Barcelona is chock-full of interesting, famous, and unusual museums — whether you want to learn about Catalonia history, art, architecture, science, boating, football, chocolate, perfume, magic, or just about anything else you can think of! The most famous museums include the art museums Museu Picasso, Fundació Joan Miró, and Palau Nacional, and history museums MUHBA and Museu d’Història de Catalunya.
CosmoCaixa Barcelona: A science museum featuring a variety of exhibitions. To avoid the crowds at CosmoCaixa Barcelona, go during the weekdays and be sure to set aside a few hours. It is also an excellent place to bring the kids, as it is just as much educational as it is enjoyable. Also make sure to check out the in-house restaurant as well; the staff here are super friendly.
Address: Carrer d’Isaac Newton, 26, 08022 Barcelona
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Museu Picasso: The Museu Picasso is an architecturally beautiful art museum that houses the collection of Picasso’s works from age 12 to his blue period and organized in chronological order. It is fascinating to see how his art evolved over the course of his life and his revisioning of other famous paintings. It is recommended that you purchase tickets online to avoid the crowds and allow at least two hours to go through all the exhibits. The museum provides convenient lockers to store your belongings during your visit, as well as a coat room, so you won’t have to worry about your valuables.
Address: Carrer Montcada, 15-23, 08003 Barcelona
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Palau Nacional: At Palau Nacional, admission is free on Saturdays after 3pm and the first Sunday of each month. Outside of these times, it is still worth the price of admission. Showing a lovely selection of art from various time periods, this museum could easily take you a few hours.. Make sure you allow enough time to see the grounds outside as well. There are great views over the city from the front of the museum. It is a huge, beautiful building in the middle of a garden and very close to the one of most popular streets in Barcelona. It has a beautiful fountain in front that is the perfect place to take a picture.
Address: Palau Nacional, Parc de Montjuïc, s/n, 08038 Barcelona
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Museu Marítim de Barcelona: There are so many impressive works of art and various exhibits at Museu Marítim de Barcelona. The staff is young, enthusiastic, and speak English very well. You can also get the audio guide so as to not miss a thing. In addition to the art on display, the tourist shop, little cafe, and outdoor gardens are worth checking out.
Address: Av. de les Drassanes, s/n, 08001 Barcelona
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Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art: A hidden museum in the Rava, the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art is always buzzing with life outside as well as on the inside. The building itself features beautiful architecture, and the exhibitions are set up very professionally. They have a great gift shop with a nice collection of books and other items to purchase.
Address: Plaça dels Àngels, 1, 08001 Barcelona
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Fundació Joan Miró: The interesting art inside Fundació Joan Miró is not the only thing here that will impress you. The building itself is beautiful, and the view from the rooftop is picturesque. The café inside has great food if you’re in need of a quick bite. Better yet, grab a coffee and head to the terrace to enjoy the views after your tour.
Address: Parc de Montjuïc, s/n, 08038 Barcelona
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Museu de les Ciències Naturals de Barcelona: Museu de les Ciències Naturals de Barcelona is a great museum of natural history packed full of information about the origin of our planet earth, evolution, geology and general knowledge. You could easily spend two to three hours here. Sundays are great for families with children, as they offer many activities and interactive displays for kids of all ages, even the little ones. A big plus is the free three-hour parking across the street.
Address: Plaza Leonardo da Vinci, 4-6, 08019 Barcelona
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FC Barcelona Museum: FC Barcelona Museum is the museum of every football fan’s dreams. It’s got everything from trophies, football history, even tours onto the field — you can run out of the same tunnel as the greats like Lionel Messi, Carlos Puyol, and Gary Lineker. Make sure to get there early, as there is typically a very long line to get in.
Address: C. d’Aristides Maillol, s/n, 08028 Barcelona
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Museum of the History of Catalonia: Museum of the History of Catalonia is an excellent museum with a thorough history of Catalonia and interesting special exhibits that vary each month. Admission is very reasonable, and it’s worth it just to see the sunset over the marina on the rooftop bar.
Address: Palau de Mar, Plaça de Pau Vila, 3, 08003 Barcelona
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Barcelona City History Museum: Barcelona City History Museum showcases the history and milestones of the City of Barcelona. The museum sits on top of the remains of the original Roman settlement. An underground tour provides a detailed history of the different stages that the city has gone through from prehistoric inhabitants to the modern-day expansion and migrations. Admission is free on Saturdays after 3pm and the first Sunday of every month.
Address: Plaça del Rei, s/n, 08002 Barcelona
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Museu Frederic Marès: Museu Frederic Marès houses one man’s lifelong obsession with collecting unusual pieces from tin toys to pipes to memrobilia memorials, and the list goes on. With five floors completely covered in artifacts, sculptures, and art from floor to ceiling, it is highly recommended that you do the audio tour so as to not miss a thing. Tickets here are valid for some time after your first visit simply because there is so much to see.
Address: Plaça Sant Iu, 5, 08002 Barcelona
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Gaudí Experiència: A great way to start a visit to Barcelona is a stop at Gaudí Experiència. If you are planning to visit all of the Gaudi houses, start with the 4D experience here, where a 15-minute movie sets the pace for Park Güell shortly after. Be sure to purchase your tickets online to save a bit and avoid the lines. Be sure to enjoy the terrace and all the gardens before you leave.
Address: Carrer de Larrard, 41, 08024 Barcelona
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Gaudi House Museum: The Gaudí House Museum was the residence of Antoni Gaudí for almost 20 years, from 1906 till the end of 1925. The house is located within the Park Güell, whichhe designed for the city of Barcelona.
Address: Park Güell, Ctra. del Carmel, 23A, 08013 Barcelona
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Monastery of Pedralbes: Monastery of Pedralbes is a well-preserved gothic monastery. It is a very peaceful place, but also offers interesting exhibitions and gorgeous architecture, including a lovely courtyard. . It is such a calm and silent place, you can easily feel how nuns lived in the past. Still a bit undiscovered, so it’s not too busy with tourists. You can take advantage of free entrance on Sundays after 3pm.
Address: Baixada del Monestir, 9, 08034 Barcelona
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European Museum of Modern Art: With its stunning art exhibitions, sculptures, and architecture, the European Museum of Modern Art should be at the top of your itinerary. It is a beautiful museum featuring contemporary art, including some very impressive realist paintings and sculptures. The building is a restored 18th century palace, which makes a perfect backdrop for an extraordinary collection of modern art.
Address: Carrer de la Barra de Ferro, 5, 08003 Barcelona
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Archaeology Museum of Catalonia: Very educational and easy to navigate, Archaeology Museum of Catalonia is perfect for families with children. There are videos and interactive displays throughout the museum to keep the kids engaged. There are many interesting artifacts telling the history of the local community, and a fantastic selection laid out in chronological order, so you can walk around as if travelling through time.
Address: Passeig de Santa Madrona, 39 – 41, 08038 Barcelona
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Hemp Museum Gallery: Hemp Museum Gallery has an extensive history of hemp and ancient cannabis, showing everything from biblical references, pop culture, and political propaganda. The Sensi museum is located in a stunning old residence with beautiful glass windows. Indeed, the architecture of the building itself is gorgeous and worth the visit.
Address: Carrer Ample, 35, 08002 Barcelona
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Museu del Modernisme Barcelona: Museu del Modernisme Barcelona celebrates Barcelona’s golden age of art deco and art nouveau in a beautifully curated space. This small museum exhibits paintings, sculptures, furniture, and other works of Catalan modernism with strong French influence evident throughout much of the work.
Address: Carrer de Balmes, 48, 08007 Barcelona
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Espai Volart i Volart 2: Espai Volart i Volart 2 is an old textile/warehouse building converted into an exhibition hall. Located close to Barcelona’s center this large warehouse open floor plan is perfect and offers plenty of space for wonderful art. Make sure to show your library card to receive a discount on admission.
Address: Carrer d’Ausiàs Marc, 22, 08010 Barcelona
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Palau Robert: A beautiful building and grounds full of culture and entertainment, Palau Robert museum is Barcelona’s finest in the sense of capturing the heart of the region’s deeply rooted culture. It is a free museum that regularly hosts high-quality exhibitions.
Address: Pg. de Gràcia, 107 (Av. Diagonal) 08008 Barcelona Catalonia
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Arts Santa Mònica: You will always find something interesting in Arts Santa Mònica museum. It is a contemporary art gallery located right by the Ramblas. Entry is free, making this a fine way to spend some free time while sightseeing the area.
Address: La Rambla, 7 08002 Barcelona Catalonia
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FREE Guide to the BEST of Barcelona
Wouldn’t you want to save time and discover the absolute BEST places in Barcelona? – Cafes, accommodation, coworking, gyms, yoga & more
There are many travel guides for tourists who want to visit Barcelona.
Barcelona Secrets is different. Get it here…
Author
Tal Gur is a world traveler and personal development enthusiast. An adventurer at heart, after trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, Tal spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey continues as a location-independent blogger, lifestyle entrepreneur, and coach. Tal’s published two books: One Year to Freedom, a 1-Year Roadmap to Living Life on Your Own Terms; and, his most recent book and bestseller, The Art of Fully Living – 1 Man, 10 Years, 100 Life Goals Around the World.
