What to do and see in Barcelona, Catalonia: The Best Museums

The Fundació Joan Miró was created by Miró himself, at first principally with works from his own private collection, with a desire to set up an internationally recognised centre in Barcelona for Miró scholarship and contemporary art research, and to disseminate the collection. The Fundació opened to the public on 10 June 1975 and has since become a dynamic centre in which Joan Miró's work coexists with cutting-edge contemporary art. With an interdisciplinary approach, the Fundació organises temporary exhibitions of 20th and 21st century artists as well as academic activities and projects in collaboration with other institutions and organisations. Through its exhibition and educational programmes, the Fundació Joan Miró explores lines of research linked to the work of Miró and to contemporary art. The Fundació is located in a building designed by Josep Lluís Sert, making it one of the few museums anywhere in the world in which the complicity between artist and architect underpins the dialogue between the works and the space that houses them. The Fundació offers an overview of the landscapes of Joan Miró's art and life, creating an enriching dialogue with other artists from the 20th and 21st centuries.

Ancient and medieval Barcelona in the monumental ensemble beneath Plaça del Rei, organised in the 20th century. A tour through 4,000 square metres in an underground archaeological site that takes us from Barcino to Barcinona. Exhibition on the emergence of the medieval city. Visit to the Palau Reial Major palace.

CosmoCaixa offers its visitors a whole host of activities and permanent and temporary exhibitions to give anyone who is interested a greater insight into the world of science. The museum’s most distinctive attractions include the new permanent exhibition “The Universe Gallery” where visitors can learn about the cosmos and its evolution from the big bang to the present day. An interactive experience beginning with the creation of the cosmos and going on to explore the evolution of the species and the innermost workings of the human brain. The "Flooded Forest” recreates the ecosystem of the Amazon inside a glass house covering an area of 1,000 m2, which is home to piranhas, crocodiles and other animal and plant species typical of the area, and the “Geological Wall” consists of seven vast sections of genuine rock that allow us to interpret the world’s geology.

The Museum of the History of Catalonia, have the purpose "to conserve, exhibit and raise awareness of the history of Catalonia as our joint heritage and to strengthen citizens' sense of identification with the nation's history". In order to achieve these objectives, the museum "is to encourage and organise activities to raise awareness of the history of Catalonia and to co-operate with others to increase the study and dissemination of this history".

An art museum containing hundreds of pieces from the medieval age to the 19th century.

Casa Vicens is the first masterpiece of Antoni Gaudi and sowed the seeds of later works. Built between 1883 and 1885 as a summer house for the Vicens family, here he showcased his unparalleled talent. Declared Unesco World Heritage in 2005.

The European Museum of Modern Art , MEAM, exhibits the finest Contemporary Figurative Art. It is owned by TheFoundation of Arts and Artists, and the purpose is to promote and diffuse Figurative Art of the 20th and 21st Centuries. The Foundation’s claim is to find a new contemporary language without denying tradition by progressing into the new Century. Moreover, the Foundation of Arts and Artists, organizes each year the Figurativas Painting and Sculpture Awards, and with the wesbiteFigurativas en Red opens a window with the artworks of the Contemporary Figurative artists. The MEAM is currentlly located at the Gomis Palace, in the middle of the streets of the Born in Barcelona, a neighborhood where culture is always present and reflects the charm of the old part of the city, an area that knew how to mix tradition and modernity, becoming a requiered visit for the tourits interested in the Monumental Barcelona. The MEAM is different from other Contemporary Art museums because it houses living artists who created Figurative Art. These artworks are hardly seen in other museums, collections or entities, to whom the word Contemporary is identified by experiment and abstraction.