History Museums in Barcelona: 5 Picks With Hours and Tickets

Barcelona’s main history museums are the city history museum MUHBA, with Roman and medieval sites around the Gothic Quarter, the Museu Marítim in the old royal shipyards, the private Museu Egipci in the Eixample, the Museu de la Música and the medieval Pedralbes monastery. Most of the city-run ones are free on Sunday afternoons, and children under 16 get in free at several of them.

Below, each museum has its hours and prices as published on its official page, starting in the old town and ending uphill in Pedralbes.

MUHBA, Plaça del Rei and other sites

The Museu d’Història de Barcelona (MUHBA, Barcelona City History Museum) is spread over many sites. The best known is Plaça del Rei in the Gothic Quarter, where the museum covers the Roman and medieval city. Nearby are the Temple d’August, the remains of a Roman temple, and small Roman sites such as Domus d’Avinyó, Domus de Sant Honorat and Porta de Mar. El Born is a cultural centre built over excavated streets of the old city, and El Call covers the medieval Jewish quarter. From the Spanish Civil War period, Refugi 307 is an air-raid shelter, and Turó de la Rovira is a hilltop with anti-aircraft gun emplacements and city views.

Opening times vary a lot from site to site. Plaça del Rei opens Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 10 am to 7 pm and Sunday 10 am to 8 pm. The Temple d’August keeps the same afternoon hours and also opens on Monday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. El Born opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 7 pm from November to February and 10 am to 8 pm from March to October. Refugi 307, Porta de Mar and the two domus open only at weekends, 10 am to 2 pm. The Via Sepulcral (a Roman burial road) is closed from September 22 to November 30.

Hours: last entry 30 minutes before closing, or 45 minutes at Plaça del Rei; all sites close on Jan. 1, May 1, June 24 and Dec. 25. Tickets: free on the first Sunday of the month and on Sundays from 3 pm; free for under-16s and BCN Card holders; reduced for under-29s, over-65s and Barcelona library card holders. Contact: [email protected] or tel. 93 256 21 22.

Museu Marítim de Barcelona, El Raval

The Museu Marítim de Barcelona (Maritime Museum) tells Catalonia’s naval history inside the Drassanes Reials, a royal shipyard from the 13th century and a large Gothic civil building. The collection includes boats, ship models, figureheads, navigation instruments and nautical documents. Its best-known piece is a replica of the Galera Reial of John of Austria, flagship at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.

A standard ticket also covers the temporary exhibitions and the pailebot Santa Eulàlia, a schooner moored in the port. Exhibitions in the lobby and the Espai Mirador are free. Families and anyone interested in ships or the Mediterranean will get the most from it.

Hours: every day from 10.00 am to 8.00 pm; last admission 1 hour before closing; 10.00 am to 3.00 pm on Dec. 24 and Dec. 31; closed Dec. 25 and 26 and Jan. 1 and 6. Tickets: €10 general; €5 for over-65s, students under 25 with a card and unemployed people; €8 for groups of more than 10 and large or single-parent families; free on Sundays from 3 pm and for under-17s. Combined ticket with Les Golondrinas harbour boats: €18. Tickets are sold only at the museum desks, not online. Getting there: the entrance is on Plaça del Portal de la Pau, at the bottom of La Rambla.

Museu Egipci de Barcelona, Eixample

The Museu Egipci de Barcelona (Egyptian Museum), run by the Fundació Arqueològica Clos, is a private museum devoted to ancient Egypt. Long-running exhibitions cover Pharaoh Ptolemy and the discovery of his temple, the story of the Tutankhamun find and the Egyptian Book of the Dead. An immersive exhibition, “Iny. L’explorador del faraó”, about an Egyptian traveller, runs until Oct. 28, 2027. The museum also runs children’s workshops and courses, mostly in Catalan.

Address: Carrer de València, 284. Hours: Monday to Friday 10 am to 2 pm and 4 pm to 7.30 pm; Saturday 10 am to 3 pm and 4 pm to 7.30 pm; Sunday 10 am to 2 pm; closed Dec. 25 and 26 and Jan. 1 and 6. Tickets: 14 € general, 10 € reduced (students, over-65s, ages 13 to 18 and others with proof), 5 € for children aged 6 to 14, free for children under 5; free guided visits are included in the ticket. Contact: 934880188, [email protected].

Museu de la Música

The Museu de la Música (Music Museum) shows the history of music through its instrument collection. A free audio guide at reception has four themed routes in Catalan, Spanish, English and French, including a family route for children aged 6 and over.

Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday 10am to 6pm; Thursday 10am to 9pm; Friday to Sunday 10am to 7pm; closed Monday. Ticket offices close 30 minutes before the museum. Tickets: 6€ general, with a reduced rate for ages 16 to 29, over-65s, unemployed people and music students; free under 16, on the first Sunday of the month, every Sunday from 3pm and every Thursday from 6pm to 9pm. Children under 16 must come with an adult.

Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes, Pedralbes

The Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Pedralbes (Royal Monastery of Pedralbes) was founded in 1326 by Queen Elisenda de Montcada. Poor Clare nuns lived there almost without a break from 1327 until 1982, and the medieval complex has changed very little. Visitors come for the three-storey cloister, the Gothic murals in the Chapel of Saint Michael and the medieval vegetable garden, which is farmed organically.

Hours: Oct. 1 to March 31, Tuesday to Friday 10.00 am to 2.00 pm and weekends 10.00 am to 5.00 pm; April 1 to Sept. 30, Tuesday to Friday 10.00 am to 5.00 pm, Saturday 10.00 am to 7.00 pm and Sunday 10.00 am to 8.00 pm; public holidays 10:00 am to 2:00 pm; closed Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. Tickets: €5.2 general; €3.70 reduced for over-65s, under-30s and large families; free on the first Sunday of the month, on Sundays from 15.00 and for accompanied children under 16.

Tips for visiting

• Sunday afternoon is the cheapest time: MUHBA, the Maritime Museum, the Music Museum and Pedralbes are all free from 3 pm. Our list of free museum days in Barcelona collects these in one place.
• Check the day before you go to a MUHBA site, because several open only at weekends or a few mornings a week.
• Allow time to queue at the Maritime Museum desk, since it does not sell tickets online.
• On Monday most MUHBA sites, the Music Museum and Pedralbes are closed, while the Maritime Museum and the Egyptian Museum open. For more indoor options, see these museums for a rainy day in Barcelona.
• Keep proof of age or status with you: reduced and free tickets must be accredited at the desk.

Quick answers

Which Barcelona history museums are free on Sundays?

MUHBA, the Museu Marítim, the Museu de la Música and the Pedralbes monastery are free on Sundays from 3 pm. MUHBA, the Music Museum and Pedralbes are also free all day on the first Sunday of the month.

Can I buy Maritime Museum tickets online?

No. Tickets are sold in person at the museum’s own desks.

Is the Egyptian Museum open on Sunday?

Yes, from 10 am to 2 pm. It is closed on Dec. 25 and 26 and on Jan. 1 and 6.

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