Barcelona Museums: Free Sundays
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya
The MNAC, CosmoCaixa and the Picasso Museum are among those that open their doors to the public on the first Sunday of every month all year round, and others do the same every Sunday afternoon - and they're all on the house.
Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona
Spain's largest cultural centre was opened in 1994 at the Casa de la Caritat, a former almshouse, built in 1802 on the site of a medieval monastery. The massive façade and part of the courtyard remain from the original building; the rest was rebuilt in dramatic contrast, all tilting glass and
- Montalegre, 5, Raval, 08001
Museu Picasso
When it opened in 1963, the museum dedicated to Barcelona's favourite adopted son was housed in the Palau Aguilar. Nearly five decades later, the permanent collection of some 3,800 pieces has now been spread across five adjoining palaces, two of which are devoted to temporary exhibitions. By no
- Montcada, 15-23, Ciutat Vella, 08003
MNAC: Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya
'One museum, a thousand years of art' is the slogan of the National Museum, and the collection provides a dizzying overview of Catalan art from the 12th to the 20th centuries. In recent years the museum has added an extra floor to absorb the section of the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection that was
- Parc de Montjuïc, Sants-Montjuïc, 08038
CosmoCaixa
Said to be the biggest science museum in Europe, CosmoCaixa doesn't, perhaps, make the best use of its space. A glass-enclosed spiral ramp runs down an impressive six floors, but actually represents quite a long walk to reach the main collection five floors down. Here you'll find the Flooded
- Isaac Newton, 26, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, 08022
Museu d'Història de Catalunya
With exhibits spanning from the Lower Paleolithic era right up to Jordi Pujol's proclamation as President of the Generalitat in 1980, the Catalan History Museum offers a virtual chronology of the region's past. There are two floors of text, film, animated models and reproductions of everything from
- Plaça de Pau Vila, 3, Ciutat Vella, 08039
Museu de la Música
Finally rehoused in the Auditori concert hall in 2007 after six years in hibernation, the Music Museum's collections comprise over 1,600 instruments, displayed like precious jewels in red velvet and glass cases, along with multimedia displays, interactive exhibits and musical paraphernalia. With
- Padilla 155, Eixample, 08013
Museu Etnològic
The Ethnology Museum houses a vast collection of items, from Australian Aboriginal boomerangs to rugs and jewellery from Afghanistan, although by far the most comprehensive collections are from Catalonia. Of the displays upstairs, most outstanding are the Moroccan, Japanese and Philippine exhibits,
- Pg. Santa Madrona, 16-22, Sants-Montjuïc, 08038
Museu Marítim de Barcelona
Even if you can't tell a caravel from a catamaran, the excellent Maritime Museum is worth a visit, as the soaring arches and vaults of the vast former drassanes (shipyards) represent one the most perfectly preserved examples of civil Gothic architecture in Spain. In medieval times, the shipyards
- Av. de les Drassanes, Raval, 08001
Museu Frederic Marès
Kleptomaniac and general magpie Frederic Marès (1893-1991) 'collected' everything he laid his hands on, from hairbrushes to opera glasses and gargoyles. Unlike most private 19th-century collectors, Marès didn't come from a wealthy family, but spent every penny he earned as a sculptor and art
- Plaça de Sant Iu, 5, Ciutat Vella, 08002
Jardí Botànic
The construction of new access points for the 1992 Olympic Games facilities of the Olympic Games favoured the proposal to create a new botanical garden for the city. On Montjuïc, between the castle and the Olympic Stadium, the shape of the garden's 14 hectares is reminiscent of a great amphitheatre
- Doctor Font i Quer, Sants-Montjuïc, 08038
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