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Palau de la Música Catalana

The Catalan Music Palace

Palau de la Musica

Palau de la Música - Barcelona

Palau de la Música Catalana

Palau de la Música Catalana - Barcelona

"Palau  de la Música Catalana"  (Music Palace), is a concert hall designed by the architec Lluís Domènech i Montaner and opened in 1908.This building is the headquarters of "Orfeó Catala", a prestigious institution grounded in the year 1891 to support Catalan music and culture. This is why the decoration of the building shows some representations of the " quatre barres " (which is the Catalan coat of arms).

Inside the scene is a sculpture representing on one side the "Ride of Valkyries" and on the other side, the figure of Beethoven, sculpted by Pau Gargallo and Dídac Massana . The splendid central glass light on the roof was made by Rigalt and Granell. The façade is made of red brick and decorated with mosaics from Lluís Bru.

The Palau de la Música Catalana organizes daily guided tours of the Modernist Concert hall and, when available, Lluís Millet Hall and the Chamber Music Hall.

Tickets for Palau de la Música Catalana >> free visit or guided tour

The Palau de la Música Catalana is located in the El Born district of Ciutat Vella. It is one of the most emblematic buildings in the city and a must-see for all lovers of architecture and music.

The Catalan Music Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Catalan Music Palace was built between 1905 and 1908 to house the Orfeó Català choir (an association of Barcelona choirs), which needed a larger space for its rehearsals. Today it hosts concerts and musical events of international renown.

The Palau de la Música is one of Barcelona's architectural gems, designed by the modernist architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. A UNESCO World Heritage Site , the building is famous for its large concert hall decorated with coloured stained glass windows, sculptures and mosaics, and is considered one of the finest examples of Catalan Modernist architecture, also known as Art Nouveau. This architecture is characterised by the use of modern materials such as iron, glass and concrete, as well as motifs and forms inspired by nature.

Specific construction techniques used in the Palau de la Música Catalana include the use of natural light, which is abundant thanks to the large skylights and rose-shaped windows. The structure also features colourful mosaics, sculptures and floral motifs, creating a unique and vibrant aesthetic effect.

The architect, Lluís Domènech i Montaner , also used advanced techniques for the time, such as the use of steel trusses for the structure of the building, which allowed him to create a large concert hall without intermediate pillars. Another technical detail is that the building was constructed without using steel beams, which was very rare at the time. Instead, the structure rests on decorative cast iron columns and brick arches, creating a unique and magical atmosphere inside.

Lluís Domènech i Montaner is also known for having designed the Casa Lleó i Morera in 1902, the Casa Fuster in 1911 and, of course, the Sant Pau Hospital between 1901 and 1930, which has also been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997..

Our tip: To make the most of your visit to the Music Palace, we recommend taking a guided tour to learn about the history and architecture of the building. You can also attend a concert to appreciate the exceptional acoustic quality of the concert hall.

Finally, an interesting anecdote about the Music Palace is that during the Spanish Civil War, the building was used as a garage for military vehicles, which saved the building from destruction! A miracle.

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11 comments

I really do recommend a visit. - frinniella (28 sep 2023 - 07:50).

We don't talk enough about this palace, which is really very beautiful... Unfortunately, the façade was being restored at the time of our visit but the interior is simply magical. The price is a bit high, but like many monuments and museums in Barcelona, it's worth it.

Live performance schedule - Kathy Funck (9 Nov 2017 - 18:16)

Any performance for November 12-14

Any live program September 27,2015 Sunday day or night at the palau de musica? - Marilyn potter (9 Jul 2015 - 09:52)

Is their anything scheduled for September 27th at the palau de musica?

palau de musica de Catalan - marily potter (12 May 2015 - 08:56)

Are there any musical programs on in august 23-29th. can I get tour tickets on line?

Atentas preguntas - J Fernando Gómez-Pimienta y Hernández (22 Mar 2015 - 08:45)

Muy buenas tardes queridos amigos catalanes, aquí desde la Ciudad de México. Mi esposa y el suscrito amamos literalmente a su bella Ciudad de Barcelona. Queremos volver este año, y tener la oportunidad de asistir a conciertos en el Palau. ¿Serían tan amables de indicarme cómo puedo reservar boletos, y conocer el programa musical del Palau?. Muchas gracias y saludos cordiales Jfgph

A thank you and an idea - Alan Watson (6 Jun 2012 - 10:30)

Firstly, my wife and I visited the Palau de la Musica a couple of weeks ago. What a spectacular building! Our tour guide was most informative and the whole experience was one of the highlights to our holiday. Secondly, whilst perusing the setting, and listening to that evenings group sound checking, it struck me that this is a location which would be ideal for a concert by Peter Hammill (or even his group Van Der Graaf Generator!). I know that Peter does play regularly in Spain, and has done for over 40 years, and has a substantial fan base there. I feel that a concert there by Peter (and/or VDGG) would be a fine addition to the concerts you feature and would be interested to know how your thoughts.

por favor, una question, par favor - Martine Esparon (13 May 2012 - 11:15)

Me gustaria saber si Salvatore Adamo va a revolver en el palau de la musica de Barcelona el ano proximo ? Gracias... Martine.

concert sylvie vartan en fevrier - [email protected] (2 Feb 2011 - 13:15)

j ai pris des places pour un concert mais ou les retirer?

le palais de la Musique - 3131 (28 Jan 2011 - 19:00)

Visite exceptionnelle, à ne louper sous aucun prétexte.

Palais de la musique - jean-b (18 Feb 2010 - 14:15)

ce palais de la musique est génial... de très beaux concerts aussi... ^prenez un verre au bar qui est juste grandiose

belloo! - maría (17 Nov 2007 - 18:13)

Algo realmente bellísimo, lástima que no se continúa con esa línea arquitectónica.

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Guide To Palau de la Musica Catalana, Barcelona’s Modernist Concert Hall

Palau de la Musica Catalana is one of Barcelona’s most beautiful spaces. In fact, it’s my favorite Modernist interior in the city.

The palace is full of visual mischief and whimsy both inside and out. The dense ornamentation — glossy mosaics, stained glass, kaleidoscopic skylight, and sculptures — will take your breath away.

The over-the-top nature of the palace was meant to reflect regional Catalan pride. It puts you on notice that, in Catalonia, musicians and composers are akin to the divine.

The gorgeous facade is inexplicably squished into a tiny lane in the Gothic Quarter. You may pass by without even realizing the wonders inside!

The hall itself is stunning and a true work of art swathed in floral motifs. The main concert hall is a masterpiece of light and color, with a one-of-a-kind stained glass skylight.

The hall is variously described as a “crown,” a “music box,” a “garden with no night,” a “box of light,” a “magic fishbowl,” and a “glowworm.” Whew!

In this guide to Palau de la Musica Catalana, I tell you everything to see inside and give you tips for visiting.

Quick Tips:

• you can visit on your own, on a guided tour , or by attending a concert
• I highly recommend pre-booking a skip the line ticket to avoid queues and or a sold venue
• if you are on a guided tour, which I was, you will meet your guide behind the bar on the first level (no signs point you that way)
• tours are 50 minutes and you can stay as long afterward as you like
• tours include a 10 minute introductory video
• the palace is in the Gothic Quarter

Overview & Mini History Of Palau de la Musica

The palace was designed by Catlan modernist architect LLuis Domenech Monanter. It was built between 1905-08 for the Catalan Choral Society.

The spectacular creation was fueled by the fervant spirit of the Renaixenca, a Catalan cultural revival movment in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

From its inception, the vision for the palace was much more than just a concert hall. It was intended to be a splashy showcase of Catalan artistry and identity.

The architect, Montaner, was a peer of the seemingly peerless Antoni Gaudi. But you will see straightaway that Gaudi had no monopoly on Modernism. Montaner is vastly underrated by comparison and equally bold in imagination.

Montaner was a Renaissance man — a genius in architecture, fine arts, history, and politics. He studied in Paris and Venice .

Palau de la Musica is the pinnacle of his great career, combining a Modernist aesthetic with a glam Catalan style.

Right after its debut, the palace won the best architecure award from the city council.

Throughout its history, the Palau has played a central role in Barcelona’s cultural scene. It hosts a diverse array of musical performances, from classical concerts to contemporary works.

It’s also served as a gathering place for social and political events, embodying the spirit of Catalan pride and resilience.

In 1997, it became a designated UNESCO World Heritage site.

Guide To Palau de la Musica: What To See

Here are the highlights of a visit:

The rather gaudy facade is extremely unusual. Rather than being an enclosure, it is open on all sides with few continuous walls.

It is a harmonious marraige of iron, brick, glazed tiles, and glass. All that is supported by an iron frame, which was the first curtain wall building in Spain.

The facade has layers of decoration.

On the ground level are mosaic encrusted arched columns and windows made of pastel colros and floral shapes. Above that are 14 Corinthian columns in different mosaic patterns.

Higher still are brick columns topped with busts of Palestrina, Bach, Beethoven, and Wagner. Even higher is mosaic mural depicting a choir presided over by a queen.

At the corner of the facade, at the intersection of Carrer d’Amadeu Vives and Carrer de Sant Pere Més Alt, is a massive stone sculpture by Miquel Blay, The Popular Song , from 1909. It practically bulges from the corner.

The allegorical sculpture portrays a song maiden, with outspread arms, surrounded by encouraging Catalans.

Above, a helmeted soldier (St. George, Barcelona’s patron saint) extends a protective gesture with an unsheathed sword.

The roofline has Moorish touches. And the roof itself is crowned with some colorful ceramic chimneys.

A revamped entryway with a glass facade now welcomes visitors into Palau Square. This transparent wall was a creation of architect Òscar Tusquets.

It gives you a clear view into the building’s interior, merging modern architectural innovations with the Palau’s historic charm.

Vestibule & Foyer

Once inside, you’ll see that the interior is even more extraordinary than the exterior.

The lobby is a warm rush of color. The Gothic-inspired ceiling is decorated with glazed ceramic tiles forming star shaped patterns.

There are twinkling lanterns and chandliers, blond marble, and stained glass with floral motifs. On each side are grand marble staircases weaving up to the next level.

They’re very ornate, decorated with transclucent yellow balusters and intricate carved reliefs. The column-like balusters have a ginger-colored ceramic base and are topped with a crown of roses.

Head straight through the brick arches and you’ll enter the knockout bar and cafe.

The arches are decorated with green tiles and the capitals are encrusted with roses. There is an ornate ceiling with green ceramic ribbing and and green and gold stained glass.

The bar itself is resplendent, surrounded by stained glass panels in the shape of blooming flowers.

Rehearsal Room

If you are on a guided tour, this is where your visit starts. The palace is the home of one of the world’s leading choirs and this is where they rehearse.

You can see the first stone laid for the building and musical notes built into the tile floor.

Louis Millet Lounge

On the first floor there is a two story high lounge named after Louis Millet. This is where concert goers can arrange to meet or take a break.

There are beautiful stained glass windows and busts of personalities connected to the palace.

Through the windows, you can glimpse the double colonnade of mosaicked columns on the facade. The effect is like a magical garden.

These columns are a favorite spot of Instrgrammers. To inspect them close up, you’ll have to line up on the right side of the lounge to walk across the terrace.

Every column has different colors and floral decorations.

Main Stage & Auditorium

The auditorium is called the Sala de Concerts. It seats about 2,000 people.

The ornamentation here is so dense that you almost don’t know where to look!

You might not even be sure what it is. Is it a theater, a beautiful chapel, or a fancy salon? From the decoration and scuptures, it’s unclear.

What is clear is that it’s utterly unique. It’s like a glass case full of jewels and trinkets.

The seating swirls around all three sides. The setting is intimate, as if every seat were near the stage.

The stage features an elaborate sculptural backdrop, which includes 18 muses and floral motifs. Full of vivacious charm, the muses are like sirens with an unconventional presentation.

They have solid sculptural upper halves that stand out from the wall. But their skirts are filled in with mosaics in soft underwater hues.

When unveiled, they weren’t terribly popular. But now they are beloved.

Flanking the stage are two massive stained glass panels, which add to the vibrant color scheme of the interior and portray various musical and natural themes.

Fun Fact : Apparently, while beautiful, the stained glass contributes to the poor acoustics of the concert hall.

The absolute highlight is the massive rectangular skylight of exuberant color. It was designed by Antoni Rigault, a Modernist painter and stained glass artist.

In the center is a massive luminous drop, a sort of inverted dome. It looks like a sunburst, with sunlight spilling down onto the audience.

The rest of the skylight is a serene blue, a lake of sorts.

On the lake float a series of women or sea sprites, the proverbial ladies of the lake. They are a counterpart to the muses on stage playing musical instruments.

Those closest to the sun are fair. Those further away are darker.

The skylight is bordered by ceramic roses and sheets of light green ceramic glass.

On the sides, it’s framed by semi-circular fan-like structures. Their ceramic decorations appear like feathers or a sunflower stalk.

Below the fan shapes hang iron chandeliers with different kinds of light bulbs. They’re tilted in a way that makes them look like the head of a sunflower.

The concert hall is full of beautiful sculptures. I mentioned the celestial choir or women. But there is plenty else to admire.

To the left of the stage is a sculpture of Joseph Clave. Clave, with his famous choirs and folk songs, epitomes the choral style with which the palace is associated.

Beneath Clave’s pedestal are several young women singing The Flowers of May.

On the right side of the stage, you see a bust of Beethoven, an ode to classical music. He has his usual unruly hair and grouchy look.

He’s topped by Valkyries riding horses, a nod to Wagner’s opera Die Walküre .

Aside from these sculpture, the other horses on the upper balcony represent Pegasus. According to Greek mythology, the winged horse sprang from the union of Poseidon and Medusa.

Pegasus was ridden by the muses when Zeus called them to sing for him on Mount Olympus.

Practical Guide & Tips For Palau de la Musica

Address : Carrer Palau de la Musica, 4-6

Hours : Open daily 9:00 am to 3:30 pm.

18 euros for the basic ticket, 22 for a ticket that includes the audio guide. You can pre-book a skip the line ticket online in advance.

If you want to take the English language tour , I would definitely book that in advance as well. Your guide will even turn on the organ for you!

Pro Tips : There is a small gift shop behind the bar on the first floor. There are free bathrooms downstairs in the basement.

Concerts : The palace hosts about 300 concerts a year of all types of choral and classical music. Click here to check out what’s on.

Is Palau de la Musica Worth Visiting?

100% yes. You may have read that it’s beautiful. But it’s even more stunning that you expect in person.

Plus, if you are an architecture buff or love Art Nouveau, this is a splendid chance to see a building by someone other than Antoni Gaudi.

Montaner is less heralded, but still one of the giants of Moderism. You’ll want to see his defining masterpiece.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to Palau de la Musica Catalana. You may find these other Barcelona travel guides useful:

• 1 day in Barcelona itinerary
• 3 days in Barcelona itinerary
• what to do in the Gothic Quarter
• landmarks in Barcelona
• guide to Casa Batllo
• guide to La Pedrera
• guide to Palau Güell
• guide to architecture in Eixample

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Last Updated on April 11, 2024 by Leslie Livingston

What's on in Barcelona: Music

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Best upcoming live music and concerts in Barcelona

Your guide to the best of who's playing and where to go for the best gigs and concerts in Barcelona

Friendly warning! We're working hard to be accurate. But these are unusual times, so please check that events are still happening.  

Barcelona is a city brimming with music that spans genres. Concert halls , bars, and big clubs invite all kinds of acts to their stages, from freshly pressed indie bands to globally famous international superstars. To make sure you don't miss any of your favourites, including major festivals, check here for our top picks for the best live music and concerts in Barcelona.

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Music And Arts Events in Barcelona - Summer 2024

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Summer in Barcelona is a time for cultural events. These take place throughout the city, making use of the public spaces and the sunshine. Before coming to the city it is worth doing some research into events that might be taking place whilst you are here.

Summer 2024

This page provides information on some of the festivals of art and music taking place in summer - Sonar Music Festival, Sala Montjuïc Festival of Cinema, Grec Festival of Theatre and Music and the Voll-Damm Jazz Festival. Scroll down for links to information on where to purchase tickets.

Sonar Music Festival: 13, 14, 15 June 2024

This music festival is dedicated to electronic music and is considered to be one of the most important and influential in the world. It takes place at the Barcelona city centre during the day and at night it moves to a large conference centre just outside of town. For more details on how to buy tickets, ticket prices, how to get there, the line - up and some insider tips check our Essential Guide to Sonar Music Festival 2024 .

Sala Montjuïc Cinema Programme:

Each year a large cinema screen is erected in the moat of Barcelona's Montjuïc castle. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights films are screened in this picturesque setting overlooking the city. Fortunately, the films are screened in their original languages with subtitles - a large percentage of the films are shown are in English. The cinema programme changes each year and there is always speculation as to what films will be shown. Other year's line-ups have included 'No Country for Old Men', 'Wall.E' and 'Volver'.

For more information on the festival programme, ticket purchase, prices and how to get there check the Official Sala Montjuïc Website .

It is worth buying tickets in advance or arriving early for screenings as tickets sell out fast.

Grec Festival of Theatre, Music and Dance 2024: 26 June 2024 - 04 August 2024

This popular festival of the arts takes place in various venues throughout Barcelona - everywhere from the Teatre Grec in Montjuïc to the Picasso museum .

For information on the festival programme, ticket purchasing, venues and prices, check the Grec Website . Unfortunately the website is only available in Catalan. If you have trouble understanding it, you can call Barcelona Tourist Information who will help you to understand what it is about.

Voll-Damm Jazz Festival: Event date not yet confirmed

There is a popular culture of jazz here in Barcelona. This is being celebrated at the festival of jazz and creative music. The festival has been taking place in various venues throughout Barcelona and has both locals and international artists on its line-up. You cannot buy a ticket for the entire event - you need to buy individual tickets for each concert. For more information on the festival leaflets can be collected from Barcelona Tourist Information . Alternatively you can send an e-mail to the festival organizers.

Festival organizers E-mail: [email protected]

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Barcelona boasts an immense cultural heritage. In the city you can find one-hundred-year-old theatres dedicated to opera and music such as the  Gran Teatre del Liceu  and the  Modernista Palau de la Música Catalana . There are also excellent and modern auditoria as well as major institutions devoted to the plastic arts, centres catering for the most avant-garde art forms, venues for scenic innovation, theatres staging the classics and art galleries and spaces devoted to heritage art.

To all these we can add the various  innovative initiatives  that give free rein to the most audacious and ground-breaking creativity such as the  Barcelona Lab , the newly-invented  Reactable  musical instrument, the  Barcelona Design Hub  and the  Art Factories . The city maintains close links with the most  traditional rituals  but it also promotes festivities that are completely original as well as others of an almost ancestral nature, all of which goes to show that culture is very much alive despite the passing of the years. Good examples of these traditions include the  correfoc  (running with fireworks), the feast  day of Sant Jordi  and the many  literary festivals  that take place in the city, and the charming spectacle of the dancing egg known as the  ou com balla , which is celebrated at Corpus Christi each year. Barcelona is most definitely a city of culture, and its culture is always alive and inspiring, and open to the influences and contributions of artists from home and abroad.

Barcelona Art Factories

This municipal programme is based on the transformation of old industrial buildings which are no longer in use, turning them into new spaces for culture and artistic expression.

This festival showcases Barcelona’s architectonic excellence and opens the doors of more than 150 of the city’s buildings, giving the public an opportunity to view some exceptional architecture.

Barcelona Design Centre

This cluster brings together companies from the Catalan design sector and it promotes these companies around the world.

FAD, Fostering Arts and Design

This is the main centre for design and architecture in Catalonia, thanks to its ongoing work promoting creative culture.

Design Museum

The Barcelona Design Museum brings together historical and contemporary collections of the decorative arts, ceramics, industrial design, textiles and clothing, and the graphic arts.

CCCB - Barcelona Centre for Contemporary Culture

The CCCB, which occupies a building that was a poorhouse in the seventeenth century, is a magnificent centre and a venue for concerts, film cycles, music festivals, exhibitions and conferences.

The MACBA is a space situated in the centre of Barcelona that disseminates contemporary art from a multiplicity of perspectives whilst engendering debate on issues related to art and culture.

This former factory brings together creators, associations and groups making up the social and cultural fabric of the neighbourhood of La Sagrera.

Art Factories

The areas that make up the Barcelona Art Factories also include a space that fosters experimentation in the most innovative scenic arts and in circus activities.

Teatre Nacional de Catalunya

This institution offers high-quality theatre, dance, music and opera at both a national and an international level.

Teatre Lliure

With two venues, one in Montjuïc and another in Gràcia, the Teatre Lliure promotes the diversity of the scenic languages in its spectacles, which are always committed to representing reality.

Mercat de les Flors

This is the market of dance par excellence. It fosters experimentation and pioneers creation in the art of movement and it also organises spectacles with an international scope.

Teatre Romea

This nineteenth-century theatre, located at the heart of the Raval, is one of the city’s emblematic institutions. The programme includes everything from new versions of the classics to daring productions of great artistic relevance.

Gran Teatre del Liceu

This is Barcelona’s opera theatre and it still maintains the splendour that it had in the nineteenth century. The programme offers a combination of works by new composers and performances of major operas.

The Grec Festival

The Grec Festival offers a modern stage with some hints of classical themes and it acts as a catalyst for local producers and as a stage for the very best international works.

The Liceu is Barcelona’s opera theatre and it maintains all of the splendour that it had in the nineteenth century. The programme offers a combination of works by new composers and performances of major operas.

Palau de la Música Catalana

This Modernista auditorium is one of the city’s emblematic institutions. Originally built to promote orchestral and coral music, there is always something on there and it now offers modern and classical music concerts.

The Auditori

Home of the Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra, the Auditorium has its own internationally focussed musical project. It also offers an educational service helping to bring musical culture to the general public.

Palau Sant Jordi

Situated in the Olympic Ring, this venue stages all kinds of events including huge concerts by leading pop stars; these have included performances by artists of the calibre of Bruce Springsteen, U2, Shakira and Tina Turner.

Barcelona Teatre Musical

These large-capacity installations are characterized by their versatility and they offer excellent acoustics that make this an ideal venue for all kinds of theatrical and musical spectacles.

The Academy of Catalan Cinema

The purpose of the Academy is to promote the internationalisation of Catalan cinema and it brings together the creative and productive sectors of the country’s cinematographic sector.

The Filmoteca

A sanctuary for cinema lovers, the Filmoteca de Catalunya helps to preserve and disseminate cinema and audiovisual activities in general as well as the Catalan cinematographic heritage.

La Virreina Image Centre

This centre explores the notion of image as a cultural experience: its  raison d’être  is visual creation and experimentation in this field.

Barcelona Film Commission

This free service of the Generalitat (Catalan regional government) offers advice to companies from the audiovisual sector to help them film in Barcelona and throughout Catalonia. It also helps them to find the best locations.

The Born Cultural Centre

The new cultural centre of reference in Barcelona offers an insight into three centuries of Catalan history.

Barcelona History Museum

The Barcelona History Museum (MUHBA), which has several centres and spaces throughout the city, conserves and exhibits the historic heritage of Barcelona from its origins up to the present day

The Museum of Catalan History

Located in the Palau del Mar, the Museum of Catalan History invites you to take a trip through the history of Catalan society from prehistoric times up to the present day. It helps visitors to get a better idea of the history of Barcelona in its role as the capital of a historic nation.

MAC - Archaeological Museum of Catalonia

IF you are looking for evidence illustrating the evolution of Barcelona and Catalonia since pre-historic times, you should visit the Archaeological Museum of Catalonia in Montjuïc. The museum includes Iberian, Roman and Visigoth pieces.

MNAC - National Art Museum of Catalonia

Catalan medieval art has its own special space at the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC). The museum houses one of the world’s most important collections of Romanesque art.

Picasso Museum

This is a centre of reference in terms of understanding the formative years of the great painter from Malaga, who established close links with the city of Barcelona during his adolescence and youth. The permanent exhibition contains more than 4,000 works.

Joan Miró Foundation

The most important public collection of the works of Joan Miró is made up of paintings, sculptures, ceramics, textiles, engravings and drawings by the Barcelona artist.

A Modernista building is the home of this science museum dedicated to scientific dissemination. There, you will find a geological wall, a flooded forest, an exhibition hall dedicated to the evolution of the subject and planetarium.

Montjuïc Castle

This fortress, with spectacular views of the city and the sea, is an excellent place to get to know history, whether it be that of the castle itself of the history depicted in the exhibitions organised by the complex.

Barça Museum

FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium contains a sanctuary dedicated to this football club that is more than just a club. The space, which charts Barça’s history, offers visitors a chance to see all the trophies that the club has won and there are also areas devoted to the club’s most famous players.

Museu Egipci

The Museu Egipci de Barcelona houses a permanent collection consisting of over a thousand pieces from Ancient Egypt, organised by different themes.

Museu de Cera

Located in the heart of Barcelona, the Museu de Cera is home to a collection of wax figures representing the most iconic people in history.

Conceived to regain the gestures, vision and multi-dimensional nature of electronic music, this electro-acoustic instrument allows music to be created through interaction with synthesizers, in a simple and intuitive design.

Barcelona Lab

This laboratory for digital culture and innovation is open to the public and it seeks to promote creative communities.

La Fàbrica del Sol (The Factory of the Sun)

This space, which has been renovated using bio-construction materials, promotes sustainability and environmental education among citizens.

The Blue Museum

The Museum allows you to view authentic treasures from the collections that have been kept at the Museum of Natural Sciences for more than one hundred years.

A Modernista building is the home of this science museum dedicated to scientific dissemination. There, you will find a geological wall, a flooded forest, an exhibition hall dedicated to the evolution of the subject, and a planetarium.

Empremtes de Catalunya

The Catalan identity is presented in the form of handicrafts under this registered trademark for high-quality products, which highlight the culture, art and history that represent us.

La Casa dels Entremesos

Offers a chance to meet some of the main  gegants  (giants),  cap-grossos  (big-headed papier-mâché figures) and figures of the traditional and unique bestiary of fantastic animals that participate in the celebrations of holidays and festivities in Barcelona and throughout Catalonia. 

The castellers (human towers)

These human towers, which can be as much as ten-storeys high, are a wonder of equilibrium and beauty, and an example of teamwork. The various  colles  (troupes) in the city show off their castles during the city’s main holidays and days of celebration.

The Barcelona Falcons

Offering a mixture of gymnastics and art, the Falcons never cease to amaze with the formations that they are capable of creating by combining their bodies. The Falcons have their origins in the Czech Sokol group from the nineteenth century, which combined physical exercise and national cultural values. 

The correfoc

Barcelona has maintained a love story with fire dating back for long as people can remember. For this reason, the  correfoc  (fire run) is one of the most popular festive events; this is when troupes of devils light firecrackers and hurl sparks at the people around them. 

L’ou com balla (The Dancing Egg)

On the day of Corpus Christi, the patios of several Gothic buildings open their doors to display a curious and unique tradition to the world: this is an egg that “dances” in a fountain decorated with flowers without falling to the ground. 

The feast day of Sant Jordi

There is one day in spring when the streets are filled with stalls selling books and roses, which people buy for their partners and spouses. Sant Jordi is the patron saint of Catalonia, and his feast day on 23 April is a celebration of love and literature. 

La Mercè festivities

Barcelona has been holding its La Mercè Festa Major or big annual festival year after year in honour of its co-patron saint. For several days, around 24 September, a variety of public spaces offer parades, shows, workshops and plenty more!

Santa Eulàlia Festivities

Also known as Laia or Barcelona's winter festival, the festivities are held in mid-February in streets and squares throughout the city. They are noted for their intimate and small-format nature, offering very diverse popular-culture activities designed to include everyone.

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‘The Demand Is Unstoppable’: Can Barcelona Survive Mass Tourism?

This summer, thousands of local protesters in the Spanish city denounced overtourism. With more crowds expected for the America’s Cup, we visited the areas where tensions are highest.

By Lisa Abend

Lisa Abend, a Europe-based journalist, lived in Spain for nine years and continues to visit Barcelona frequently.

On a steamy August evening, a stream of young people bearing boxes of pizza and bottles of cheap cava began the uphill slog to Carmel Bunkers in Barcelona. Set on a hill overlooking the Catalan capital, the concrete structures once housed antiaircraft weapons that protected the city during Spain’s civil war in the 1930s. Later the site became a destination for residents on evening strolls and a hangout for local youths.

But that was before Instagram and TikTok.

Several years ago, inspired by social media, young tourists began making the Bunkers a favorite spot for drinking, carousing and the inevitable sunset selfie. Last spring the noise, litter and sheer number of visitors spurred the city to erect fences around the site.

Now, hundreds of visitors find any space they can amid the surrounding scrub and rocks. Or they simply jump the barriers.

“I used to play there as a girl,” said Manoli Fernández, 57, a longtime resident out strolling with her daughter and 87-year-old mother. “Now there are drunk tourists peeing on our neighbor’s doorstep.”

For anyone hoping to understand the complicated contours of overtourism in Barcelona, the Carmel Bunkers is a good place to start. The frustrations experienced by those who live nearby apply to other hot spots: residents of the Gothic Quarter who feel displaced by the crowds; pollution along the waterfront where massive cruise ships dock; and everywhere, it seems, an apparent disregard for local culture.

Last month, Barcelona made worldwide headlines when roughly 3,000 residents protested against tourism , some squirting visitors on the city’s famed boulevard Las Ramblas with water guns. News outlets speculated that tensions over tourism, which have been simmering for years, not only in the Catalan capital, but across Europe, had finally boiled over into outright hostility.

Transformed by tourism

In Barcelona, there is a new sense of urgency to solving a problem whose origins there can be largely traced to the 1992 Olympic Games, which introduced legions of travelers to the charms of the city, and transformed its fortunes. The arrival of Ryanair in 2010 had a major impact, initiating a new era of low-cost tourism, and a sharp growth in cruise travel poured hundreds of thousands of day-trippers into the city. Platforms like Airbnb spurred the conversion of residential housing to more profitable short-term rentals.

Then, following the pandemic, came “revenge” tourism, when throngs of people arrived after two years of lockdown. This year, the number of visitors is expected to surpass prepandemic levels.

Perhaps even more significant than the renewed presence of tourists is the absence that preceded it. As Daniel Pardo, 48, co-founder of the Assembly of Neighborhoods for Tourism Degrowth , which helped organize the recent protest, said, “During the pandemic, we recovered the spaces and customs that tourism had forced us to abandon. You could have a coffee at a table in front of the cathedral, or chat calmly with your neighbors on the street. There were even beautiful scenes like children bathing in the fountain in the Plaça Reial.”

Today, the fountain is again a noisy perch for tourists sucking from beer bottles as the city of 1.6 million struggles to accommodate what tourism officials say will be at least 13 million visitors. Their impact includes skyrocketing housing prices, dirty beaches, crowded thoroughfares and the transformation of historic neighborhoods into what locals refer to as “theme parks.”

Yet, as Mateu Hernández, the managing director of the Barcelona Tourism Consortium, said, “Barcelona has developed more tools to manage tourism than maybe any other city.”

In the last decade, the municipal government has banned new hotel construction, raised the tourist tax on accommodations, limited the size of groups in congested areas, and even had one public bus line popular with tourists removed from Google Maps. By the end of 2028, a new regulation will eliminate short-term vacation rentals.

Economically, Barcelona remains reliant on tourism, which contributes 14 percent of the city’s revenues and directly employs 150,000 people. Hotels, vacation-home hosts, restaurant servers, kiosk owners — all are adamantly opposed to anything that might disturb the golden goose.

As a result, the city finds itself limiting some kinds of tourism while encouraging others. For instance, beginning this month, Barcelona is hosting the America’s Cup , an international sailing competition expected to draw tens of thousands of people.

A weekend spent crisscrossing the city shows just how complicated the attempt to balance these competing needs can be. But according to the deputy mayor responsible for tourism, Jordi Valls, the city has no choice.

“We have to come up with policies that manage the reality, which is that tourism in Barcelona has been a success, and that it could lead to our ruin,” he said. “We have to understand that the demand is unstoppable. The only thing we can do is control the supply.”

Eixample, Saturday, 9 a.m.

On a recent Saturday morning, two inspectors were trying to do just that. Pressing insistently on a doorbell in the elegant Eixample neighborhood, Alba and R (each asked to give only part of their names because some inspectors have received threats) waited until a sleepy-looking man, chest bare, belt unbuckled, opened the door. Reluctantly, he answered the inspectors’ questions in a mix of Italian-inflected Spanish and English. Yes, he had paid for a room after booking it online; no, he didn’t know the people staying there. “So,” Alba explained to the unsuspecting lodger, “this is an illegal rental.”

In a city with an acute housing shortage and exorbitant rents, Alba, R and 25 other inspectors are part of the effort to control how many apartments are converted into tourist rentals. In 2014, the city began requiring property owners to secure permits for rentals of fewer than 31 days, and the inspectors have been busy ever since.

The combination of reduced housing stock and rising prices has meant that many residents cannot afford to live in the center. “It’s a zero sum game,” said Eduardo González de Molina, a sociologist at Carlos III University in Madrid and a former adviser for the Barcelona Housing Authority. “Every tourist apartment is one less for a family.”

Jaume Collboni, the mayor, recently announced that Barcelona would revoke the 10,100 permits currently in effect in 2028. Coupled with a 2017 cap on the construction of new hotels, the measure will reduce even further the 155,000 beds in the center that are legally available. According to an Autonomous University of Barcelona study, Airbnb has driven up rental prices in the center by 7 percent. But opponents of the measure point out that housing costs have risen far higher — 66 percent in the last decade — and that the number of permits for tourist apartments has been frozen at roughly 10,000 since the licenses were introduced in 2014.

“If the cost of housing has risen in the last several years, it’s not the fault of tourist apartments because the amount of them has stayed the same,” said Enrique Alcántara, president of Apartur, a property manager association that is suing the city for a regulation they claim unconstitutionally revokes their licenses. More to blame, Mr. Alcántara said, is the lack of new construction and the unregulated leases enjoyed by expats and digital nomads.

An Airbnb spokesman responded to an interview request with a statement: “The root causes of housing and tourism challenges in Barcelona and Spain are a lack of new homes being built and decades of hotel-driven mass tourism, which accounts for the vast majority of visitors to Barcelona each year.”

Only about 30 percent of overnight visitors stay in rentals. And since being fined in 2018 for allowing illegal listings, Airbnb has required hosts to register their permit numbers.

But Alba, the inspector, said she has seen firsthand how some property owners, especially those who have bought multiple apartments and converted them to tourist rentals, are skirting the system with unregistered listings on other rental platforms. As someone who can’t afford to rent in the center, she doesn’t think the plan to eliminate tourist apartments is going to put her out of a job. “The opposite, actually. I think it will mean we have a lot more work.”

The Ramblas, Saturday, noon

Midday on a Saturday, Las Ramblas, the thoroughfare that was once lined with boutiques and stalls selling flowers and birds, is a mass of sweaty tourists. One side of the street is torn up with construction that will eventually mean wider sidewalks and new green spaces. But for now the boulevard remains a morass of souvenir stands, currency exchanges and cafes serving sangria and microwaved paella.

“Tourists consume certain kinds of services that locals don’t, and vice versa,” said Ayman Tobal, 30, an economic historian, who participated in the protests and lives nearby. Recently he couldn’t find a place to get his keys copied. “It was absolutely impossible — they’ve all been driven out by the souvenir shops and specialty coffee places. Overtourism destroys the fabric of a neighborhood.”

Perhaps no institution represents the change to that fabric better than the Ramblas’ Boqueria market , once considered among the greatest in the world. These days, instead of providing mainly families or chefs with raw ingredients, the stalls cater to tourists with prepared foods: fishmongers sell cones of fried shrimp alongside filets of monkfish; poultry vendors shelve pre-baked empanadas next to eggs.

Yolanda Serrano, a butcher, runs one of the few stalls that still sell only raw ingredients. “Tourism has taken this market from us. Our customers can’t come here anymore because they can’t get through with their carts. But I’m a butcher, I don’t want to sell crappy empanadillas.” She is thinking about moving her shop to a street near the less touristy Sant Antoni market.

Pinotxo , until recently the Boqueria’s most well-known bar, has already made the move. The owner, Jordi Asín, couldn’t be happier. “At the Boqueria, excess tourism really changed the kind of business we could do,” he said. “Here, we still get tourists, but they’re the gastronomic ones who come because they know of our cooking. And there are a lot more locals, so it’s a much better balance.”

Parc Güell, Saturday, 4 p.m.

With its vivid mosaics and undulating terraces, Parc Güell , designed by the architect Antoni Gaudí, is a tourist magnet, so popular that the attraction recently closed its on-site ticket office and now requires visitors to book online.

On a prominent hill in the Gracia neighborhood, Parc Güell is not easy to reach; even the nearest metro stations require a steep walk up or downhill. There is, however, one form of public transportation that helps residents navigate the hills: a minibus that stops at the park’s entrance. “But it had become so jammed with tourists that the city government asked Google to remove it from its maps,” said Artur Paz, who, with his son, was among a handful of passengers on a Saturday afternoon. “Now it’s ours again.”

Overtourism pressures communities in many ways. Mr. Paz’s son attends school inside the park, and he says that many parents are so fed up with the crowds that they sometimes ram tourists with their bikes. He thinks that kind of animosity is unwarranted. “We’re all tourists sometimes,” he said. “If I travel to New York and am sitting in an outdoor cafe, I wouldn’t want someone coming at me with a water gun.”

Cruise ship terminal, Sunday, 9 a.m.

On a Sunday morning, thousands of passengers had spilled from five massive cruise ships docked just outside the city center. Most summer mornings see the arrival of several ships, but Sundays are especially bad: As many as 25,000 passengers pour into the city in the span of a few hours.

To diminish their impact, the city recently moved the cruise terminals from the base of the Ramblas a bit farther south. But most passengers board buses that take them to the Ramblas. And many, like the 5,500 who arrived that morning on the MSC Virtuosa, stay only for the day, putting a lot of social and environmental pressure on the city without spending much.

Kieran and Corinne George and their four kids had boarded the MSC Virtuosa eight days earlier in England, and didn’t have plans for their 10 hours in Barcelona. On the bus to the Ramblas, they were surprised to hear that the city wanted to reduce day trips like theirs. “Are they saying they don’t want families to come?” Mr. George asked.

According to the deputy mayor, Mr. Valls, the city will soon charge higher fees for ships that dock only for a day. It’s part of a plan to attract “higher quality” tourism, he said. “We want visitors who really value what they find in Barcelona, its culture, its concerts, its urban design, its architecture.”

And its America’s Cup. According to the tourism authority’s Mr. Hernández, the event appeals to the focused, higher-spending tourists the city wants. “The person who comes because they like sailing — that’s the profile of someone who adds a lot of value.”

Hosting that event, like the city’s expansion of the airport, suggests to some critics — like Daniel Pardo, whose organization wants a ban on tourism promotion — that the city isn’t serious about tackling overtourism. “For the government to pretend that they are doing something against the touristification of the city when they continuously decide and publicly defend these kinds of things is completely incoherent.”

Sagrada Familia, Sunday, 11:30 a.m.

Outside Gaudí’s famous basilica, it is the usual chaos. Crowds gape, guides shepherd groups around and vendors line the sidewalk. As they waited for their time slot, two tourists from Utah, Cindy Godoy, 21, and Lexiana Casaday, 21, said they had heard about the protests, but they still felt welcomed. “People are so nice!” Ms. Godoy said. “But I can imagine there’s a tipping point where you feel like your city isn’t your own anymore.”

Inside, the pews were filled with parishioners and visitors. Although Mass was offered in Catalan, some prayers were in other languages, and an assistant reminded the congregation — in English — that the sacrament was only for baptized Catholics.

Among the residents were Jordi Nicolau and Gloria Belasch, in their 80s, who have been attending Sagrada Familia for years, and had even been married there. Although Ms. Belasch admitted that the visitors sometimes make it difficult to navigate the streets, she and her husband welcomed them. “The former priest told us that we have to love the tourists and show them care,” said Mr. Nicolau. “So we do.”

With that, the two left the church holding hands, and, while a busker entertained tourists with “Hotel California,” went off to greet their neighbors.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Open Up Your World

Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

Provincetown, Mass.:  Located at the tip of Cape Cod, P-town (as locals call it) has overlapping — and sometimes competing — identities : one of America’s oldest art colonies, nature preserve, thriving L.G.B.T.Q. resort and historic Portuguese fishing village.

Lake Como, Italy:  Stars like George Clooney frequent this scenic corner of northern Italy, but you might be surprised by how affordable it can be. Here’s an insider’s guide .

South of France:  Horses, bulls and birds of all types live among the pink marshes of the Camargue, a rugged landscape shaped  by the relentless push and pull of sea and river.

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Helsinki, Finland:   Explore the stunning architecture  of the new central library, browse treasure-filled shops in the Design District, sweat in a wood-burning sauna, sip cocktails on a schooner and trek across islands in the surrounding archipelago.

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Barcelona’s Nightlife Gems You Can’t Miss

Published: August 24, 2024

by Uta Timberlake

Barcelona's nightlife is legendary. From vibrant clubs to cozy bars, the city offers something for everyone. Ever wondered where to start? Barcelona's nightlife scene can be overwhelming, but don't worry. Whether you're into dancing until dawn or sipping cocktails in a laid-back setting, this guide will help you find the best spots. Imagine dancing under the stars at an open-air club or enjoying live music in a hidden gem. Ready to experience the magic of Barcelona after dark? Let's dive into the must-visit places that make this city come alive when the sun goes down.

Barcelona's Nightlife Gems You Can't Miss

Barcelona, a city known for its vibrant culture, stunning architecture, and delicious cuisine, also boasts an electrifying nightlife. Whether you're into dancing, live music, or simply enjoying a drink with friends, Barcelona has something for everyone. Let's dive into some of the must-visit spots that make this city come alive after dark.

Best Clubs in Barcelona

Barcelona's club scene is legendary. From techno beats to Latin rhythms, these clubs will keep you dancing until the sun comes up.

Razzmatazz : This massive club features five different rooms, each with its own music style. Whether you like indie rock, techno, or pop, Razzmatazz has it all.

Opium : Located right on the beach, Opium offers a luxurious clubbing experience. Dance to the latest hits while enjoying stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea.

Pacha : Known for its iconic cherry logo, Pacha brings Ibiza vibes to Barcelona . Expect top DJs, a glamorous crowd, and an unforgettable night.

Sala Apolo : A historic venue that hosts a variety of events, from live concerts to DJ sets. The eclectic music selection ensures there's something for everyone.

Top Bars for a Chill Night Out

Not every night needs to be a wild party. Sometimes, a cozy bar with good drinks and great company is all you need. Here are some top picks for a more relaxed evening.

El Xampanyet : A charming cava bar located in the El Born district. Enjoy a glass of bubbly and some delicious tapas in a lively, authentic atmosphere.

Bobby's Free : This speakeasy-style bar is hidden behind a barber shop facade. Once inside, you'll find expertly crafted cocktails and a retro vibe.

Boadas Cocktails : One of the oldest cocktail bars in Barcelona, Boadas offers classic drinks in an elegant setting. Perfect for a sophisticated night out.

La Vinya del Senyor : A wine lover's paradise, this bar offers an extensive selection of Spanish wines. The cozy ambiance and knowledgeable staff make it a must-visit.

Live Music Venues You Can't Miss

Barcelona's live music scene is thriving, with venues offering everything from jazz to rock. Catching a live performance is a great way to experience the city's artistic spirit.

Jamboree : A legendary jazz club located in Plaça Reial. Enjoy live jazz performances in an intimate, underground setting.

Luz de Gas : This former theater now hosts live music events ranging from rock to flamenco. The stunning decor and great acoustics make it a standout venue.

Razzmatazz : Yes, it’s also a club, but Razzmatazz hosts incredible live concerts as well. Check their schedule for upcoming gigs.

Harlem Jazz Club : A cozy venue offering live jazz, blues, and soul performances. The laid-back atmosphere makes it a perfect spot for music lovers.

Unique Nightlife Experiences

For those looking for something a bit different, Barcelona offers unique nightlife experiences that you won't find anywhere else.

Icebarcelona : Ever had a drink in a bar made entirely of ice? At Icebarcelona, you can sip cocktails in sub-zero temperatures while enjoying views of the beach.

El Bosc de les Fades : Step into a fairy tale at this enchanted forest-themed bar. The whimsical decor and magical ambiance make it a truly unique experience.

Magic Fountain of Montjuïc : While not a bar or club, the Magic Fountain offers a spectacular light and music show. It's a beautiful way to start or end your night in Barcelona.

Barcelona's nightlife is as diverse as the city itself. Whether you're dancing the night away, enjoying a quiet drink, or soaking in live music, there's something for everyone.

Barcelona's Nightlife Awaits

Barcelona's nightlife offers something for everyone. From the vibrant clubs in El Raval to the laid-back bars in Gràcia, the city pulses with energy after dark. Don't miss the beachfront venues in Barceloneta for a unique experience. For a more local vibe, explore the hidden tapas bars in the Gothic Quarter. Each neighborhood has its own charm, making it easy to find a spot that suits your mood.

Whether you're into dancing, live music, or simply enjoying a drink with friends, Barcelona has it all. The city's diverse nightlife scene ensures you'll never be bored. So, grab your friends, put on your dancing shoes, and get ready to explore the best of what Barcelona has to offer. Your unforgettable night out in this vibrant city is just around the corner.

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• Saturday 24 August 2024

Razzmatazz , Barcelona, Spain

Parc Central de Igualada , Igualada, Spain

Igualada, Spain

Salma and MIKID

Ripollet, Campo Fútbol , Barcelona, Spain

Cascales, Dj2d2, and Maria Satine

El Cielo Rooftop , Barcelona, Spain

Nacho Ruiz DJ

La Deskomunal , Barcelona, Spain

• Sunday 25 August 2024

Curtis Harding

Razzmatazz 2 , Barcelona, Spain

Brunch Electronik Barcelona , Barcelona, Spain

Flamenco Queer

Candy Darling , Barcelona, Spain

Jamboree Jazz

Jamboree Jazz Club , Barcelona, Spain

• Sunday 25 August 2024 – Sunday 25 August 2024

Brunch Electronik Barcelona 2024 Samer Soltan

• Monday 26 August 2024

Upload , Barcelona, Spain

Changes and Jamboree Jazz

• Tuesday 27 August 2024

The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie The Kills

Poble Espanyol , Barcelona, Spain

• Wednesday 28 August 2024

Robin Schulz

Opium Barcelona , Barcelona, Spain

Sala Razzmatazz 1 , Barcelona, Spain

• Thursday 29 August 2024

Clarence Bekker

• Friday 30 August 2024

Sala Apolo , Barcelona, Spain

VVV [Trippin'you] Tetas Frías

Castell de Montjuich , Barcelona, Spain

INPUT High Fidelity Dance Club , Barcelona, Spain

Adriana Ospina

Casa Astor , Barcelona, Spain

Mr. Majestyk

La Terrrazza Atmospherical Fun Club , Barcelona, Spain

Xavi Malacara

SuMoll , La Granada, Spain

Emmanuel Pi Djob

Monestir de Santa Maria de l'Estany , L'Estany, Spain

• Saturday 31 August 2024

Xavier Rudd, Ramon Mirabet, Hollow Coves, and Hayley Reardon

Robag Wruhme, Michael Mayer, and Reinhard Voigt

Rachdingue , Barcelona, Spain

Pyramides and Fin Del Mundo

House Gospel Choir Dj2d2

Horacio Fumero and Lucia Fumero

Hector Romero and Sam Divine

Roland Jones, DJ Sacred, Triple Tix, Goyo the Ghoul, and Rare Playa

78|33 Gastrobar & Music Hall , Barcelona, Spain

Nautas Loops

Festa Major de Sants , Barcelona, Spain

• Saturday 31 August 2024 – Sunday 01 September 2024

The End Of The World Festival 2024 Deadly Guns and Remzcore

Lleida , Barcelona, Spain

• Sunday 01 September 2024

Morgenshtern

Sala Paral·lel 62 , Barcelona, Spain

Sant Quirze del Vallès, Spain

• Monday 02 September 2024
• Tuesday 03 September 2024

The Tallest Man On Earth

Talib Kweli and Jeru the Damaja DJ Rob Manga

• Wednesday 04 September 2024

Benjamín Amadeo

Razzmatazz 3 , Barcelona, Spain

Delfina Mancardo

Where All Truth Lies

Teatro Metamorfosis , Barcelona, Spain

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Art and culture, itineraries.

You can’t step out more than a few feet in Barcelona without seeing art in some form. After all, this is the home of Antoni Gaudí, one of the most famous architects to ever live. Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia and Park Güell aren’t the only pieces of art worth seeing, though. Go for a walk pretty much anywhere and you’ll stumble along beautiful plazas, galleries, museums, and quirky sculptures. From vibrant street art to medieval architecture to lesser-known Gaudí works without the crowds, here is some of the incredible art that you need to lay eyes on.

Photo: S-F /Shutterstock

Sagrada Familia — We have to start here, as no guide to Barcelona would be complete without the city’s most popular structure ever created. This is no run-of-the-mill, stained-glass Catholic church. Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia is filled with interesting sculptural work, mixing Gothic styles, curvaceous Art Nouveau aesthetics, and Gaudí’s own, unusual vision. Impressive both on the outside and inside, this is a must-see for architecture enthusiasts. The building has been under construction for decades, and the completion date keeps moving up (it’s currently estimated to be finished in 2028). At this point, the scaffolding is part of the charm. Buying tickets in advance is highly recommended, as the wait can be quite long.

Photo: r.nagy /Shutterstock

Park Güell — What was meant to be a gated neighborhood for rich Barcelona families is now a treasured open-air museum to the public. Also designed by Gaudí, Park Güell has colorful mosaics, twisting chimneys, and an iconic mosaic lizard to pose with (actually, he’s a dragon, and he probably doesn’t take kindly to the belittling misnomer). The hilltop views of the city are incredible here. While the grassy part of the park is free to enter, you need tickets to get into the main section, and space is limited — so buy tickets online in advance for the time you want to enter.

Photo: Sergey Dzyuba /Shutterstock

Barcelona Cathedral — Not to be confused with the Sagrada Familia, this grand Gothic church is one of Barcelona’s landmark buildings. It’s more traditionally Catholic in design, and it’s actually the seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona. Even if it isn’t quite as popular as Gaudí’s church, there will still be lots of tourists visiting, so come early to beat the crowds.

Photo: TTstudio /Shutterstock

Santa Maria del Mar — This is the second most popular cathedral in town. Part of the church’s appeal is its location on a square in the middle of El Born, reachable only via narrow pedestrian streets. It may not seem as lavish as other churches on the outside, but the inside is still impressive and is far calmer. It’s actually a peaceful place to go to mass, should you be interested in doing so.

Picasso Museum — Even people who know next to nothing about art know Picasso’s name and signature style. Art enthusiasts and the casually curious alike should come here to look at some of Picasso’s early works. You can also see a room full of his interpretations of Las Meninas , as well as paintings from his French period. Pro tip: You can enter for free every Sunday after 3:00 PM.

Fundació Joan Miró — Joan Miró joins Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí as the three most famous Spanish artists of the 20th century. The Barcelona native was famous for his surrealist work, and his paintings and sculptures have a whacky, playful quality. This spacious museum is located in Montjuic, which is a lovely place to visit in itself. If you want an art museum to take the kids to, this one is a good choice.

Montjuïc Castle — This old military fortress is a great spot to chill and soak in some history. It dates back to 1640 and has a commanding view of the city. Take a cable car up to the entrance (or walk, if you’re prepared to brave the hill), and have a look inside the castle to view its artifacts. Then, if you get bored of that, go play outside in the park or go for a stroll in the gardens. During the summer, you can also attend open-air movie screenings on the grounds.

Plaça d’Isidre Nonell — The key work of art here is Joan Fontcuberta’s “Kiss of Freedom” mural, which, from afar, looks like a tight shot of a couple in a lip lock, but closer inspection reveals many small mosaics that show photos of people kissing. It’s meant to promote peace and love.

Photo: KarSol /Shutterstock

Arc de Triomf — Most cities have one, and Barcelona is no different. Our Arc de Triomf is a really nice area to hang out, skateboard, or watch some street performers -— especially the guys who make giant soap bubbles, which draws both kids and adults alike.

Casa Milà — This building was constructed for wealthy merchants back in the modernist era and was later transformed into a museum. You can tour the stylish 20th-century apartment and climb the stairs all the way to the top to check out the human-like structures. In the summer, there’s an open-air concert up here, which is quite nice and elegant.

Photo: Dunaeva Natalia /Shutterstock

Casa Batlló — This multi-colored building on Passeig de Gràcia, one of Barcelona’s busiest shopping streets, looks like it was decorated for Halloween. Columns resembling either bones or gnarled branches, undulating lines, and loopy stained glass are among its bizarre flourishes. As you contemplate it from outside, the sidewalk tiles that you’re standing on have been designed by Gaudí. You could go inside, but, if there’s a line, it’s not really necessary. Gaudí’s work is all over the city.

Passeig Maritim — Stroll along the sea at Passeig Maritim and check out “L’Estel Ferit” (known as “The Wounded Shooting Star” in English), an art piece by Rebecca Horn simply referred to by locals as “the Cubes.” The house-like sculpture serves as a popular meeting spot on the beach.

Photo: saiko3p /Shutterstock

Palau Güell — Palau Güell was the in-city house that Gaudí designed for the Güell family, as opposed to the out of the way retreat at Park Güell. As with Casa Vicens, Gaudí had not yet developed the fantastical style that made him famous, but the house shows his first moves in that direction. Moreover, it’s an intriguing look into how Barcelona’s wealthiest families lived in the 19th century.  

Palau de la Música Catalana — The music somehow sounds better in here. The bold modernist architecture and relatively small space make it a cool place to hang out. Besides symphony music and opera, the Palau showcases flamenco dances, Spanish guitar players, and exceptional international artists. Even if you haven’t scored tickets to a show, you can still get a one-hour guided tour of the building for 20 euros.

Photo: Teo Stuivenberg /Shutterstock

MACBA — The collection here is less extensive than you’ll find in the modern art museums of other major cities, but MACBA has some interesting temporary exhibits. MACBA is actually best known for the dozens of skaters showing off at the square right in front of it — they do some sick tricks.

Casa Vicens — Opened in 2017 after an extensive restoration, Casa Vicens was the first house that Gaudí designed. A wealthy stockbroker commissioned Gaudí to build this as a summer house in what is now the Gràcia neighborhood. Gaudí’s style was more restrained then, but the architecture is still unusual and the garden is lovely.

Photo: Inu /Shutterstock

Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya — This museum’s name, National Art Museum of Catalonia, gives you a sense of the region’s separatist aspirations. While it’s no Prado, it does have an impressive collection of classical art. The location of this building, unabashedly called the Palau Nacional (National Palace), does beat that of Madrid’s big museum. Sitting atop Montjuïc, it offers a view back toward Barcelona and Tibidabo mountain that you don’t get from many other vantage points.

Pedralbes Monastery -– This 14th-century monastery in the leafy Pedralbes neighborhood has beautiful grounds, medieval murals, and a museum with European art from the 16th to 20th centuries. You can get here on public transportation, but it’s far enough from the center of town to never get too crowded. Behind the monastery, you can find a trail that leads you up to Carretera de les Aigües.

Photo: Natalija Sahraj /Shutterstock

El Gato — This Fernando Botero sculpture of a well-fed cat has become an icon of El Raval. And it’s one of the few public works of art that you can go ahead and climb on.

MUHBA Plaça del Rei -– This place is hard to locate, both online and in the real world, but it’s worth the effort. It’s one of several far-flung sites that are collectively managed by MUHBA, the Barcelona City Museum. Once you ask for directions and find the real thing, stairs will take you underground, where you’ll tour the remains of an actual Roman city. That city and earlier settlements before it were buried over the centuries by silt that has continuously extended Barcelona’s shoreline. You’ll see where the Romans lived, worked, and made wine more than 2,000 years ago.

Hospital de Sant Pau — Barcelona is so architecturally exciting that even a hospital is a bonafide piece of art. The modernist Hospital de Sant Pau is both a functioning hospital and a popular place for tourists to snap photos. If you research online , you can find the best to tour the building on your own.

Erotic Museum of Barcelona – Walking midway down Las Ramblas, look to your left and you’ll see a guy dressed as Marilyn Monroe waving at people. This is the quirky sex museum. The objects inside are more humorous than educational, but a visit comes with a glass of Champagne — so it can be an amusing way to spend an hour.

Photo: A G Baxter /Shutterstock

Agbar Tower — You’ve got to wonder if the architect who designed this really meant it to look like a geyser. It’s shaped like the Gherkin in London. That’s what Brits call cucumbers, so you can gather what the building really looks like. It’s just an office building, but it’s a noticeable part of the Barcelona skyline and the entire facade is lit up in vivid colors at night.

Photo: John_Walker /Shutterstock

Carrer del Bisbe — Stroll down this pedestrian lane when you’re out visiting the Gothic area. Look up and you’ll see the Pont del Bisbe, an ornate bridge about 20 feet off the ground. It’s one of the most photographed spots in the neighborhood and, despite appearances, was actually built in the 1920s.

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