The Palau de la Música Catalana is a spectacular modernista concert hall designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner. It’s well worth taking a guided tour. Better still, do that and also attend a performance: There’s plenty going on throughout the year, and if the show’s a bit dull there’s always the magnificent stained glass skylight and other architectural details to wonder at.
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The private house of a wealthy industrialist, Palau Güell represents an early Gaudí commission. A fascinating insight into the lives of the one-percenters of the time – more than any other of the Gaudí attractions in Barcelona, at Palau Güell you can almost imagine how its occupants lived. It is less crowded than the other Gaudí buildings on the tourist trail too.
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Housed in an elaborate Italianate structure built for the 1929 International Exposition, MNAC’s collection ranges from what is regarded as the world’s largest exhibition of Romanesque art, through to Gothic, baroque, Renaissance and modern. With its heavy focus on the first two categories, expect biblical scenes, though the mood lightens in the other halls.
Its commanding position, with views over the impressive Font Màgica de Montjuïc to the hills in the distance, sees a regular number of visitors for the outlook alone.
Buy the Barcelona Museum Pass or Art Passport and gain priority entry to Fundació Joan Miró, the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC), the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB),the Museu Picasso, Fundació Antoni Tàpies, and Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), and avoid the queues.
Opening times:
October to April, Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm; Sundays and public holidays, 10am to 3pm.
May to September, Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 8pm; Sundays and public holidays, 10am to 3pm.
Mondays closed, except public holidays. Closed January 1st, May 1st and December 25th.
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