Why go

The Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya fills the Palau Nacional, the domed palace built for the 1929 International Exhibition at the top of the stairs above the Magic Fountain. Inside is a thousand years of Catalan art, from medieval churches to the modernista generation of the early 20th century, and one collection found nowhere else on earth.

In the early 1900s, as American collectors began buying up wall paintings from remote Pyrenean churches, Catalan curators stepped in. They carefully lifted the Romanesque murals from village church walls and brought them to Barcelona, where they now hang in rooms built to the shape of the original apses. Standing beneath the Christ in Majesty from Sant Climent de Taüll, painted around 1123, is one of the great museum experiences in Europe. Add a rooftop with one of the best views in the city, and it is easy to spend half a day here.

What to see

  • The Romanesque collection. Frescoes and painted wooden altar fronts from the 11th to 13th centuries, displayed in recreated apses. The Taüll apse is the highlight.
  • Gothic art. Altarpieces and panel paintings from medieval Catalonia, glowing with gold.
  • Renaissance and Baroque. Works by El Greco, Velázquez and Zurbarán among others.
  • Modern art. Catalan painting and design from the 19th and early 20th centuries, including Ramon Casas and Santiago Rusiñol, and furniture from modernista houses.
  • The Oval Hall and rooftop. The vast domed hall at the heart of the palace, and the terraces above with views over Plaça d’Espanya to Tibidabo.

Plan your visit

Tickets. General admission costs €12 and covers the permanent collection, temporary exhibitions and the rooftop viewpoint. It is valid on two days within a month of purchase. A €2 basic ticket gives access to the building and the rooftop only. Children under 16 and visitors over 65 go free.

Free entry. Admission is free for everyone every Saturday from 3pm, on the first Sunday of each month and on a handful of open days, including 11 and 24 September. The museum asks you to book these free slots online, as numbers are limited.

Opening hours. From October to April the museum opens Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm, and on Sundays and public holidays from 10am to 3pm. It closes on Mondays, except public holidays, and on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.

Getting there. From Espanya station on metro lines L1 and L3, walk up Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina past the Magic Fountain; outdoor escalators help with the final climb. Bus 150 from Plaça d’Espanya stops nearby.

Good to know. Allow two to three hours. Start with the Romanesque rooms while you are fresh. The museum is accessible, with lifts to every floor. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 19 November, the Magic Fountain shows begin at 8pm at the foot of the steps. There is a café and restaurant inside the museum, and the shop sells good books on Catalan art and architecture. If you are visiting several museums, the Articket BCN pass covers the MNAC and five other art museums, including the Picasso Museum.