The Best Museums in Barcelona

In part it is because Barcelona is flat out ancient.  In part it is because it is the capital of Catalonia. It is in part because of its rich history as one of the most important cities in the world.  Barcelona is rich in museums and cultural sites and is probably my favorite city in the whole, wide word.  Yup.  That’s right.  Once there, head off to visit these five best museums in Barcelona.

Fundació Joan Miró

Joan Miró i Ferrà was one of those artists who never stopped experimenting. The Catalan painter created rich surrealist works that forever pushed the boundaries of acceptable visual elements in both painting and sculpture.

The museum, designed by Josep Lluis Sert and opened in 1975, holds a collection of over 200 of Miró’s paintings, nearly as many sculptures and thousands of his drawings and graphic works.  The far-reaching nature of the collection allows the visitor to trace the development of the artist through his entire career.

Visit Fundacio Joan Miro for more information.

Museu del Perfum Barcelona

Small but fascinating, the Museu del Perfum hosts an incredible collection of items that trace the history of perfume over the millennia. With everything from essence bottles – including examples from China and Iran – to Greek ceramics, to Roman and Carthaginian glass to ancient Arabic perfume recopies.  Almost 5000 perfumes and fragrances can be found…some dating back to Cleopatra’s days! If you never cared about perfumes before, you will after a visit here, which is why it is one of the five best museums in Barcelona.

Visit Museu del Perfum for more information

Archaeology Museum of Catalonia

This isn’t actually just one museum.  The Archaeology Museum of Catalonia is comprised of a number of institutions all well worth your time.  Remember, this city is ancient and was always an important player on the world stage. People have been in this area for 50,000 years. Permanent settlements date back 10,000 years. Be it the Greco-Roman treasures from the Archaeology Museum of Barcelona or the ancient city of Empúries, this collection offers a fascinating look at the history of this great city.

Visit Wikipedia for more information

Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya

Another one of the best museums in Barcelona is pp on Montjuic sits the “National Art Museum of Catalonia”, a celebration of the immense cultural history of northeastern Spain. Holding a stunning collection of Romanesque and Gothic church paintings as well as the surrealistic and modernistic art 19^th and 20^th Century Barcelona was known for the museum is housed in the massive Palau Nacional. The museum also hosts the entire collection of famed patron Francesc Cambó. The  so-called “Cambó Bequest” is one of the most impressive sets of European paintings from 1300-1930.

Visit National Art Museum for more information.

Museum of Funeral Carriages, Barcelona

Much like the perfume museum, here is an aspect of historic life you may not have given much thought to. This dusty, musty underground museum fascinates like few others.  First of all, it’s hard to find, which makes the whole trip rather fun. Once you arrive at the Municipal Funeral Services office you are guided into the chambers. The carriages are stunning.  Ridiculously ornate, these 300-year old works of art are adorned with dummies in period costume. People die.  But how we treat the dead has morphed through the centuries.  The funeral carriage museum is a fabulous window on how the dead were handled and even revered in historic Barcelona

Visit  Barcelona Tourism for more information on the best museums in Barcelona.

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