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MACBA
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Written by RuinMyTrip Editorial from published research and official sources, not from a personal trip. It is not a traveler review and is never counted in the community rating. How we research.
What it is
The Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona, in a purpose-built Richard Meier building on Placa dels Angels in the Raval, holding Catalan, Spanish and international art from the mid-twentieth century to now.
Why travelers go
For depth in Catalan and Spanish contemporary art that you will not find presented this way elsewhere, and for the building, which is a deliberate piece of urban intervention in a quarter that was not built for it.
What is genuinely good
A collection with a genuine point of view rather than a survey. Online booking is 1,50 euros cheaper. The Meier building handles daylight beautifully. The free skate plaza outside is a Barcelona institution in its own right.
Downsides and tourist traps
Uncompromising contemporary programming that will not win over a sceptic. The full 15 euros only applies if you turn up without booking. The surrounding Raval is characterful by day and requires more awareness after dark.
Best for
Visitors already interested in contemporary art, anyone who has done the Gaudi circuit and wants a different Barcelona, and photographers drawn to the plaza.
Consider skipping if
Your Barcelona list is Gaudi and the Gothic Quarter and you have two days. This is a third-day museum. Skip it if contemporary conceptual art actively irritates you, because that is most of what is here.
Practical advice
Book online to pay 13,50 rather than 15,00. Combine it with the CCCB next door, which shares the courtyard. The plaza is busiest with skaters in the late afternoon and evening, which is also the best time to sit and watch.
Tickets and reservations
A general admission entry ticket is 15,00 euros at the reception desk and 13,50 euros bought online. Friends of MACBA enter free.
Getting there
Universitat on Metro lines 1 and 2, or Catalunya on lines 1 and 3, both about five minutes on foot. It is a ten-minute walk from La Rambla.
Where it sits
Placa dels Angels in the Raval, west of La Rambla, in a dense multicultural quarter of the old city. The CCCB shares the same courtyard and the Boqueria market is ten minutes east.
How long to allow
Ninety minutes for the museum. Add as long as you like for the plaza, which costs nothing.
Accessibility
The Meier building is step-free with lift and ramp access throughout, including the signature spiral ramp.
The RuinMyTrip verdict
Worth it if contemporary art is your thing, and worth walking past even if it is not, because the plaza is free and is one of the liveliest corners of Barcelona. Book online and save the 1,50 euros.
Sources
Every figure above was checked against these before publication. If one has since changed, tell us and we will correct it.
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A general admission entry ticket is 15,00 euros at the reception desk. source
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The same ticket bought online is 13,50 euros. source
From the RuinMyTrip team
Written by RuinMyTrip Editorial from published research and official sources, not from a personal trip. It is not a traveler review and is never counted in the community rating. How we research.
MACBA charges 15,00 euros for a general admission entry ticket bought at the reception desk, and 13,50 euros for the same ticket bought online. The museum is Richard Meier's white modernist block dropped into the Raval, one of the densest and most working-class quarters of the old city, and that collision is a large part of what the building means. The collection concentrates on Catalan and Spanish art from the…
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