Barcelona Online | Barcelona musuems

Barcelona's new science museum Must see
CosmoCaixa
Barcelona's new science museum (Teodor Roviralta 47-51) opened three years ago and attracted over 2m visitors last year. At 47,600 m2, of which 30,000 m2 is open to the public, it's somewhere between 4 and 15 times bigger than the old science museum – depending on which newspaper report you read.

The old museum was wonderful, hugely popular with kids, who could touch and smell things and all that. The new museum has kept all of that, and added a whole lot of technology, and is well worth a visit.

If you go with kids we strongly suggest you arrange a meeting point for when/in case they get lost. Note that the activities for kids are currently completely sold out and you'll only get tickets if you queue early in the morning.

The website is an excellent one – neat design, lots of clear information, makes you want to go and visit the place.

•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan
•We liked: Some of those slimey things...
•Not so hot: You mean… you want me to touch that…? Ughhhhhh!

Museu de la Xocolata
Chocolate Museum
The local confectionery guild has a Chocolate Museum (Commerç 36) that is worth a visit if you are here in Barcelona, particularly if you are coming with kids. When we went, they were just putting the finishing touches to a huge four-horse chariot - made entirely from chocolate - that was truly astonishing in its details.

The website is rather a disappointing one. Shouldn't a chocolate museum site just make you crave some…?

•We liked: The one with hazelnuts, the dark one, the light one, the one with pecans, the one with those green bits on top... (rest of list mercilessly slashed by Ed.)
•Not so hot: No vacancies for quality control assistants
•Languages: Catalan only

Clos Foundation
Egyptian Museum
Beside Barcelona's Egyptian museum (Valencia 284) the Clos Archaeological Foundation also runs courses, workshops, conferences and other events open to the public.

The museum itself – not one we have been to, we confess – is one for those with a real interest in Egypt only, an inside source tells us. To see if that's true, you'll have to visit the place, as the website tells you very little of what’s on display, and shows you less.

•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan

One of Barcelona's most interesting museums Recommended
History of Catalonia
Housed in a lovingly refurbished trading depot, the only surviving building of Barcelona's old port, the Museum of the History of Catalonia is an excellent one, a must for anyone really interested in Barcelona - i.e. in more than just Gaudí and what's hip-according-to-the-hype. It takes you from prehistoric times to the present day, with some fascinating models and dioramas, and some great temporary exhibitions, apart from anything else.

By Barcelona museum site standards, the website is an excellent one. The virtual tour shows you round, though it only takes you up to 1711. Also now online is one of last year's temporary exhibitions, "Franco's Prisons", excellent, too.

•We liked: The medieval armour we got to try on, helmet n' all.
•Not so hot: . Er, Dad! I think I've got my head stuck.
•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan

Erotica
Museum of Erotica
Although not without its faults, the Erotica Museum (Ramblas 96) has a site that is in fact one of the better Barcelona museum websites – in the sense that it does actually let you see some of the things on display (and, no, you won't be that shocked).

•We liked: (Er... I think we'll skip this bit here, Ed.)
•Languages: English, Spanish, German

One of Barcelona's most interesting museums Must see
Barcelona Maritime Museum

The Maritime Museum (Av. de les Drassanes, just off the foot of the Ramblas) is one of Barcelona's most interesting – particularly if you like boats (!) but also to anyone interested in appreciating the city's history, connected as closely as it has been to commerce across the seas. It contains some fascinating models and a full size replica of Juan de Austria's Lepanto slave galley (which you could smell before you saw it, according to the commentary on your Walkman as you make your way round).

The website (nowhere near as interesting as the actual museum) contains information on opening times and so on, as well as information on the (superb) building that houses it, besides what you will find there.

•We liked: The museum itself, well-worth a visit, even if you're a total landlubber
•Not so hot: The "virtual itinerary" is a disappointment. Surely a case of a site that would benefit from Flash
•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan, French

An excellent online museum
Òliba research group
One of the most interesting visits you can make to online musuems in Barcelona, at least from the technological point of view, is to the Òliba research group UOC (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya). It was set up to "evaluate the potential of new technologies in dissemination and documentation" of the cultural heritage to be found in the musuems of Barcelona and elsewhere in Catalonia.

It includes a series of pilot experiences of virtual exhibitions, including an interesting one of the lovely Boí valley and its Romanesque churches. Also interesting is the "Niños de la guerra" exhibition, documenting the experiences of children during the Spanish Civil War.

•We liked: Some of the use of multimedia elements (video, photographic images...)
•Not so hot: We nearly missed those same elements
•Languages: General information in English, Spanish and Catalan, exhibitions in Spanish and Catalan only

Not exactly Madame Tussauds
Barcelona Wax Museum
The Barcelona wax museum (go if you've been everywhere else, but don't expect Madame Tussauds) is at the foot of the Ramblas, or rather just off the Ramblas to the left as you face the port (in the Passatge de la Banca). The site is not an especially interesting one, beyond opening times etc. And don't visit it if you really hate Flash.

The Bosc de les Fades bar over the way is worth sticking your head into. You'll either love it or feel ever so slightly sick.

•We liked: The multimedia views of the (typical nineteen century palace) building
•Not so hot: Come on! A wax museum site built entirely with Flash that barely shows the figures to be found there…?
•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan

Wild animals!
Zoology Musuem
Located in the Cuidadela Park, and occupying the attractive Castell dels Tres Dragons ("Three Dragons Castle"), designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner as a café and restaurant for the Barcelona's 1888 World Fair, Barcelona's Zoology Museum is somewhere to take the kids on a wet Sunday (not that you'll get many of those in Barcelona!). The real thing (but, alas, not the website) has got the most fascinating collection of stuffed animals, some of them looking ever so slightly mangy. Do these creatures really exist out there in the world?

The site, regrettably, is about as attractive as your average wet Sunday back home.

•We liked: Daddy! Come and look at this fish... (not shown!)
•Not so hot: Who designed this site?
•Languages: English and Spanish (summary page only), Catalan (full site)

back to top