Excellent three story Ancient Egypt museum from a private collection. It's well laid out, not too…read morecrowded, with very good informative labeling. Price of admission is well worth it, even better if you have the Barca pass discount. The only negative is the wonderful rooftop cafe....not open. I would come here, pay full admission, JUST to sit on the rooftop to sip espresso and contemplate ancient history. But of course I can't resist a good museum, and the way this is organized, it's impossible to not learn something. Cute but cramped gift shop.

Going to Spain to look at Egyptian artifacts?…read more Barcelona's Museu Egipci has around 1,200 artifacts and is considered to be one of Europe's best private collections of Egyptian art and culture. There are some interesting artifacts, some over 4,000 years old. This stuff was made to last! Other pieces of note include mummies and a scale replica of the Rosetta Stone. Overall though, this place felt a bit dry. You'll probably enjoy it more if you're Indiana Jones or a like-minded archaeology buff. The museum is not too big, with content split across three small floors. Most signs are in Catalan, Spanish and English, but the lower floor does not have English translations. At least there is free WiFi so you can bust out the Google Translate. Entry costs around half of what other museums in Barcelona typically charge. We came here only because admission was included with our Barcelona Pass, though we elected to not rent an audio guide. It was an ok experience, but not very memorable.

The Monastery at Pedralbes is one of the most important Gothic monuments in Catalonia. Its cloister…read moreis famed for its delicate architecture, and it includes important frescoes by Ferrer Bassa, a student of Giotto. History The monastery was founded by Elisenda de Montcada in 1327, the young Queen of the Catalan King Jaume II. Married at just 13 years of age, when King Jaume was already an old man, the monastery was intended as a place for her to spend her widowhood. Elisenda was never a Nun, however; the early monastery included a small palace complex, which was to be demolished upon her death. The monastery actually a convent was built for the Poor Clares, the female equivalent of the Fransiscans. Built in the Gothic style at the height of Catalonia's Golden Age, Elisenda's generous endowment (the Montcadas were one of Catalonia's most powerful and richest families) meant that no expense was spared on its architecture: the three-storey cloister is one of Europe's largest and most harmonious. Most of main buildings and the church date from the 14th century, although it was extended and improved over subsequent decades, especially the 16th. Many of the Nuns came from wealthy families, and brought considerable endowments, used to buy religious art and other sacred objects: even the size and layout of the Nun's cells reflected their social status. After the 16th Century it entered a period of decline, although it continued as a convent except for a short period during the Catalan Republic in the 1930s, when the Nuns moved out to escape the attentions of the Anarchists. As a closed order, few people were able to see its interior or Treasures. In the 1970s, the Nuns opened part of the Cloister for public viewing one morning a week, which led to the Catalan Government negotiating greater access in 1983, when the cloister and most of the original monastic buildings were opened permanently as a museum: the Nuns (still a closed order) now live in a newly-built annex. The complex includes a Treasury representing seven centuries of religious art, sacred objects and books. The collection is both unique and important as apart from its size and quality it represents one of the few intact collections of mediaeval and renaissance art still located in the institution for which it was intended. The tour The reception leads straight onto the Cloister, in many ways the highlight of the visit. Each side has twenty nine gracefully arched sides, arranged in three storeys. The use of incredibly delicate clustered columns of marble (much stronger than stone) gives an unusually light and open feel. The columns capitals are decorated with the King and Queen's coats of arms, a clear fusion of the secular and religious. Immediately on the right is the chapel of St Michael, decorated in 1343 from floor to ceiling with frescoes by Ferrer Bassa, a student of Giotto. Giotto's influence is tangible in features such as the bold use of colour, naturalistic postures and almond eyes, although it is likely that Bassa's own students did much of the work. The themes reflect the life of Christ and the consolations of the Virgin Mary. Next is the chapel of the tomb of Queen Elisenda. It is in the Decorated Gothic style, with the tomb itself under a large canopy. The tomb is double-sided: on the cloister side Elisenda is depicted as a widow and penitent, attended by saints and angels, on the church side as a Queen. Adjacent to this in the same chapel and rather smaller is the tomb of the first abbess, Fransesca ça Portella. Back in the cloister, a series of three more tombs of abbesses are set against a background of well preserved but rather more prosaic 14th century frescoes. Next, at the beginning of the cloister's west side, is the entrance to the Treasures of the Monastery, contained in the enormous vaulted space of the original dormitory (first floor level there is a lift). The exhibition also describes the development and use of this space, which in the 20th century was divided into individual sleeping cells. At the end of the dormitory is another vaulted room, the Queen's Hall, which may be the only part of Elisenda's Palace rooms to survive. The small but impressive collection consists of paintings, alter-pieces, crosses, monstrances and a rare, complete collection of late mediaeval books of sacred monastic choir music. Flemish and Italian art are particularly well represented. Back to the cloister, the next part of the visit includes a number of the Nun's day cells at ground and first floor level. Most of these can only be seen through their windows, and contain altars and pieces of religious art as well as everyday objects. The size and decoration of the cells reflected the individual Nun's secular status and wealth somewhat at odds with the principles of monastic life, but reflecting the circumstances of its foundation. The most interesting rooms (which can be entered) are the store room

I took 2 trains to get here and I'm so glad I did, the grounds are so stunning, peaceful and quiet…read moreand it's drenched in history. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend when in Barcelona.

The Masía Freixa is one of Terrassa's - and indeed Catalonia's - most impressive Modernist…read morebuildings. Built originally in 1896 as a small factory, it was transformed by the architect Lluís Muncunill in 1907-1910 into a bourgeois residence for the Catalan industrialist Josep Freixa i Artemi. Muncunill was a leading light in Catalan Modernism, which developed the Art Nouveau into the distinctive regional style, of which Gaudi is its most famous exponent. The result is an astonishingly original and beautiful building, all the more impressive for having very restrained detailing (which is where Muncunill differs from Gaudi). The Masia Freixa is essentially an elongated house, with verandas consisting of impressive, naturalistic arcades of parabolic arches. The other main features are its tower, rather resembling a minaret, and the undulating grey roof, broken by a cupola-like second storey. The doors and windows are shuttered and reflect the parabolic shape of the arcade. The lower part of the outside walls are decorated in pale grey tiles with a geometric pattern. When built, the Masía Freixa was on the edge of the town, (Masía normally refers to a landowner's residence or a well-to-do farmhouse) but is now in a small park in the western suburbs of Terrassa. It is most easily reached by taking the FGC train from Barcelona (Plaça de Catalunya) half an hour north to Terrassa Rambla station on line S1, from where it is an easy 5-10 minute walk. The building currently houses the local Music Society, and can be visited on organised walking tours of Modernista architecture - see above for details. That said, it's the exterior which really grabs the attention, and what is worth coming to see.

a very good teathre, very famous in barcelona, placed in C/ villaroel, next to c/ consell de cent.read more

I came across this exhibition space by accident. There's a nice garden outside it, and I stopped…read morethere to sit and noticed signs for their current exhibit "Ferran Adria & elBulli: Risk, Freedom & Creativity". The main exhibition space on the 2nd floor is a decent size and this particular show is great, especially for anyone who loves food! They had photos, old menus, etc. from El Bulli. Downstairs, there are 2 smaller galleries. One exhibit was about the Catalan media, but there was no English or Spanish, so I didn't really understand what it was about. They had another exhibit about Catalan composer Xavier Montsalvatge which had English panels and stations where you could listen to his recordings. Best of all, it's totally free! I didn't see this place mentioned in any travel guides, so I'm glad I found it. It was not crowded at all. A nice escape from the crowds at the bigger museums.

Nice and small exhibition of two very cool topics, "Love Me" and "Consumption". Each exhibitions…read morehave two rooms with more or less 7 expressive pictures per room. So its for free and everyone who is interested in photography (like me) has to go there. Its open every day.

I am a huge fan of Antoni Tapies and his work and I was very excited to be in Barcelona for the…read morefirst time just so I could see this place. I'm happy to say that it was worth the trip! If you are a fan of Tapies or of any form of abstract expressionism, you will not be disappointed. Admission is 10 Euro. The gallery is small but is well laid out on 3 levels with a tiny rooftop area. I wish more works had been on display, but what was on view was fantastic. The museum rotates their exhibits 4 times per year but each one presents a good overview of Tapies' works. This particular display (Exhibition #3) featured several of the artist's early surrealist drawings, a few bronze sculptures and paintings that spanned several decades (from the 1940s to present). The exhibit illustrated the evolution of Tapies' techniques and showcased his ability to create inspired works with varied materials. The artwork here is breathtaking. I had only seen a few very small canvas works at some U.S. art museums and I was overwhelmed with the sheer size of some of the works on display here (they are really larger than life). They are absolutely stunning! Although the museum is small, I easily spent 3 hours here and could've stayed even longer in contemplation. The museum also had a screening of a documentary on Tapies that was included in the admission cost. The museum gift shop is top notch with all sorts of great items for art lovers on a budget (postcards run about 1 Euro each, notecards are around 5 Euro, t-shirts 20 Euro; while you can get gorgeous lithographs, silk scarves and more if you are willing to drop a lot of money). I purchased a few notecards, postcards, a t-shirt and a full color book with selected art for about 32 Euro total. My husband, who is not an art lover, was not very impressed with this place. He really tried to enjoy the art but just kept saying "I don't get it." I know that Tapies is an aquired taste but even if you aren't a fan, this museum is worth a visit just to see works by one of the most influential Spanish artists. And if you are a fan like me, you will be in pure art heaven!

Don't miss this. Was the highlight of my last visit to Barcelona. The rooftop is a lovely place to…read moreread. The galleries are relatively small, but the upside is that you can concentrate on the works without feeling rushed. Makes for a lovely afternoon.

The Catalonia Archaeology Museum houses a selection of artefacts illustrating the history and…read moredevelopment of Catalonia from the early Palaeolithic period until the Visigothic period around the 6th and 7th centuries. Although it doesn't compare with the collections of museums such as the Louvre or British Museum, its collection is worth a visit for those interested in learning more about the region's early history. As with many such collections, the artefacts from the early periods are limited to stone tools, pottery and remains from early human burials, and are best appreciated by those with a hankering for such things not helped in this case by the rather patchy and somewhat old-fashioned presentation (many of the stone-age items are particularly poorly labelled). Things improve rapidly, however, with the presentations about the late Bronze Age, and the development of the unique cultures of Menorca and Ibiza, where the range of items from the latter's Punic (Carthaginian) civilisation is extensive. Things improve further still with the galleries presenting the Greek and Roman colonies of Empuriés (near Girona), from which some superb vases, bronzes, jewellery and votive objects have been preserved. Best of all, however, are the remains from the Roman period, which include a very wide range of everyday objects, the quality of which compares with the sister museum of Roman life in Tarragona. Most impressive are the sarcophagi and funeral monuments, which are both well preserved and can be inspected at close quarters. Other memorable Roman-period items especially popular with school parties, for obvious reasons - include the head of a human ritually sacrificed by having a huge nail driven into their skull, and an astonishingly virile bronze figurine of Priapus; this version doesn't even have a body as such - it's simply a huge phallus, with horses' legs at the rear, ridden (like a horse) by a woman, complete with phallic tail and equipped with two little bells. Although discovered in 1848, it was considered too risqué to put on view until 1984. Later Roman Period finds include the remains of a magnificent circus mosaic, followed by jewellery from the post-Roman Visigothic period (5th-8th centuries). Bags can be left at reception for free, and the staff seemed helpful and interested in us, on my visit. Most of the museum has level access with ramps or lifts, although there is no proper disabled toilet, and some of the displays may be frustratingly high for wheelchair users. The museum has a small but rather unimaginatively presented shop area, with books, souvenirs and T-shirts for sale, and a particularly sad and dusty postcard selection. It's a pity, as a little imagination and investment could make this aspect so much better. The Museum is on the edge of the Montjuïc Park, next to the Theatre, a fairly level 15 minute walk from Espanya Metro or a more uphill 10 minute walk from Poble Sec metro.

What a great deal for 3 Euros! This museum is off the Espanya stop, requiring a little bit of…read morewalking. From outside, the museum looks really small, but inside, there's a vast collection of artwork and ancient relics highlighting Catalonia's grand history. I don't think many English-speaking tourists come here because very few of the displays & museum pieces were labeled in English. The majority of the items were labeled in Catalan and Spanish. However, a lot of the things, such as jars and earthenware, didn't require an English translation. My favorite exhibits were the Roman and Greek exhibits, which showcases a lot of ancient pieces -- lots of beautiful glassware, figurines, and pottery to catch anyone's fancy. The cool thing about this place is that there are some rooms showcased ancient Roman/Greek architecture - from what I believe, it was probably transported and rebuilt. Not only can you admire the intricate Roman and Greek artifacts, but you can also admire the different frescos, mosaics, and decorated domes as you step into another room. The museum can be quite quiet -- I don't think they get many visitors. I highly recommend anyone interested in Catalonian history to come visit this place. Not much is known about Catalonia outside of Spain, so this place is jam-packed with Catalonian history. I loved this museum and so will you :)

Gee, I didn't know this was a museum separate from the Cau Ferrat next door since it was all free…read moreunder the same ticket on International Museum Day (review: https://yelp.to/bIxDanekks). I only noticed weeks later when I finally read the brochure. Wasn't that stupid of me? Don't answer that. Anyway, while Museo del Cau Ferrat represents one man's collection of art, this more expansive exhibit represents the collection of not an artist but a wealthy benefactor. It was American magnate and philanthropist Charles Deering. Yes, the guy who founded International Harvester. Apparently, making his fortune in tractors meant he could afford three floors of art that spans ten centuries of art from the 10th to the 20th century. The style varies from Romanesque and Gothic to Renaissance and Baroque to Modernism. The mirador was particularly striking with the neoclassical statuary set against the Mediterranean background. RELATED - Exploring Barcelona and Sitges? Here's my collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/4dTEx5T

Great experience, definitely worth attending once you're done drink and eating lots of tapas. Good…read moreexhibits and even better view of the Mediterranean Sea.