhibitions but I’ve not visited those yet.
El Museu Tàpies
This is well worth a visit. World class artists’ retrospectives and of course Tàpies gallery upstairs has a small but well rounded collection of his works. The basement gallery is a real treat too.
Museu Etnològic de Barcelona, Montjuïc
Ethnological Museum on Montjuïc
This is a small museum on Montjuïc, where there is a fantastic collection of ex-voto devotional folk art in the basement and all kinds of ancient glass and pottery. Visiting the basement is free. Upstairs is a small museum that goes into detail about various aspects of everyday Catalan life and craftsmanship, from history through to the present day. Give yourself at least a couple of hours in here. 5€ entrance.
Museo Etnológico y de Culturas del Món
Ethnological Museum Barcelona
This will blow your socks off! There are so many strange and wonderful offerings from all around the world. All are well lit and well presented. The museum is located in the Born area. Give yourself plenty of time, like one to two days. Pre-book tickets – first Sunday of the month is free entrance, 3.50€ all other times.
The Museu del Disseny de Barcelona
The Design Museum, Barcelona
If you like cantilevers, you’ll love the architecture of this museum located in the Glories neighbourhood. The contents vary from the modern day items we take for granted, down to the numerous exquisitely crafted objects, large and small, that reflect an extremely wealthy history. You can easily fill half a day in there. Pre-book tickets – first Sunday of the month is free entrance, 6€ all other times.
Museo de Historia de Barcelona MUHBA
History Museum Barcelona
Walk around the ancient Roman ruins that lay beneath the cities Gothic Quarter and get an insight into the beginnings of Barcelona, when there was a population of just 3000. Allow half a day. Pre-book tickets – first Sunday of the month is free entrance, 7€ all other times.
Museu Frederic Marès, barrio Gotico
The Museum of Frederic Marès, Gothic quarter
OMG this is an incredible museum, that not only houses sculptures by Frederic Marès but also houses his crazy private collection from pre-Roman times, through medieval Christian art, to selected items from up to the middle of last century. You can view thousands of relics that he hoarded from all over Catalonia – giant carved wooden crucifixes saved from Romanesque churches in the Pyrenees and upstairs there are literally thousands of finely crafted everyday artisan objects, like hand painted fans and carved pipes, all squirrelled away from Catalan high society. Allow at least a full day to get around this surprising museum and make sure you see everything! Pre-book tickets. Free entrance first Sunday of the month, 2.40€ all other times.
Palau de la Virreina, La Rambla
Virreina Palace
Located on the main Rambla, it’s easy to find. They put on well informed temporary photographic exhibitions, exploring the ideological and aesthetic uses of images. The building is a publicly owned beautiful 18th century palace. Check the ceiling decorations in some of the rooms. Allow at least 2 hours. Pre-book tickets. Admission is free.
Museu d’Història de Catalunya
The History Museum of Catalonia
So many things to find out here about life in Catalonia, from domestic life to how the Catalonians championed the 40 hour week. Located in the Palau de Mar by the port and Barcelonetta.
Museo de Picasso
Picasso Museum
I’m a fan of Picasso’s easy drawn line, even though his reputation around women has a lot to be desired. The content of this museum seems quite specialised, so don’t expect to see his greatest hits that you find in books or online and in the major museums around the world. What you get to see is a dutiful reminder of the various artistic stage of his long life. Free entrance Thursdays 5-8pm – you need to pre-book tickets. 12€ entrance.
Museo de Ciencia CosmoCaixa
CosmoCaixa science museum
A glass sculpture of Giardia lamblia protozoan by Luke Jerram.
I always go straight down to the rain forest section to see the flesh eating Arapaima gigas fish from the Amazon, after that everything is a bonus. They regularly install new interactive exhibits and if possible, I recommend going around with a science teacher!
Open 10-8pm. Pre-book tickets. Entrance 6€, discount with a library card.
Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, Montjuïc
Natural sciences Museum, Montjuïc
Located next to the botanical gardens, I have yet to explore this. Entrance 6€
Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau
The Hospital of the Holy Cross and St. Paul
This elaborately built hospital is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a sprawling masterpiece of what the early 20th century would loosely describe as Art Nouveau architecture. I love cycling past the entrance but have yet to go in. Entrance is 15€, book in advance.
Fundació Joan Miró, Montjuïc
Joan Miró Foundation, Montjuïc
I would still love to visit this museum. Pre-book tickets. Entrance 13€.
Can Framis Museum
Contemporary Catalan art – I’d still like to visit this inside of this place. This photo was taken at Llum BCN, which is a leading lighting arts festival in Europe that happens every February. Pre-book tickets – 8€ entrance.
MOCO museum
It’s worth the money, lots of famous artists and many notable artworks, enough to see to make you tired at the end, numerous installations and photo opportunities. Ticket price varies depending on the time of day you go from 12.95€ at 10am for the first hour and last hour and 15.95€ peak time.
Palau Robert
Temporary exhibitions of noteworthy themes from 60’s film stars to the history of dry stone walls.
Commercial art galleries
There are a vast amount of commercial art galleries dotted around Barcelona, far too many for me to write about here but hey ho, here are a few of my faves:
Centro de Artesanía Catalunya – a careful selection of pieces of contemporary art that stand out for their excellence in execution and innovation
Sala Pares – traditional and contemporary cityscapes
Base Elements – contemporary, street art
Artevistas Gallery – contemporary, street art
Villa del Arte – high end contemporary art
Art Montcada – high end and antique artefacts
Galería 3 Punts – on point contemporary art
Drap-Art – repurposed and found art
ADN Galeria – installations and political art
Gallery Clusters
There are two streets, each with a lot of gallery’s, one that runs horizontally across Pg de Gràcia that has a lot of posh galleries along it – Carrer Consell de Cents. The other one is more single artists running their own studio shops – Baixada de Viladecols. I usually use Google maps and search for “art gallery” and “galeria de arte” and “art galeria” to hunt out galleries when I’m exploring.
Meet ups
Other arty things to do when you visit Barcelona:
https://www.meetup.com/art-gallery-crawl-in-barcelona/events/ – well organised, very arty crowd, artists talks, contemporary exhibitions and private view like atmosphere.
Thank you for reading
I hope you have found this guide to Barcelona’s museums helpful. Now, before you go, have a browse of my art – I’ve created a lot of the paintings since living in Barcelona! All my art can be easily shipped worldwide.
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This is such a useful guide, I am very grateful to you for putting such effort into this. It has certainly inspired me to go to galleries and museums more often as I now know where they all are. Thanks Ms Plunkett.