Barcelona’s museums are among the best in the world, combining a fascinating blend of Catalan and international cultural influences, from Rome to ancient Egypt.
Some museums explore the brushstrokes of some of Spain’s most celebrated artists: Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and Joan Miró. You could delve into the work of 20th-century architect Antoni Gaudí at the Gaudí House Museum or learn about the region’s rich seafaring heritage at the Maritime Museum of Barcelona.
If you’re heading to the Catalan capital, these are the treasure troves of Barcelona museums to add to your itinerary.
Gaudí House Museum
Gaudí House Museum
Get an intimate perspective on one of the 20th century’s most famous architects at the pink-hued Gaudí House Museum, set in the storybook Park Güell, on a hill overlooking the city.
Park Güell was intended as an upmarket real estate venture, led by Catalan industrialist Eusebi Güell i Bacigalupi, who acquired the land and commissioned Gaudí to design the estate. From 1906 to 1925, Antoni Gaudí lived in a building here that was originally constructed as a model home for the park.
Gaudí’s close collaborator and friend, Francesc d’Assis Berenguer i Mestres, designed the house and lived in the neighboring property with his family, while Gaudí master-planned the park.
Gaudí House Museum
This museum is set up exactly as it was when Gaudí lived there, with pared-back decor and the architect’s personal items—a crucifix hanging on the wall, drawings, books, and furniture that he designed himself.
Gaudí lived in the house—initially with his niece and father—while working on his most famous work, the Sagrada Família, and likely spent many hours here contemplating the basilica’s complex design.
Dedicate time to exploring Park Güell’s leafy paths, jaw-dropping viewpoints, and other buildings. Two of the park’s most famous buildings are at the main entrance, the Gaudí-designed Porter’s Lodge and Porter’s Residence, known for their pretty, mosaic-tiled roofs.
Thick Aleppo pines, laurel, olive, oak, magnolias, rosemary, and lavender are among the plant species that lend a beautiful scent to the park’s trails.
Museu Picasso
Museu Picasso
When you think of Barcelona museums, Museu Picasso, on Carrer de Montcada in the El Born district, probably springs to mind. The 13th- and 14th-century museum building, made up of five adjoining palaces, belies the modern artwork inside, with one of the world’s largest collections of Picasso’s work on display.
Museu Picasso showcases a 5,000-strong collection of paintings, drawings, ceramics, sculptures, and drawing notebooks. Having made Barcelona home during his formative years, this is the period much of the collection focuses on, reflecting the artist’s early work.
There’s a beautiful seascape, Barceloneta Beach, painted in 1896, and a portrait of María Picasso López, the artist’s mother, aptly titled The Artist’s Mother, drawn in 1896.
You can view plenty of works created in France, too, including a wonderful portrait of Jaume Sabartés wearing a frilly ruff and black bonnet, painted in Royan in 1939, and The Embrace, an intimate painting of a couple embracing, sketched in Paris in 1900.
Museu Picasso
Inside Museu Picasso, the leafy courtyard features gothic arches, with rooms leading to different collections. Alongside the permanent collection, there are often temporary exhibits, such as the recent “Catalan Artists in Paris.” Facilities include guided tours, a café, and one of the best museum gift shops in Barcelona.
Museu Marítim de Barcelona
Museu Marítim de Barcelona
Museu Marítim de Barcelona is one of the city’s best, thanks to its rich collection of maritime treasures in the Drassanes Reials de Barcelona, the Royal Shipyards of Barcelona, by the Columbus Monument.
This existing building is vast, gothic in style, and dates from the 16th century, having been built on a 13th-century dockyard. During 2012 excavations in preparation for the museum’s opening, a Roman graveyard was also uncovered at the site.
What’s so wonderful about Museu Marítim de Barcelona is there are interesting items both big and small, from documents, maps, and even postage stamps to navigational equipment and vessels. Take in the full-size replica of the Royal Galley, with the original built at Drassanes Reials of Barcelona in 1568.
Model ships and submarines, flags, anchors, paintings, and prints are among the permanent collection. You could also see Santa Eulàlia, a schooner moored in Port Vell, a short walk from the museum. Built in 1918 in Alicante, Santa Eulàlia is a sail-powered freight ship that sailed the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic to Cuba.
Frederic Marès Museum
Frederic Marès Museum Photo by Guillem F-H on Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Museu Frederic Marès is a sculpture museum in the Palau Reial Major, close to Barcelona Cathedral in the Gothic Quarter.
What stands the Frederic Marès Museum apart as one of the must-visit museums in Barcelona is its vast collection of antiques and curiosities, plus items from the Catalan sculptor’s own body of work from his private collection.
Frederic Marès was born in 1893 and lived until 1991, amassing an extraordinary collection of historical items from across Spain and his travels around the world. These include medieval Spanish sculptures and items such as clocks, ornaments, weaponry, jewelry, ceramics, and handheld fans.
The eclectic collections include a sculptural portrait of Emperor Augustus, thought to have been made in Rome in the first century A.D., the front section of a marble sarcophagus, thought to have been made in the fourth century, and bronze busts by Marès of his family and friends.
Fundació Joan Miró
Fundació Joan Miró
This hilltop museum in Sants Montjuïc celebrates the work of modern Spanish artist Joan Miró and was established by the artist in 1975.
Miró, who was born in Barcelona, is one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century, created the foundation to harness the talents of younger artists and encourage their experimentation with contemporary art.
The foundation’s concrete and glass building, designed by Josep Lluís Sert, a close friend of Miró, perfectly mirrors the contemporary 20th- and 21st-century collections, including works from Miró’s private collection.
Sketches, paintings, textile works, and sculptures make up the collection, including big hitters Portrait of a Young Girl, painted in 1919, Seated Woman, painted in 1931, and The Gold of the Azure, painted in 1967.
Fundació Joan Miró
After browsing the fabulous artworks and the museum shop, spend time wandering the Foundation’s tranquil outdoor spaces, with nature central to the museum’s design, including the Olive Tree, the Carob Tree, and the North patios, featuring Miró sculptures and fantastic views.
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Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
The National Art Museum of Catalonia, or MNAC, at the striking Palau Nacional was built for the International Exposition in 1929, enjoying an elevated position on Montjuïc hill. It’s one of the best Barcelona museums for its incredible architecture and broad spectrum of Catalan art.
An elegant pond with fountains and steps with columns lead to the entrance of the National Art Museum of Catalonia, with some of the best views of Barcelona. Inside, there’s a breathtaking, frescoed domed ceiling painted by Manuel Humbert, Josep de Togores, and Francesc Galí that sets the scene for the 3,000-plus pieces, part of a broader collection of more than 350,000 on display.
The museum contains centuries-old artwork, including Romanesque, renaissance, gothic, and modern paintings, drawing, and sculptures.
Prioritize the collections you would like to see, such as the Romanesque church mural paintings, masterpieces by Titian and Velazquez, Catalan modernism, including works by Antoni Gaudí and Ramon Casas, and a mural by Joan Miró.
Museu d’Història de Barcelona
Museu d’Història de Barcelona
Museu d’Història, or MUHBA, opened in 1943 in the Gothic Quarter, the center of Barcelona’s ancient Roman city, and is the best place to trace the Catalan capital’s backstory, from the Roman period through to modern times.
This time capsule museum is based on Plaça del Rei, though several further archaeological sites, such as the Roman walls, the Temple of Augustus, and a Roman cemetery, are under the care of the same organization.
Wander the museum’s subterranean layer beneath Plaça del Rei to see the foundations of Barcino, the Roman colony’s name for the city, with walls and building foundations that were constructed around the first century on display. As well as 2,000-year-old city walls, there are street layouts, laundries, sewers, and factories.
Museu del Disseny de Barcelona
Museu del Disseny de Barcelona
This lesser-known Barcelona museum is one for design-savvy travelers, combining the collections of the former Museum of Decorative Arts, the Museum of Ceramics, the Textile and Clothing Museum, and the Cabinet of Graphic Arts.
As a result, the eye-catching Museu del Disseny de Barcelona boasts a 70,000-strong collection including fashion, furniture, ceramics, graphic arts, and decorative arts, held in the modern Disseny Hub Barcelona building.
Themes covered include the 1992 Olympic Games and their lasting legacy in the city; not just the invigorated stadiums and waterfront developments, but the impact on urban architecture and design that Barcelona is known for. Posters and other items designed for the Olympics are on display at the museum and there’s a stylish gift store selling jewelry, books, and decorative homeware.
Museu Europeu d’Art Modern
Museu Europeu d’Art Modern Photo by Alzinous on Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
El Born’s elegant Museu Europeu d’Art Modern has three floors of 20th and 21st-century figurative art that depicts real-life objects and figures, mostly by Spanish artists.
Set inside the Palau Gomis, an 18th-century neoclassical building, this inspiring museum features three permanent collections, Contemporary Figurative Art of the 21st Century, Modern Sculpture of the 20th Century, and Catalan Sculpture of the 20th Century.
Explore the fanciful works on display, including sculptures of all shapes and sizes in marble, bronze, wood, resins, and terracotta, and oil, acrylic, and watercolor paintings.
Then explore other nearby Barcelona museums, including Museo Etnológico y de Culturas del Mundo and Museo Picasso, in this cultured quarter of this artistic city.
Museu Blau
Museu Blau Photo by Canaan on Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Opened in 2011, Barcelona’s magnificent Museu Blau, or the Blue Museum, is the city’s natural science museum, housed in a Herzog & de Meuron-designed building in the waterfront Diagonal Mar district.
Museu Blau charts Earth’s evolution, starting with the Big Bang theory. It’s one of the best museums in Barcelona for families, with interactive touch screens to help guide visitors through the different periods in time.
There are ancient rocks, fossils, flora, and fauna, from tiny microbes to majestic taxidermied lions, and a replica skeleton of “Lucy”, a pre-human species that roamed Ethiopia millions of years ago.
There’s an adventure course on the redeveloped seafront area opposite the museum and the golden sands of Nova Mar Bella are steps away, making Museu Blau a great shout if you’re looking to combine culture with time on the beach.
Read: Best Things to Do in Barcelona With Kids
CosmoCaixa Science Museum
CosmoCaixa Science Museum
One of Barcelona’s most revered museums, near the foot of the Collserola mountains, the striking CosmoCaixa is dedicated to nature, science, space, and the environment.
The Universe Room is CosmoCaixa’s planetarium and it alone is worth the 30-minute taxi ride or 35-40-minute Metro journey to reach the museum from central Barcelona. Marvel at the dazzling display as you’re taken on a mesmerizing journey that begins with the creation of the cosmos.
The Flooded Forest is equally captivating. This recreated ecosystem features over 10,000 square feet of crocodiles, tree frogs, piranhas, tangled vines, and tropical plants that transports visitors straight to the Amazon rainforest.
You could easily spend a whole day at CosmoCaixa, exploring the Geological Wall, which offers an insight into how the earth’s mountains are shaped, and a National Geographic archive of photographs of polar exploration in Antarctica.
Museu Egipci de Barcelona
Museu Egipci de Barcelona Photo by Museu egipci on Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Just off Passeig de Gràcia in the center of Barcelona, Museu Egipci is a fascinating place to explore life and culture in ancient Egypt during the time of the pharaohs.
Over 1,000 spectacular items are displayed over three floors, including themes of hieroglyphic writing, stone and earthenware, temples, and gods of Egypt.
Start off in the pharaoh section to view the beautiful statue of Ramsés III. There are sarcophagi and mummies, including that of Lady of Kemet, plus ceramics, amulets, jewelry, and figurines.
It’s worth booking a guided tour to explore the private collection, with tours led by expert Egyptologists. Afterward, tag on a visit to the fantastical Casa Milà and Casa Batlló, two Spanish landmark Gaudí-designed buildings close by.
Museu d’Història de Barcelona
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