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What are the main museums in Barcelona ?

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City of culture, Barcelona is one of the most popular tourist destinations in southern Europe. Every year, nearly 4 million French people visit Barcelona. It must be said that the Catalan capital has a lot to offer.

Whether it is culinary, landscape (beaches, sea, walks), sports or culture, you will never have time to get bored.

Moreover, if you want to prepare and organize your stay in the city, we suggest you to discover in the following article our selection of the 10 best museums of the city.

WHAT ARE THE BEST MUSEUMS IN BARCELONA?

Picasso, Gaudí, many artists have passed through Barcelona to leave their mark. The latter is naturally the most famous. He has, almost single-handedly, given Barcelona its own identity.

Today, this heritage is reflected in the presence of numerous museums in the four corners of the city. In the following text, we propose you to discover the most visited museums, the ones you should not miss!

1. MUSEU NACIONAL D’ART DE CATALUNYA (MNAC)

The Palau Nacional de Montjuïc, built in 1929 for the International Exhibition, is now home to the MNAC, the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. This is one of the most important museums, not in Barcelona, but in Catalonia.
Indeed, this museum is dedicated to Catalan art in general. You will find on the spot, various works like:

  • Mural paintings;
  • Romanesque religious paintings;
  • Modern art in the Catalan way;
  • Photography.

Finally, a special mention to the incredible view offered by the staircase of the museum. Don’t forget your camera or your smartphone to immortalize the scene.

2. CASA MILÀ

Casa Milà is one of the many works designed by Antoni Gaudí. At the time, Roser Segimón and Pere Milà bought the building, destroyed it and asked the artist to create a brand new space. This is how Casa Milà was born.
A building that was very quickly criticized by the locals, who probably felt that it was a little too… Modern for them. Today, it is fully part of the history of Barcelona.

3. MUSEU PICASSO

The Museu Picasso is one of the few museums in Barcelona that is essential to visit if you are going to be there. This establishment is simply gigantic, with over 4,000 works listed in the permanent collection program.
Honestly, if you’re interested in the artist or want to go deeper into what you already know, this is probably the place to go. You’ll also notice how much Barcelona may have influenced his work.

4. CENTER DE CULTURA CONTEMPORÀNIA DE BARCELONA

The Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) is located in the heart of El Raval. One of the most beautiful museums in Barcelona in our opinion, even if it is a bit too often neglected in favor of MACBA, the museum of contemporary art.
This museum puts forward a large number of exhibitions, sometimes unique and stimulating, sometimes profound. In any case, they invite reflection. This makes contemporary art attractive and dynamic, even for those who are not big fans.

5. MUSEU D’HISTÒRIA DE CATALUNYA

Dedicated to the history of Catalonia, the Museu d’Història de Catalunya traces the history of the region from the Paleolithic to the present day. You will learn a lot about the socio-cultural and political developments in this unique region.

From a historical and storytelling point of view, it is the best museum in Barcelona. You will find many objects and information, even about the darkest periods of Spanish history.

6. LA CASA BATLLÒ

La Casa Batllò, located a few steps away from the Casa Milà. As you can see, this is another work by Antonio Gaudí. However, unlike the Casa Milà, the Batllò house is a renovation and not a construction.

Like its cousin, Batllò is a contemporary work of art, which may have come as a surprise. It served the interests of the family of the same name in turn, before being used by an insurance company. Today it is a beautiful museum in Barcelona.

Casa Batllò is recognizable among thousands thanks to its many colors. In fact, the many colors are reminiscent of a rainbow! One of the most famous attractions of the city, for sure.

7. FC BARCELONA MUSEUM

It may not be the most cultural museum in Barcelona, but FCB (FC Barcelona) is the very soul of the city. The club has been awarded titles in almost every competition in which it has participated.

Naturally, the club has its own museum. Every year it attracts more than 1.2 million visitors. So it’s a pretty busy place. If you do it right, you can even see the Camp Nou, the city’s stadium, which can hold up to 99,000 spectators.

8. MUSEU MARITIM DE BARCELONA


Spain is a truly great maritime nation. Surrounded by the sea, it has been able to count on many explorers to discover the world. It is therefore only natural that a great maritime museum exists in Barcelona.

On site, you will discover numerous collections of old paintings, old nautical charts as well as reconstructions of period ships. Don’t miss the exhibition on the Ictíneo I and the Ictíneo II, two wooden submarines built in the 1800s.

9. FUNDACIÓ JOAN MIRÓ

Located on Montjuïc hill and designed by architect Josep lluis Sert with surrealist artist Joan Miró, the minimalist building of the Fundació Joan Miró houses hundreds of the icon’s paintings, sculptures, ceramics and tapestries.

10. CANNABIS MUSEUM

Spain is a very open nation when it comes to cannabis. In fact, it is allowed to consume it, provided that it is done in a private place. So you will find a strange museum in Barcelona.

The museum of hashish, marijuana and hemp pays tribute to the Cannabis sativa family, and not only to the psychoactive plant that is marijuana, but also to its close cousin, the hemp plant.

In our opinion, this is one of the most surprising and unexpected museums in Barcelona. If other establishments clearly deserved to be on this list, this one has the right to do so, because of its originality.

THE BEST MUSEUMS IN BARCELONA, IN BRIEF

Wondering which museum to visit in Barcelona? In addition to these 10 institutions, other cultural important places and sites, such as the MACBA or the Fundació Antoni Tàpies and the Fundación MAPFRE, are worth a look.

With these 10 places, however, you should have plenty to learn about the history of the city and the region, with a selection of works that are simply phenomenal.