Whether or not you're a fan of Cubism, everyone knows Picasso--and the Picasso Museum in Barcelona…read moreis an absolute must to understand the origins of this brilliant mind. There a handful of Picasso Museums around the world, but the one in Barcelona is worth a visit as this was not only the first museum dedicated to Picasso's work, but also the only one created while he was alive. The museum is sectioned off by eras of Picasso's life, starting with his early formal training under his father, Jose Ruiz, at age 7 and his earlier works when his family were his muses. I always knew Picasso was talented, but I had no idea just how truly multifaceted he was. Entry is by timed ticket, and can be reserved for free 4 days before your actual visit between certain hours. NOTE: If you need to use the bathroom, hold on to your ticket--you'll need to scan it for re-entry.

How can you not give a lovely museum 5 stars? The building itself is really cool -- a series of…read moreconnected medieval palaces with beautiful courtyards and stone details -- and the exhibits are genuinely interesting. You get to see Picasso's early works and sketches, which give great insight into his evolution as an artist, plus some of his famous Blue Period pieces and later reinterpretations of Velázquez's Las Meninas. I'll admit, I'm more the type who'd rather wander the streets of Barcelona than hang out in a museum, so I'm probably not the best art critic. But still -- it's Picasso! Totally worth a visit. And the best part? Afterward, I grabbed an amazing lunch of tapas and beers just around the corner. Perfect way to cap off the visit. 5 stars all around, lol.

If you are an architecture buff like my husband and I, consider a visit to Antoni Gaudi's Casa…read moreMila, aka La Pedrera. We did the nighttime tour on the first night of our honeymoon and it was spectacular. A great start to our trip and a truly architecturally magical evening we will never forget. From the light show on the truly unique rooftop facades to ending in the courtyard with a glass of cava.

This house has easy online ticket purchase and plenty of open hours. The view from the roof is…read moreawesome, and the architectural models upstairs are fascinating. I'm honestly not the biggest fan of Gaudi so I don't find this house to be a must-see in Spain for travelers, especially for €25 entry.

This was Gaudi's first major commission, and it is mind boggling in the details. We were not able…read moreto get tickets at other Gaudi locations, but I feel like this was a good choice--not crowded, manageable size, and contextual information about Gaudi's contemporaries. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. There is a self tour--honestly the voice recording was a little grating, so we had one person in the group read from the text from theirs. The information is a must because there are otherwise very few placards identifying the rooms or highlighting details. The gift shop had lots of tempting stuff, much of it made in Barcelona.

Just so you know, I hate the word "Oriental" especially if someone calls me one. I ain't a rug, OK?…read moreHowever, it's acceptable to call the architectural style Antoni Gaudi used in the design of his first house as Oriental. The building has a Persian/Moroccan flavor with the constant use of decorative tiles, illustrated ceilings, and Moorish arches. It's not my favorite Gaudi building, not by a long shot, but it's a good starter course if you have time. It's up in the quieter Gracia neighborhood away from the crowds at the other Gaudi landmarks, but it's worth the trek. The grounds are unique in integrating the interior and exterior elements into a seamless picture of nature. There's a heavy dose of exotic Asian flair (...hey, I didn't say Oriental) in the ridged framing, the shape of the eaves, and the rampant idiosyncratic decorative touches. The rooftop is relatively modest for Gaudi, but this is where he started after all. RELATED - Other Gaudi landmarks I've visited in Barcelona: La Sagrada Família: https://yelp.to/SmWjkMcPwm Casa Mila: https://yelp.to/dFi2H3DRdL Casa Batlló: https://yelp.to/9us1P766zX Parc Guell: https://yelp.to/kfG-hLKx_Z Palau Guell: https://yelp.to/L67PFQbst- RELATED - Exploring Barcelona? Here's my collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/4dTEx5T

I've seen better in other cities, but it made for fun photos so there's that. Price does appear to…read morebe a bit steep, but it's a tourist attraction in a tourist area, and we were tourists. It did the job, but left much to be desired (see the Sex Museum in NYC!)

Out of curiosity and on a friend's recommendation, we entered this museum. We were surprised at…read morewhat we learned and also laughed at a lot. We were met with a flute of champagne too. And the gift shop is not to be missed!!

Amazing museum, a must see! The layout is essentially 2 sets of the museum. One upstairs on…read moreseveral floors and one downstairs with the ruins. Staff super friendly and accommodating...with wheelchair accessible exhibits and loan. The layout and design flowed wonderfully, through Roman and current events. Great discussion of the various periods and history of Barcelona. Included contemporary demographics with nice visuals. The ruins were fascinating as well. Spent 2 blissful hours exploring and would come back!

Wow, just what an unexpected treat. I was in town for a conference and tried to get in some sight…read moreseeing. I had walked to the Gothic quarter, seen markets, and visited the beach. I stopped in here based on a recommendation from a colleague. My whole family is made up of history teachers so I love getting to visit sites like this. The upper floors of the museum have some artifacts and do a nice job providing a high level overview of the history of Barcelona. It starts with Barcelona as a Roman Colony and goes through the modern era. The main attraction though is ruins underground. You can see artifacts from the Roman Era and Medieval Era. It was really neat. Mostly it is just foundations, but there are some tiled areas that take you back in time. The cost is modest, and your ticket is good for several days. It was a great way to spend ~1.5 hours learning about Barcelona.

Hard to miss and it's huge Beautiful museum…read more It's Catalonian which Barcelona has this divided populations and language and even politics and laws But nonetheless it's a great place to wander around

Looking up from Plaça d'Espanya toward the Montjuïc area, the classical Italian facade of the Museu…read moreNacional d'Art de Catalunya sits atop a hill like an elaborate crown perched on a pedestal. You can't miss it. Walking by, if you weren't sure what building this was, you'd google it for sure. Taking the direct route from the traffic roundabout (and nearest metro station, as well as many bus stops) to the front entrance entails many stairs. Plan a good 10 minutes to walk up, that is if you don't stop for photos along the way. From the side streets, where I came from, there is the option of outdoor escalators (how novel! I haven't seen many outdoor ones before) for part of the trek upwards. Upon entering the ticket counter is to the left/center right inside the door, there is the option to purchase online though I bought them in person and it took only a few minutes with no line on a Friday in September. The ground floor lobby is right beyond the counters and provides direct access to the 6 main areas of the museum - Medieval Gothic art, Medieval Romanesque art, Renaissance and Baroque art, Modern art, Numismatics (coins and medals), and the main auditorium/atrium which also contains the cafe and a massive pipe organ. The exhibits were very thorough and for the most part chronological. I was impressed by their extensive Romanesque fresco collection and maintenance, and also enjoyed the modern art and Art Nouveau/Art Deco furniture collection. Walking around the total museum can easily take 2-3 hours, more if you want to read all the descriptions. The museum attendants are quite detailed in checking your tickets at the entry of each exhibition hall. Larger bags and backpacks must be carried in front of you not on your back. Bathrooms are available. Parking for cars and buses is also available though aside from tour groups it looked like majority of patrons walked there.

Probably a mixed experience depending on what's showing. Ok if you have an hour or two to spare…read more A couple of shows spread over several floors. Not large per se but enough space to wander and discover. I found some great exhibits and some big misses. That's contemporary art I guess. Still a nice, well maintained museum. Apparently an expansion is in the works for MACBA.

An entire exhibition was closed so out of the 3 floors our experience was reduced to about 75% lol…read more The art was very nicely exhibited though, but I only provide a lower review because of the entire floor that was missing, the ridiculous heat, and the protest that was occurring outside. Honestly had I gotten a chance to really read the signs being written outside I wouldn't have gone in, for those that don't know, MACBA is currently still expanding and currently destroying a part of the plaza that has been used by residents and skaters alike. It's always a shame to see community and areas for gathering being destroyed for the sake of expansion of an exhibit meant to promote artists just like them.

Barcelona's Museu del Modernisme is your place if you enjoy modernist art and/or have the Barcelona…read morePass and are just looking for things to do. Welcome to Europe's only museum specializing in Catalan Modernism. This private museum is on the smaller side but has a respectable collection of art pieces comprising furniture, paintings, sculptures, stained glass and more. Available literature tells the story of the modernist movement in Catalonia and how the museum came to be. The labels for each art piece are helpfully translated into Catalan, Spanish, English and French. While the museum opened only in 2010, the building itself was designed in the modernist style and built between 1902 to 1904. The building was originally purposed as a warehouse for a textile company. How times have changed. The museum today serves an important role in preserving some of humanity's treasures of the past. General admission is currently 12€, but this place was included in our Barcelona Pass. This was a decent use of an hour on a day that we used the pass to hit up multiple museums!

Hands down the best science museum I've ever been to! For context I'm 28 years old, and took myself…read moreout on a solo museum date on a weekday. The museum was not too busy, there were children of different ages on field trips and then some folks like me just exploring. The museum exhibitions were so interactive, I learned so much about the universe, physics, chemistry, and biology, way more than school could have taught me tbh! I really enjoyed my time here, and I highly recommend it!!

I highly recommend this museum as a rainy day activity in Barcelona. Be prepared to spend half a…read moreday here. There is a lot to do and see. It is a must-visit for families, and the capybara was a wonderful surprise!