Many of Barcelona’s best museums offer free entry once a month, including the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC), Museu Picasso and Museu d’Història de Barcelona (MUHBA). Free museum days are usually on the first Sunday of each month, but some are always free, for example La Virreina Centre de la Imatge. May 18th, International Museum Day, is an occasion when many of the museums in Barcelona are free to enter, including some that do not otherwise offer a day of free entry each month.
Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC)
***
The MNAC combines Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque art collections along with collections from 19th and 20th century. Built in 1929, MNAC is housed in the Palau Nacional and offers impressive views over Plaça d’Espanya and the city center.
Admission is free every Saturday starting at 3pm and on the first Sunday of each month.
Address: Palau Nacional, Parc de Montjuïc, s/n, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
Neighborhood: Sants-Montjuïc
Phone: +34 936 22 03 60
Website: www.mnac.cat | View Map
La Virreina Centre de la Imatge
***
Situated near the top of La Rambla and housed in a magnificent 18th century baroque and rococo palace, La Virreina Centre de la Imatge hosts temporary photo exhibitions.
Admission is free.
Address: Palau de la Virreina, La Rambla, 99 08002 Barcelona
Neighborhood: El Raval
Phone: +34 933 161 000
Website: lavirreina.bcn.cat | View Map
Museu Picasso
***
Opened in 1963, the Museu Picasso houses one of the most extensive collections of artworks by the 20th-century Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.
Admission is free Thursday afternoons from 6.00pm to 9.30pm and the first Sunday of each month, from 9am to 7pm.
Address: Carrer Montcada, 15-23, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
Neighborhood: El Born
Phone: +34 932 56 30 00
Website: www.museupicasso.bcn.cat | View Map
Museu d’Història de Barcelona (MUHBA)
***
Opened after the Civil War, in 1943, the Barcelona History Museum (MUHBA) explores life in the Roman colony that was called Barcino.
Admission is free every Sunday from 3pm onwards and all day on the first Sunday of each month.
Address: Plaza del Rey, s/n, 08002 Barcelona, Spain
Neighborhood: Gothic Quarter
Phone: +34 932 56 21 00
Website: museuhistoria.bcn.cat | View Map
Palau Güell
***
The Palau Güell is a mansion designed by the architect Antoni Gaudí for the Catalan industrialist Eusebi Güell. The Palau is located in the El Raval neighbourhood just off La Rambla.
Admission is free the first Sunday of the month. * Note ==> You must make a reservation on the Palau Güell website in order to gain free entry. *
Address: Carrer Nou de la Rambla, 3-5, 08001 Barcelona
Neighborhood: El Raval
Phone: +34 934 72 57 75
Website: palauguell.cat | View Map
Museu Marítim de Barcelona
***
The Barcelona Maritime Museum is housed in the Barcelona Royal Shipyards (drassanes) in a building of well preserved Gothic architecture. Pictured above is a replica of the ornate Galera Reial (Royal Galley), which was the flagship of the Christian fleet in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.
Admission is free every Sunday from 3pm.
Address: Av. de les Drassanes s/n, 08001 Barcelona
Neighborhood: El Raval
Phone: +34 933 429 920
Website: www.mmb.cat | View Map
Jardí Botànic de Barcelona
***
The Botanical Garden of Barcelona is set at the top of Montjuïc, nearby the stadiums used in the Summer Olympics of 1992.
Admission is free every Sunday from 3pm onwards and all day on the first Sunday of each month.
Address: Carrer del Doctor Font i Quer, 2, 08038 Barcelona
Neighborhood: Sants-Montjuïc
Phone: +34 932 56 41 60
Website: www.jardibotanic.bcn.cat | View Map
Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB)
***
The CCCB located in El Raval, is focused on the city of Barcelona and contemporary urban culture.
Admission is free on Sundays after 3pm.
Address: Montalegre, 5, 08001 Barcelona
Neighborhood: El Raval
Phone: +34 933 06 41 00
Website: www.cccb.org | View Map
Museu Frederic Marès
***
The Museu Frederic Marès is an art and sculpture museum. Frederic Marès was a sculptor himself, who collected numerous statues as well as everyday objects of the time.
Admission is free every Sunday from 3pm onwards and all day on the first Sunday of each month.
Address: Plaça de Sant Iu, 5-6, 08002 Barcelona
Neighborhood: Gothic Quarter
Phone: +34 932 56 35 00
Website: www.museumares.bcn.cat | View Map
Museu de la Música
***
Photo by Sara Guasteví. The Museu de la Música de Barcelona exhibits an impressive collection of musical instruments from all periods and from different countries. Highlights include one of the most important guitar collections in the world and beautiful baroque keyboard instruments.
Admission is free every Sunday from 3pm onwards and all day on the first Sunday of each month.
Address: L’Auditori, Carrer de Lepant, 150, 08013 Barcelona
Neighborhood: Eixample
Phone: +34 932 56 36 50
Website: www.barcelona.cat/museumusica | View Map
Museu Blau
***
Museu Blau de les Ciències Naturals is an architectural landmark in Barcelona designed by the Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. This natural history and science museum houses permanent and temporary exhibitions.
Admission is free every Sunday from 3pm onwards and all day on the first Sunday of each month.
Address: Carrer de Leonardo Da Vinci, 4, 08019 Barcelona, Spain
Neighborhood: Diagonal Mar
Phone: +34 932 56 60 02
Website: museuciencies.cat | View Map
Montjuïc Castle
***
Montjuïc Castle is an old military fortress situated at the top of Montjuïc hill that traces its history back to 1640. During the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939) both sides of the conflict imprisoned and executed political prisoners here. Lluís Companys, the president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, was executed at Montjuïc Castle in 1940.
Admission is free every Sunday from 3pm onwards and all day on the first Sunday of each month.
Address: Ctra. de Montjuïc, 66, 08038 Barcelona
Neighborhood: Sants-Montjuïc
Phone: +34 932 56 44 40
Website: ajuntament.barcelona.cat/castelldemontjuic/en | View Map
Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA)
***
Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA) temporary exhibitions are free on their opening nights. You can view upcoming exhibitions here.
Address: Plaça dels Àngels, 1, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
Neighborhood: El Raval
Phone: +34 93 481 33 68
Website: www.macba.cat/en/ | View Map
Fundación MAPFRE KBr Photography Center
***
KBr is the new Photography Center of Fundación MAPFRE. It is dedicated to artistic photography and situated in Barcelona’s Port Olímpic.
Address: Av. del Litoral, nº 30, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
Neighborhood: El Poblenou
Phone: +34 932 72 31 80
Website: kbr.fundacionmapfre.org/en/ | View Map
Admission is free every Tuesday (except public holidays).
Catalan Museum of Archaeology
***
Address: Passeig de Santa Madrona, 39, 08038 Barcelona
Neighborhood: Sants-Montjuïc
Phone: +34 934 23 21 49
Website: www.mac.cat | View Map
Admission is free on the first Sunday of each month.
Museu del Disseny de Barcelona
The MAC (Museu d’Arquelogia de Catalunya) was founded in 1932 and it is housed in a building on Montjuïc originally made for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition. The museum covers prehistory, the Greek and Phoenician colonisations, the Roman Empire and the Visigoths. Among the treasures in the museum are the 3rd century BCE Greek statue of Asclepius and the Visigothic votive crown from Torredonjimeno.
***
The Barcelona Design Museum opened in 2014. It integrates collections of product design such as furniture, fashion from the 20th and 21st centuries, graphic design, decorative arts, textile arts and graphic arts.
Address: Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes,, 37, 08018 Barcelona
Neighborhood: Glòries
Phone: +34 932 56 68 00
Website: ajuntament.barcelona.cat/museudeldisseny/en | View Map
The museum is free every first Sunday of the month and also every Sunday from 3pm.
Palau Robert
***
This Neoclassical building was formerly the private residence of Robert Robert i Surís, an influential aristocrat, politician and financier. Now a cultural center, the spaces inside show Catalan themed and artistic exhibitions.
Address: Passeig de Gràcia, 107, 08008 Barcelona
Neighborhood: Eixample
Phone: +34 932 92 12 60
Website: palaurobert.gencat.cat/en/inici/ | View Map
Admission is free
El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria (CCM)
***
The El Born CCM is housed in an 8,000 square meter iron and glass structure that was formerly the Mercat del Born, which opened in 1876. Following the discovery of the extensive ruins in 2002, the decision was made to preserve the site. The subterranean vestiges reveal the Barcelona of before and after the siege of 1713-1714, at the end of the War of Spanish Succession.
Address: Plaça Comercial, 12, 08003 Barcelona
Neighborhood: El Born
Phone: +34 932 56 68 51
Website: elbornculturaimemoria.barcelona.cat | View Map
Admission is free
In closing, a couple of related ideas:
- It is possible to visit the Palau del Parlament de Catalunya, the assembly hall of the Parliament of Catalonia. The Catalan Parliament is one of the oldest in the world, with roots tracing back to the 11th century. The Palau del Parlament de Catalunya is situated in Parc de la Ciudadela and was built between 1717 and 1727 as an arsenal. You can schedule a free guided tour here.
- Masses at La Sagrada Família are free for the faithful. Mass is celebrated every Sunday at nine in the morning and on Saturdays at eight in the afternoon. It is recommended to go an hour early.
FAQ
The most visited museums in Barcelona are the FC Barcelona Museum, the Picasso Museum and the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC).
Barcelona has over 50 museums, covering everything from perfume to bullfighting.
Barcelona museums are typically closed on Mondays. However, some are open every day of the week.
Read this article in Spanish, Italian and French.