Barcelona City History Museum

The Barcelona City History Museum, or Museu d'História de Barcelona (MUHBA), offers artefacts, ephemera, exhibits, documents and information about the city's history from ancient Roman times through today. It's located on the Plaça del Rei in Barcelona's Gothic Quarter. Since 1943, it's been the premier resource for research, education, communication and conservation regarding the story of Barcelona.

The museum is more than just a single building, however. It also incorporates several historic sites across Barcelona, some dating to medieval times and others being archaeological dig sites dating to pre-Roman times, the Spanish Civil War and other eras.

Barcelona City History Museum - one of the highlights of 15 Best Things to Do in Barcelona (Read all about Barcelona here)

photo by JosepBC (CC BY-SA 3.0) modified

What are the highlights of the Barcelona City History Museum?

The Barcelona City History Museum has a vast collection of over 35,000 objects, many of which are on display in permanent and rotating exhibitions. The permanent displays reflect prehistoric, protohistoric, Roman, late antiquity, medieval, modern and contemporary periods in various themed galleries.

To get the most out of your visit, take the time to travel to the other MUHBA sites across the city, such as the Temple of Augustus, Roman Funeral Way, Maritime Roman Walls and Jewish Quarter in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. Guided tours of the museum and the various sites around the city are available.

What else is good to know about the Barcelona City History Museum?

The Barcelona City History Museum is open all year long except for Jan. 1, May 24 and Dec. 25, when it's closed for holidays. Tickets are available online, and while you can buy at the door, the museum prefers that you book in advance. The museum also seeks to be accessible to people with disabilities. Companions for those with disabilities receive free admission. For those who are hard of hearing, sign language interpretation is available.

While the museum is disability accessible, many archaeological sites may not be due to their nature. It's wise to check in advance before visiting a site.

Location: Plaça del Rei, s/n, 08002 Barcelona, Spain

Open: Tuesday–Saturday from 10 am to 7 pm, Sunday from 10 am to 8 pm (closed on Mondays)

Phone: +34 93 256 2100

This article includes opinions of the Go Guides editorial team. Hotels.com compensates authors for their writings appearing on this site; such compensation may include travel and other costs.