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On the Montjuic Hill in the wonderful city of Barcelona, there are many museums. In this article, we take a look at all of those different museums you can visit while strolling in the hill. If you happen to stay close to the area, like our Casa Vaganto boutique hotel, which is very conveniently located in the Poble Sec neighborhood, you will find many of these museums at a very short walk distance. See below for the list of museums and all other things that are in this blog. 

• MNAC, Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
• CaixaForum Barcelona
• Montjuic Castle
• Poble Espanyol
• Miró Museum Barcelona
• Catalan Museum of Archaeology
• Museu Etnologic de Barcelona
• Museu Olímpic i de l’Esport Joan Antoni Samaranch
• Museo de Carrozas Fúnebres
• Fundació Fran Daurel
• Galeria Carles Taché
• Espai Bombers Parc de la Prevenció

When the Museums are Free

Where to stay during your Museum Visits

MNAC, Museu Nacional d´Art de Catalunya

The MNAC, Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya is a museum of national art based in the Palau Nacional, close to Plaza España. The museum can be found at the foot of Montjuic, and with its impressive, unique, and detailed appearance from Neo-Baroque origin, it is hard to miss. 

The National Art Museum Catalunya hosts the largest Catalan art collection from the romanesque and middle age times to the 20th century. It has collections of renaissance, gothic, modern design, and romanesque paintings and sculptures, so there is enough to see for everyone. The highlights of the Catalan and Spanish art collection are artists such as El Greco, Ramon Casas, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and even some artwork of Antoni Gaudí. 

The Palau, where the museum is in, was formerly the Spanish Pavilion at the World Fair of 1929. After renovations were done, it was opened again in 1997. The museum has more than 260,000 artworks and this is one of the reasons why it is the most important and largest museum in Barcelona. The museum is easily reachable when taking the metro to the Espanya station and then taking a short walk. From here, you can take the many stairs, but there is also an escalator, from which you can see the city view of Barcelona. This museum is a real must for art interested tourists. 

• Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday: 10AM – 6PM; Sunday: 10AM – 3PM; Closed on Monday
• Ticket Fee: Tickets available from 12 euros. See website for more information. 
• Free every first Sunday of the month, or every Sunday from 3pm.
• Disclaimer: Since we are not the official source of information of the museum, please check again if the entry is free, or see the list below at the bottom of the page.

CaixaForum Barcelona

The CaixaForum Barcelona is an art space and gallery in Barcelona, Spain. It is sponsored by the Barcelona bank ¨La Caixa¨, hence the name of the museum. The building is a former textile factory, located in the Montjuic mountain on Avinguda de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, where the museum houses art exhibitions. 

The building was built by the well-known Catalan architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch. The beautiful venue was completed in 1911, and also won the City Council’s award for the best industrial building in the same year. After this, it closed for a while, but from 1940 on the building was used for the Spanish National Police Force, until La Caixa bought it in 1963 and opened as a museum in 2002. 

The CaixaForum offers a wide range of exhibitions and attractions, such as contemporary and modern art, making it one of the brightest and most vivid places. CaixaForum is in the neighbourhood of El Poble Sec, which is a cultural area close to our boutique hotel. It is easily accessible by metro, when getting out at Plaza España, and then by a short 6-minute walk, crossing the Font Magica de Montjuic. 

• Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday: 10AM – 8PM.
• Ticket Fee: Tickets available from 6 euros. See website for more information.

Montjuic Castle

The Montjuic Castle is an essential part of the Catalan history. It is a citadel that was put into great use during the Catalan revolt in 1641. It is in a great location and it gives you a 360-view from the top of the castle. This panoramic viewpoint provides you with impressive views from the city of Barcelona, the port, the mountains, and a part of the coastal line. The top of the Montjuic Mountain is covered by the castle grounds of the former military fortress from 17th-century origin. The castle is decorated with four large-calibre guns that were used during the Catalan revolt to guard the harbour area. 

• Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday: 10AM – 8PM
• Ticket Fee: Tickets available from 4 euros. See website for more information. 
• Free on every first Sunday of the month. 
• Disclaimer: Since we are not the official source of information of the museum, please check again if the entry is free, or see the list below at the bottom of the page.

Poble Espanyol 

Poble espanyol is an open-air museum village which represents reproductions of 117 monuments from different architectural styles from the regions and provinces of Spain. The village can be seen as both a workshop area and a museum, since there is plenty of activities to do while in the buildings, museums are settled. The workshops that can be done are observing, making, and purchasing traditional products, including glass, textiles, prints, and pottery activities. 

The charming avenues, passageways, churches, and houses are gathered around the main square and there are also gardens, fountains, and a monastery.  There are many things to do in Poble Espanyol de Barcelona. Spending a day here will leave you with a feeling of euphoria, which is one of the many reasons why you should visit it. 

• Opening Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 10AM – 12AM. Closed on Monday
• Ticket Fee: Tickets available from 7 euros. See website for more information. 

Miró Museum Barcelona

The Barcelona Miro Museum was created by Miro himself. He was a Spanish painter, sculptor, muralist, and ceramist, born and raised in Barcelona. The fundació opened in june 1975, and since then has been a flowing and bustling centre of contemporary arts.  

In the Miró Museum Barcelona, Miró´s work has been characterised as surrealism with a personal style, but sometimes it can also be seen as fauvism and expressionism. Miró was known because of his interest in the unconscious and subconscious mind, making the artworks difficult-to-classify.

The Joan Miró Foundation is located in a building designed by Josep Lluís Sert, which makes the place one of the few museums anywhere in the world in which the complicity between artist and architect underpins the dialogue between the world and the building. It offers an overview of the landscapes of Miró´s life and artworks, creating an enlightening and educational exchange with other 20th- and 21st century artists. As the true Catalan Miró was, he tried to paint the national body in the artworks. The museum shows more than 14,000 abstract  paintings and sculptures, so your agenda for that day will be full and satisfied. 

• Opening Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 10AM – 6PM. Closed on Monday.
• Ticket Fee: Tickets available from 13 euros. See website for more information. 

Catalan Museum of Archaeology

The Catalan Museum of Archaeology takes you on a trip through the descents of Catalonia, from prehistory to medieval times. There is a fine selection of archaeological remains, located in the palace of the 1929 International Exhibition, in the trendy and lively neighbourhood of Poble Sec. 

The museum’s treasures are ordered by chronological order and geographical criteria to show the evolution that has shaped the current environment and territory. There are guided visits to the exhibitions and there are family workshops included in the price of admission.

• Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday: 9.30AM – 7PM. Sunday: 10AM – 14.30PM. Closed on Monday.
• Ticket Fee: Tickets available from 6 euros. See website for more information. 

Museu Etnologic de Barcelona

The MUEC, The Museum of Ethnology and World cultures, is a museum which reflects on societies from material cultural heritages from all over the world. It aims to preserve cultural diversity, and shows changes and conflicts in civilization. The museum has a collection of more than 70,000 pieces from all over the world, which represents 70% of the collections of the Catalan ethnological heritage. The MUEC is therefore the most important museum of ethnology in Catalonia. 

The museum got its current name as a result of the merger of the Ethnological Museum de Barcelona and the Museum of World Cultures in 2018. The MUEC has two headquarters in Barcelona, Montjuic and Montcada. The museum in Montjuic is a space for research of knowledge, and it therefore functions as a research centre. The museum focuses on Catalan cultures and compares them to other societies. The philosophy of the Montjuic facility is about the spirit of the museum, the meaning, and what it wants to transmit. 

The museum in Montcada shows the collections of the museum from the other four continents. The beautiful venue was created from two renovated merchant palaces. There are many pieces that teach and explain how we are, act, and create different cultures and societies around the world. The great collections and exhibitions sure make an unforgettable experience. If you are travelling with kids, there is an interactive room in the upper story on Montcada street, with good music, recipes, and language. 

• Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday: 10AM – 7PM. Sunday: 10AM – 8PM. Closed on Monday.
• Ticket Fee: Tickets available from 5 euros. See website for more information. 
• Free every Sunday after 3pm. 
• Disclaimer: Since we are not the official source of information of the museum, please check again if the entry is free, or see the list below at the bottom of the page.

Museu Olímpic i de l’Esport Joan Antoni Samaranch

The Juan Antonio Samarach Olympic and Sports Museum opened its doors in 2007 at the Olympic Ring in Barcelona, Spain. The museum can be found right behind theLluís Company’s Olympic Stadium, at the Montjuic mountain. 

The museum displays high-performance sports, recreational sports, sports in general, and sports for disabled people. It shows how sport can innovate, promote values, and renew. The place has an area for mass sport and major events, including advanced technology and multimedia installations. One of the typical collections was donated by Juan Antonio Samaranch, whom the museum is named after and was the president of the International Olympic Comitee in the late 80’s to the early 00’s. It includes an exhibition hall and display of sport in different civilizations. 

The museum is worth a visit because of its global vision that it brings the visitors of the diverse types of sports, while making use of the interactive representation technologies. The museum and its exhibitions allow for experiences never seen before. 

• Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday: 10AM – 6PM. Sunday and public holidays: 10AM – 2.30PM.  
• Ticket Fee: Children up to 7 years of age go free. Tickets available from 3.60 euros. See website for more information. 

Museo de Carrozas Fúnebres

The Barcelona Funeral Carriages Museum is an interesting museum located at the foot of the Montjuic Cemetery. It is free to visit, which makes it even better. Instead of being a gloomy place, as you might think at first glance, the collection shows interesting insights and information about its many carriages.

In the museum, there are 19 pieces that explain the history of the ¨transport of the dead¨  in Barcelona. Once the deceased stopped being buried in the courtyard in the city centre, they were buried in cemeteries outside of the city centre, which is why carriages were needed to transport them. The museum shows the only collection in Europe which represents a valuable artistic and cultural heritage to understand this process. The carriages that are shown are beautiful artworks with lots of detail.

• Opening Hours: Saturday and Sunday: 10AM – 2PM. Closed for the rest of the week.   
• Ticket Fee: Free for all. See website for more information. 
• Disclaimer: Since we are not the official source of information of the museum, please check again if the entry is free, or see the list below at the bottom of the page. 

Fundació Fran Daurel

The Fran Daurel Foundation focuses on Catalan art, including works by famous artists such as Guinovart, Cuixart, Tápies, Barceló, Dalí, Picasso, Plensa, and Millares. Furthermore, the foundation owns a wide range of artworks and exhibitions by renowned artists. Together with the art museum, there is an open-air sculpture garden, which is reached through the Montblanc gate. The garden consists of 41 sculptures by 27 different artists, forming a wide range of shapes and colours. 

The Foundation opened in December 2001 within the Poble Espanyol venue. The Fran Daurel collection has many artworks from three generations that go from abstraction to figurative art and which move within formalism, expressionism, surrealism, hyperrealism, conceptualism, etc. Furthermore, there is a collection of ceramics, with more than twenty original works of Picasso. The total amount of artworks that can be found in the foundation are close to 300! 

• Opening Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 10AM – 7PM. Monday: 10AM – 6.30PM  
• Ticket Fee: Entrance is free, included in the Poble Espanyol admission. See website for more information. 
• Disclaimer: Since we are not the official source of information of the museum, please check again if the entry is free, or see the list below at the bottom of the page. 

Galeria Carles Taché

Galerias Carles Taché was founded in 1986 by Carles Taché, and it is located at Carrer de Mèxic in Barcelona´s museum centre of the bustling city. It is a spacious art gallery with rotating exhibits, and since its opening, it has received many awards.

The gallery is a member of the Art Barcelona Association and it has participated in important art fairs such as FIAC, Art Cologne, Chicago Art Fair, ARCO, Art Brussels, Maco, KIAF, and ShContemporary. The gallery also works together with other galleries, both national and international museums. 

• Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday: 11AM – 2PM. Closed on Sunday and Monday.
• Ticket Fee: Free entry. See website for more information. 
• Disclaimer: Since we are not the official source of information of the museum, please check again if the entry is free, or see the list below at the bottom of the page. 

Espai Bombers Parc de la Prevenció

Espai Bombers Parc de la Prevenció is a museum that highlights the history of the Barcelona fire brigade, with more than 180 years of history. This includes vehicles and equipment from the city of Barcelona. The museum has been open since 201, and it is located at Carrer de Lleida. The objects in the museum originated from collections of the Barcelona Fire Brigade, which includes more than a thousand pieces. 

From 11 November 2016, there is also a training centre dedicated to prevention and self protection. This space aims to become a public institution open to the public where the history of the Barcelona fire brigade is told and where the knowledge of prevention is promoted. In the room, there are different audio visuals that allow guests to interact and experience the sensations that are there during a fire, that shows the process from the citizen´s call to the final resolution.

The old Poble-sec fire station is the only historical park preserved in Barcelona, and it was built for the 1929 World Fair by architect Emilio Gutiérrez. The Prevention Parc is located here. From 2000 until 2012, the building was used for other purposes, but in 2013, it was turned into the Park of Prevention. 

In the museum, you can discover the broad history of the firefighters, discover functions of firefighters today, discover prevention tips and learn self-protection, and do many activities. In short, if you like these topics, a visit is worth it. 

• Opening Hours: Tuesday: 10AM – 2PM. Wednesday and Friday: 10AM – 2PM, 4-8PM. Thursday 10AM – 2PM. Saturday: 11AM – 3PM. 4-8PM. Sunday: 11AM – 3PM.  Closed on Monday.
• Ticket Fee: Free entry. See website for more information. 
• Disclaimer: Since we are not the official source of information of the museum, please check again if the entry is free, or see the list below at the bottom of the page. 

When are the Museums Free? 

Museums that are always free:

• Museo de las Carrozas Fúnebres
• Fundació Fran Daurel
• Galeria Carles Taché
• Espai Bombers Parc de la Prevenció

Museums that are free every Sunday after 3PM: 

• Museu Nacional d´Art de Catalunya (MNAC)
• Museu Etnologic de Barcelona

Museums that are free every first Sunday of the month:

• Museu Nacional d´Art de Catalunya (MNAC)
• Montjuic Castle

Where to stay during your museum visits? 

After all this reading about the museums you would want to visit, now it is time to think about where to stay during your trip.  Since all the museums are in- or close to the Poble Sec-Parallel area, and this is exactly where our Casa Vaganto boutique hotel is located, this would be a great place to rest and relax after coming home from being in the museums and the city all day. 

We hope you enjoy your trip and to see you soon in Barcelona!