Museu Picasso Barcelona: Hours, Tickets and Free Entry Times

The Museu Picasso is Barcelona’s museum of Pablo Picasso, spread across medieval palaces on Carrer de Montcada in La Ribera, in the old city. People come for his early work: the collection covers his years of training in Barcelona, the Blue Period and his series on Las Meninas. General admission is €15, and entry is free on the first Sunday of every month and on set evening slots, with advance booking required.

How the museum began

According to Wikipedia, the museum opened on 9 March 1963. It was the first museum dedicated to Picasso and the only one created during his lifetime. The idea came from Jaume Sabartés, Picasso’s friend and secretary, who first wanted to found it in Málaga, the painter’s birthplace. Because of Picasso’s opposition to the Franco regime, it opened under the name of the Sabartés Collection, built on Sabartés’ donation of 574 works.

In 1970 Picasso made his last personal donation: 920 works, among them school books, academic pieces and paintings from the Blue Period that his family had kept since he settled in France. Sabartés, who died in 1968, left the museum a series of 58 paintings on Las Meninas. The Government of Catalonia later declared it a museum of national interest.

The Ajuntament de Barcelona’s museum page (the city council) puts the collection at some 5,000 works and calls it the most complete record of Picasso’s formative period. Wikipedia gives a total of 4251 works, so the figures differ.

What to see inside

Highlights include two of his first major paintings, The First Communion (1896) and Science and Charity (1897), as well as the Las Meninas series. The rooms show how his ties to Barcelona took shape in his youth and teenage years.

The buildings are part of the visit. The museum fills five adjoining palaces on Carrer de Montcada from the 13th century and 14th century, in the Catalan civil Gothic style. Each is built around a courtyard with an outdoor staircase leading to the main floors. A newer building on Plaça Sabartés, behind Montcada Street, was designed by architect Jordi Garcés. Wikipedia records 1,047,094 visitors in 2023.

Opening hours by season

The city council’s page lists two seasons. Mondays are not among the opening days in either.

Sept. 29 to March 29: Tuesday to Sunday and holidays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Dec. 24 and Dec. 31 the museum is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hours on Jan. 5 also differ from the usual schedule, so check before you go. Closed Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

March 31 to Sept. 27: Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Thursday, Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed May 1 and June 24.

How much are tickets?

• General admission (Picasso collection and temporary exhibition): €15
• Online price: €14
• Reduced: €7.5, with proof, for people aged 18 to 25, Barcelona Library card holders, accredited university students, people 65 and over, and unemployed people or holders of the reduced pink card
• Articket: €38
• Individual Museum Card (collection and temporary exhibition): €40, valid for 1 year

Entry is free at all times, with proof, for under-18s, holders of the free pink card, accredited ICOM and Association of Museologists of Catalonia members, working professional tourist guides, people accompanying a disabled person with the Metropolitan Pass, accredited journalists, people with free Apropa Cultura entry and teachers with a Generalitat (Catalan government) card.

When is entry free for everyone?

• The first Sunday of each month
• Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., from Oct. 14 to April 13
• Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 7 to 9 p.m., from April 15 to Oct. 12
• Feb. 12 (Santa Eulàlia)
• May 18 (International Museum Day)
• Sept. 24 (La Mercè)

On free days you must reserve a ticket in advance. Tickets are released 4 days ahead. If you want more free culture, there is a list of free things to do in Barcelona, including museum hours.

Tips for your visit

• Buy online: the ticket costs €14 instead of €15.
• For a free visit in winter, aim for a Thursday afternoon after 4 p.m. and book as soon as the 4-day window opens.
• Bring ID or a card if you qualify for a reduced or free ticket, since every category requires proof.
• Plan around Mondays and the closing days in each season.

The museum works well on a wet afternoon alongside other spots on a list of museums for a rainy day in Barcelona.

Quick answers

Is the Museu Picasso free on Sundays?

Only on the first Sunday of each month, and you still need to reserve a free ticket in advance.

Where is the Museu Picasso?

On Carrer de Montcada in the La Ribera neighborhood of Barcelona’s old city, in five connected medieval palaces.

Does the ticket include temporary exhibitions?

Yes. The €15 general ticket and the €40 Museum Card both cover the Picasso collection and the temporary exhibition.

Checked against official sources in November 2026. Hours, prices and rules change: confirm on the official page before you go or apply.