Six Top Art Museums Pass Barcelona

MNAC, the National Art Museum of Catalonia on Montjuïc

MNAC fills the Palau Nacional, the domed palace built on Montjuïc for the 1929 International Exhibition, above the cascading fountains and stairways of Plaça d'Espanya. Its pride is the finest collection of Romanesque mural painting in the world: whole apses and walls rescued from small Pyrenean churches in the early twentieth century and reassembled here, including the glowing Christ in Majesty from Sant Climent de Taüll, painted in 1123.

The museum continues through Gothic altarpieces, Renaissance and Baroque painting and a rich section of Catalan modernisme, with furniture, decorative art and painting from Barcelona's golden age around 1900. Allow at least 2 hours, and save time for the rooftop terraces, which offer one of the best panoramic views over the city.

Fundació Joan Miró, art and light on Montjuïc

A short walk up the hill from MNAC, the Fundació Joan Miró opened in 1975 in a bright white building of terraces, courtyards and curved skylights, designed so that daylight falls softly on the works. It holds the largest public collection of the artist's work: paintings, sculptures, textiles and drawings that trace his path from early landscapes to the bold signs, stars and primary colours that made him one of the great names of twentieth-century art.

The roof terrace, scattered with large colourful sculptures, looks out over the pines of Montjuïc and the city below. Plan about 1.5 hours here. Combining MNAC and the Fundació Miró on the same morning or afternoon is the most efficient way to use the pass, as both sit on Montjuïc and are linked by gardens and paths.

Museu Picasso in the Born district

The Museu Picasso opened in 1963 on Carrer de Montcada, a narrow medieval street of merchants' palaces in the Born district. Today it occupies five connected Gothic palaces with stone courtyards and open staircases, and its collection of more than 4,000 works is especially strong on the artist's formative years in Barcelona, when he studied and painted here as a young man.

A highlight is the series of variations on Las Meninas painted in 1957, which the artist donated to the museum himself. This is one of the most visited museums in Spain, so priority entry is a real advantage; arrive early in the day and allow about 1.5 hours. Afterwards the lanes of the Born, the Santa Maria del Mar basilica and the Ciutadella park are all a few minutes' walk away.

MACBA and the CCCB in El Raval

The Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, MACBA, opened in 1995 in a striking white building on Plaça dels Àngels, a square famous for its skateboarders. Its collection covers art from the second half of the twentieth century to the present, with changing exhibitions that make every visit different. Note that MACBA keeps a different rhythm from the other museums: it opens on Mondays and closes on Tuesdays.

Next door, the Centre of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona, the CCCB, occupies the former Casa de la Caritat, an old charity house with a courtyard and a modern glass wing that reflects the rooftops of the city. Its exhibitions explore cities, literature, science and society. Both centres sit in the heart of El Raval, a short walk from La Rambla, and together need about 2 to 3 hours.

Fundació Antoni Tàpies in the Eixample

In the elegant Eixample, at Carrer d'Aragó 255, the Fundació Antoni Tàpies occupies the former Montaner i Simon publishing house, one of the first modernist buildings in Barcelona, built in brick and iron in the 1880s. On its roof sits a huge tangle of metal tube known as Cloud and Chair, a sculpture that has become a landmark of the street.

Inside, the foundation shows the textured, earthy paintings and objects of the Catalan artist alongside temporary exhibitions of contemporary art. It is a calm, compact visit of about an hour, just a block from Passeig de Gràcia. If you are wondering whether the art museums pass is worth it, adding up six separate entries usually answers the question, and the 12-month validity means none of your time is wasted.