It’s been months since my last Barcelona post, and my apologies for taking so long to catch up! In this travelogue, I’ll take you to three of Barcelona’s less visited museums—and two of them aren’t even off the beaten track! But their subject matter, however…
1. MIBA: Museum of Idea and Inventions of Barcelona #
(Carrer de la Ciutat 7, Ciutat Vella, 8€)
The MIBA is a fantastic spot for taking a break from the tourist hordes in Barcelona’s Old Town—and any building travel frustration you have will fizzle away as you take in its silly exhibitions. The entry floor doesn’t look that appealing, but the bottom floor of the museum is full of entertaining gadgets to gape at.
A mug that holds biscuits? Certainly!
How about a mattress you can separate in case of a break-up?
Their Chamber of Horrors features a truly bone-chilling selection.
Yes, that is Big Mouth Billy Bass and a whole host of Billy’s relatives that never shut up. You can try to escape that horror by turning your attention to the classic Made-For-TV commercials playing nearby.
Oh yes, just what I never knew I needed, a fan to chill my hot noodles! This museum is also responsible for my current favorite photo of myself, taken by pointing into the “real mirror” that purports to give you the most realistic portrayal of how you really look.
I’ll take it! The rest of my photographs from the MIBA can be viewed here.
2. MEAM: Museum of Modern European Art #
(Barra de Ferro 5, Barri Gotic, 9€)
We were advised to check out the MEAM instead of the nearby Picasso Museum, which is always super popular, super crowded, and super expensive. Am I glad we took that advice! There was no line at all, and the exhibits filled the grandiose space in a way that made me instantly relaxed and contemplative.
You encounter those cute little kids on the way up to the exhibit floors. When we were at the MEAM, the featured exhibition was Catalun artist Josep Llimona, a prolific sculptor who worked from 1888–1930. I fell in love with his affinity for capturing emotion through facial expression and the ways his subjects melted into their clothing or surroundings.
The next section of the museum featured ivory carvings of the Renaissance Age. I most enjoyed the more playful examples of this once omnipresent craft. The detail was amazing all-around despite the requisite mourning felt for so many slain elephants.
The final floor of the MEAM featured a contemporary art display, and once again, I was blown away by the quality of the work. I found much of it breathtaking and insightful in terms of capturing moments of utter humanness.
The MEAM was well-worth the price, and I’m glad we learned about this alternative to the Picasso Museum tucked only half a block away. The rest of my MEAM photos can be viewed here.
3. Museu de la Musica #
(L’Auditori Building, 2nd Floor, Placa de les Glories, 4.75 €)
The Museu de la Musica is much farther from tourist central than our previous two museums, but it’s also half the price! You know you’re getting close when you pass the Torre Agbar heading southeast on Carrer de la Padilla.
You really know you’re there when you see the large horse in the courtyard of the square the museum shares with an auditorium and music institute.
Turn around to face the smallest building and head up to the 2nd Floor. Inside, there are over 500 musical instruments on display from many, many eras of musical learning, craftsmanship, and design.
As you can see, each piece is beautiful lit and the sheer variety and scope of changing musical instruments can be overwhelming.
The museum does a nice job of covering our musical progression through the years, and there is also a section devoted to the more modern age of synthesizers and electronic musical manipulation. Among the instrument collection, guitars and keyboards are especially well represented.
The rest of my Museu de la Musica photos can be seen here.
I hope you enjoyed my virtual tours of these unique Barcelona museums. Get the in-person experience next time you visit this wonderful European gem of a city. I have two more posts planned from my trip, one featuring the Parc de la Ciutadella and one final post on the best food I enjoyed in the city. Until then, happy voyaging!
