Attraction
Sagrada Família
Antoni Gaudí's still-unfinished basilica in the Eixample, Barcelona's defining landmark, with a forest-like nave, two sculpted façades and climbable towers.
Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC)
Catalonia's national art museum, housed in the domed Palau Nacional on Montjuïc and renowned for its collection of Romanesque church murals.
At a glance
- Type
- Art museum
- Area
- Montjuïc, Barcelona, Spain
- Official site
- museunacional.cat
Good to know
- Terrace views
- Café
- Shop
Why we recommend it
The Palau Nacional was built for the 1929 International Exhibition, and its terraces look straight down the avenue towards Plaça d'Espanya. Inside, the museum covers a thousand years of Catalan art, but the Romanesque galleries are the reason many people come: apse paintings removed from Pyrenean churches and reassembled in spaces that echo their original settings.
The Gothic, Renaissance and modern collections, including Modernista furniture and decorative arts, reward a longer visit. Allow at least two hours, and save time for the view from the front steps. Escalators run up the hill from Plaça d'Espanya, and hours change in winter, so check the official site first.
Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) FAQs
Where is MNAC?
In the Palau Nacional on Montjuïc, above Plaça d'Espanya.
What is the museum known for?
Its collection of Romanesque murals from Catalan churches, as well as Gothic and modern Catalan art.