Barcelona ended up being one of my favorite cities across our epic European trip. Here are 10 of the reasons why.
Erotica Museum
Plenty of adults-only stuff here, and plenty of cultures are represented here getting busy. The highlight involves some of the earliest porn, which is quite tame by today’s standards, but has managed to survive through to today… If it’s turned someone’s crank in the past, there’s a pretty good chance it’s included here, from BDSM to some hilarious ‘world records’.
Address: La Rambla, 96 Bis, 08002, Barcelona (Museu de l’Erotica)
Admission: 9 € (7 € with the Barcelona card)
More info: www.erotica-museum.com/museum.php
Picasso Museum
If you’ve only seen a few of his paintings, you’re missing entire dimensions of Pablo Picasso. Some 4,250 pieces make up the museum, which was commissioned before his death in 1973. Beyond being the definitive collection of the man, it had to be expanded twice in order to hold the many donations that have since come in. Even so, it can get crowded and chaotic amongst the artwork – narrow halls and an intentional lack of paths mean people are meandering in every direction, and often mere inches from priceless works of art.
This is one case where the place itself isn’t all that unusual, but the artwork inside is unique and worthy of exploration.
Address: Montcada 15-23, 08003, Barcelona (Museu Picasso)
Admission: 11 € (free on Sundays from 3-7pm and first Sunday of month all day, 2/12, 5/18 and 9/24)
More info: www.museupicasso.bcn.cat/en/
Bullfighting museum
Say what you will about their choice of style – you’ve gotta respect anyone that’s willing to get in a ring with a bull. It’s appropriately housed at Barcelona’s bullfighting stadium, the Plaza Monumental de Barcelona, which was closed in 2011, yet looks like it could re-open tomorrow. There’s plenty here about the bullfighters, costumes, posters, and even stuffed and preserved bull heads. There’s enough English to go around, including a few stories about how a bullfighter was ‘awarded one ear’…
Address: Gran Via de Les Corts Catalanes 749, Barcelona (Museo Taurino)
Admission: 6 €
More info: no official site (barcelonaturisme.com may have more info)
Egypt Museum in Barcelona
As soon as you step in, you’ll realize three key differences between this site and the iconic Egyptian museum in Cairo: it’s air-conditioned, it’s organized, and there’s information in English. Cairo’s museum has precious little of those three. Aiming for curation instead of comprehensiveness, you get a great variety to please your inner Egyptologist. What makes it weird, then? For me, it’s sometimes the little things. Look for the tiny phallic statues, the mummies, the paintings – and best of all, perhaps, it’s completely free with the Barcelona card.
Address: Calle Valencia, 284, 08007 Barcelona (Museu Egipci de Barcelona)
Admission: 11 € (free with Barcelona card)
More info: www.museuegipci.com/en/
Hash Marihuana Canamo and Hemp Museum
Focused on the utility of hemp, this museum is inside the Palau Mornau, a national monument and gorgeous house. Extensively redone over the course of a decade and opened in 2012, it’s a sister museum to the same-named places in Amsterdam. Along with an ample section on marijuana and its history, the place (obviously) advocates to legalize a plant that’s been proven effective many times over.
Only a few bongs / other pieces of paraphernalia (but there are ample offerings at the local shops in the area). If you’re intrigued by learning more about the plant and its many uses, it’s a far better choice.
Address: Palau Mornau, Carrer Ample 35, 08002 Barcelona
Admission: 9 €
More info: hempmuseumgallery.com
Perfume Gallery
The perfume may have just been for the women, but there’s a treat awaiting you inside the Regia perfume shop (though it seems they’re in the process of moving to a new location). It’s here where it becomes obvious that plenty of elegance and design goes into every battle. Plenty of known names and international representation – Palestine, Israel, Holland, Croatia, Poland, Miexico, Argentina, Cuba, and Boldoot (Holland) are all here. In total, 35 glass cases hold plenty of specimens starting from 6th century BC. It may not be the most… masculine sort of place, but it’s still an oddball look at the world.
Address: (After Nov 1, 2016: Passeig de Gràcia, 26 (“El Nacional” Alley)
Admission: 5 € (3 € with the Barcelona card)
More info: labasilicagaleria.com
Olympic Museum (Barcelona)
Barcelona hosted the world at the 1992 Olympics, and it was transformation that has endured through the years. While this is a sports museum first, it holds enough stuff from the Olympics to consider it a worthy sub-section. Above: the ‘sun’ costume that must’ve scared a few people. Also here is a bicycle built for 12, a look at Olympic torches through the years, and a fair few interactive elements for kids and adults.
Address: Avda. de l’Estadi num. 60, 08038, Barcelona (Museu Olimpic i de l’esport – Joan Antoni Samaranch)
Admission: 5.10 €, 3.20 € for students, free under 7 (free with Barcelona card)
More info: www.museuolimpicbcn.cat/eng/home.asp
Funeral Carriage Museum
Everyone has to go, but some got to go in a more classy way. First set up in 1970, it’s been located next to the Montjuic Cemetery since 2013, and houses about twenty different carriages used in funerals. It’s a uniquely themed museum in all of Europe, and done quite well. Most are quite intricate, so take your time around the corners of each vehicle. Also here are models of old funeral processions, a few decades-old hearses
There’s plenty of trilingual signage, and best of all it’s free.
Address: Carrer de la Mare de Déu de Port, 56, 08038 Barcelona (Coleccion Carrozas Funebres (Cementerio de Montjuic))
Admission: free
More info: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/museu-de-carrosses-funebres-de-barcelona
Invention Museum
Our last stop here is the kid-friendly Invention Museum – if you’ve seen a clever invention go viral on the internet, it’s probably here. Most of these seem like prototypes, but more than a few of these have gone on to be sold elsewhere. I love it for the clever ideas alone (above is a milk cup with a mirror built in so you can check to see if you have a milk mustache. There’s also a hurricane simulator – essentially a massive wind tunnel that looks pretty crazy.
Only 50 meters from the entrance is the less-weird Inspirational Museum, which aims to portray Barcelona as an inspiring city full of art and endeavors. It’s worth a few minutes while you’re in the area.
Address: Carrer Ciutat, 7, 08002 Barcelona, (Museu d’Idees i Invents de Barcelona)
Admission: 8 € (6.40 € with Barcelona card)
More info: www.mibamuseum.com/en/index
Museum of Chocolate
We finish our time in Barcelona with evidence some folks have waaayyyy too much time on their hands. The museum has plenty of exhibits of chocolate, both on the manufacturing process and some oversized displays of cultural icons from around the world. Plenty of artistic displays from the football player Messi to an odd-looking globe to Asterix and Obelix themselves.
The museum is only half of the story – as you might expect, there’s a store attached to the museum. It’s not the cheapest chocolate ever, but the good stuff never is.
Address: Carrer del Comerç, 36, 08003 Barcelona (Museu de la Xocolata)
Admission: 6 €
More info: www.museuxocolata.cat/?lang=en
Ready for some more unusual things to see in Barcelona? Barcelona Life has you covered.
Been to Barcelona before? Found some weird places? Share in the comments.
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