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The Best Museums
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC): Located in the imposing Palau Nacional on the northern edge of Montjuic, this museum overlooks the Font Magica. Renovated a couple of years back, it's one of the greatest repositories of Romanesque religious works in the world. Many of the icons and frescoes have been moved here from tiny churches high up in the Pyrenees where replicas now fill the spaces they originally occupied. Gothic styles are also well represented and more recently there have been moderniste additions -- many taken from the Manzana de la Discordia.
Fundacio Joan Miro: Found here is Spain's best collection of the famed Catalan contemporary artist's works (all donated by the great man himself). The museum is tucked away on Montjuic in a location that enjoys marvelous vistas of port and city from its roof terrace, where there's an attractive garden filled with sculptures. Concerts take place here in summer. Highlights are the Foundation Tapestry and Mercury Fountain, by his American sculptor friend Alexander Calder.
Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA): This is Catalonia's answer to Paris's Pompidou Center, and it's right in the heart of the earthy yet partially gentrified Raval district. It has one of the best collections of modern art in Spain, featuring works by Tapies and Barcelo, and there's also a library, bookshop, and cafeteria.
The Picasso Museum: One of the most visited cultural spots in the city, the museum is mainly dedicated to works by the younger Picasso, which have been collected and assembled by his friend Jaume Sabartes y Gual. It spreads through a quintet of medieval palaces in La Ribera's atmospheric Calle Montcada. The artist donated many of the works himself, and highlights include the famed Las Meninas and The Harlequin.
Museu Frederic Mares: This charming old palace of secret patios and high ceilings houses one of the most richly varied collections of medieval sculptures in the world, all donated by Mares -- a talented sculptor himself. Exhibits can be viewed on two floors -- which open on alternate days -- and range from polychromatic Roman crucifixes and Gothic statues to a "Ladies' Room" filled with Victorian knicknacks.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
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