Visit the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) in Barcelona: tickets, prices, schedules

Passing to Barcelona, the economic lung of Mediterranean Spain? So don’t miss discovering the amazing National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC), a must in this metropolis with a very tempered character!

When you come to Spain, especially in one of the most beautiful cities in the country, Barcelona, the points of interest are not missing, from one end to the other of this wonderful country! But if it is indeed a site not to be missed, it is indeed the sumptuous Palau Nacional hosting the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC), one of the country’s cultural gems: and we intend to explain why.

To convince you to take a look at this wonder on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, and to help you organize your visit, we have prepared a complete program that crosses all the information essential to your stay: historic of the place, attractions not to be missed, access plan but also schedules and prices are presented below! So, ready to visit the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC)?

History of the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC)

The current museum was formed by merging the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the collections of the Art Museum of Catalonia. The location was not chosen by chance to accommodate in the same place the works of these two museums: one chooses a majestic setting, the Palau Nacional, a palace located on the Montjuic mountain which dominates the old city and the port of Barcelona!

The Palau Nacional is a building inaugurated in 1929 at the International Exhibition, which this year was held in Barcelona; in addition to the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC), it houses two other museums and a library.

Over the years, other works have been added to the main collections, such as rare coins, famous engravings and even a department entirely dedicated to hosting photographic photographs! In the early 2000s, the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) had more than 250,000 works distributed in a multitude of different collections. In addition to the permanent exhibits, the space of 50,000 m2 welcomes temporary exhibitions throughout the year, and the museum acts as a conservatory for the restoration of certain works damaged by time.

What to see and do at the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC)?

To visit the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC), it is to ensure a breathtaking immersion in Catalan art and to observe its evolution over the centuries.

Let's start with the castle: the Palais National de Montjuic , inaugurated in 1929, is a wonder of academic classicism unique to the first half of the twentieth century. This huge building (nearly 50,000 m2) is richly decorated with its sumptuous facades, its paved domes and decorated pafonds. The main dome was built inspired by that of Saint Peter of the Vatican; His four towers were, they, erected as a tribute to those of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Perched on the hill of Montjuic, the palace offers a breathtaking view of Barcelona and the Mediterranean Sea, and a rooftop terrace on the fifth floor will allow you to admire a breathtaking view of the region!

On the museum side, the MNAC is strong many works of art contemporary but in 1934 was exclusively directed to medieval artistic collections! It was only in 1995 that Romanesque art made its entry into this grandiose space, and in 2004 another part of the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) was attributed to Catalan contemporary artists.

It is important to know that when you have the chance to visit the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC), you can discover one of the largest wall painting collections To the world! The majority of the pieces presented here are “local”, i.e. the works were designed here in Catalonia. You can also admire splendid wooden or stone statues, silverware...

In other parts, the art gothic is highlighted: innumerable creations show pieces made in Catalonia, which allows, by consulting the dates, to better assimilate the artistic evolution in this small territory during history.

In the section devoted to Renaissance and Baroque Art , one can fall in front of the panels of Bermejo, a Martyr of Ribera and one of the only paintings of Velázquez that is not preserved in the Prado Museum ! Originally poor, this part of the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) was complemented by the generous donations of Francesc Cambó and, since 2004, a deposit of the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum of Madrid, such as paintings by Rubens, the two Venetian scenes of Giandomenico Tiepolo, or "Cupidon and Psyché", of the famous Goya.

Since 2005, the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) has also been hosting works of Catalan painting from the Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza collection, such as works by the famous Salvador Dalí, but also masterpieces by Antoni Tàpies, Mariano Fortuny, Ramon Casas or Isidre Nonell. More recently, the place even received various works by Picasso, such as “Mujer con sombrero y cuello de piel”, and even the portrait of... Edvard Munch’s lawyer, painted by him.

How to go to the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC)?

• By metro : Espanya station, served every quarter of an hour by lines 1 and 3
• By bus lines 13, 37, 55 or 150

Note : Free parking - it is rare and pleasant enough to be emphasized !- is also located next to the Palau Nacional.

Schedules & Rates of the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC)

HORARI

The National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) is open:

• October to April : Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays/days.
• May to September : Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays/days.
• The museum is closed 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.

Note : The ticket sales office closes thirty minutes before the museum is closed, and the exhibition rooms, fifteen minutes before.

RATES

• Less than 16 years and +65 years : free (+1€ for audioguide)
• Adult : 12€
• Students, families (two major and one child) and holders of a large family card: 30% discount
• Holders of a ticket "Tourist bus" 20% discount

Note : It is interesting to note that the MNAC makes the entry free for all at certain times: on Saturday from 3 p.m., on the first Sunday of each month, and on 18 May, 11 September and 24 September.