An unbeatable way to celebrate La Mercè is to plan a tour of all the cultural centers, museums, and even government buildings that are opening their doors to the public during these days to encourage everyone to celebrate the festival with them.
Beyond the concerts, the Piromusical, or the popular festivals, visiting the more than fifty buildings that are opening their doors for free these days is an unbeatable way to explore all those places we’ve always meant to see but never quite get around to visiting.
So here’s the complete list of buildings that will be open for free during La Mercè, with dates and hours so you can plan your own itinerary
Open House at Museums and Municipal Facilities
Here is the complete list of monuments, buildings, and institutions, along with the times they’ll be holding their open house events:
Museums
- Picasso Museum. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Barcelona History Museum (MUHBA) – Plaça del Rei. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- MUHBA El Born. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- MUHBA, Vía Sepulcral. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- MUHBA El Call. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- MUHBA Vil·la Joana. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC). Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- MACBA (Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art). Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Joan Antoni Samaranch Olympic and Sports Museum. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Music Museum – L’Auditori. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Museum of Ethnology and World Cultures (Montcada and Montjuïc locations). Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Barcelona Museum of Natural Sciences. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Museu d’Història de Catalunya. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- CosmoCaixa. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Museum of Archaeology of Catalonia. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Museu de la Xocolata. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Barcelona Design Museum (Disseny Hub). Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Barcelona Maritime Museum. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Frederic Marès Museum. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Tàpies Museum. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Museu Can Framis (Fundació Vila Casas). Open on Saturday, the 26th, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- MOCO Museum. Open on Thursday, the 24th. (Free admission exclusively for people named Mercè, Mercedes, or Merche, and a 2-for-1 deal for everyone else.)
Art and Exhibition Centers
- La Virreina Centre de la Imatge. Open Wednesday, the 23rd, through Saturday, the 26th, from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Centre de les Arts Lliures – Fundació Joan Brossa. Open Wednesday, the 23rd, through Saturday, the 26th, from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
- Santa Mònica Arts Center. Open Wednesday, the 23rd, through Saturday, the 26th, from 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- La Fabra Center for Contemporary Art. Open Wednesday, the 23rd, Friday, the 25th, and Saturday, the 26th, from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Thursday, the 24th, and Sunday, the 27th, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- La Capella. Open Wednesday, the 23rd, Friday, the 25th, and Saturday, the 26th, from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Thursday, the 24th, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
- Joan Miró Foundation. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- CaixaForum Barcelona. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Martorell Exhibition Center. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Espai Capella (Convent dels Àngels). Open Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Espais Volart. Open on Saturday, the 26th, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Historic and Heritage Buildings
- Montjuïc Castle. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Pedralbes. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Palau Güell. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Mies van der Rohe Pavilion. Open Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Sant Pau Modernist Complex. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Poble Espanyol. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- Sagrada Família. Open Thursday, the 24th, and Friday, the 25th, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Saturday, the 26th, from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Palauet Albéniz. Open Saturday, the 26th, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Sunday, the 27th, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Archives and Libraries
- Historical Archive of the City of Barcelona. Open on Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Barcelona Photographic Archive. Open Wednesday, the 23rd, Friday, the 25th, and Saturday, the 26th, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Thursday, the 24th, and Sunday, the 27th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- Arús Public Library. Open Tuesday, the 22nd, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Friday, the 25th, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Parks and Botanical Gardens
- Barcelona Botanical Garden. Open Wednesday, the 23rd, through Sunday, the 27th, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Historic Botanical Garden. Open Wednesday, the 23rd, through Sunday, the 27th, from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Other cultural and recreational venues
- Espai Bombers – Barcelona Prevention Park. Open Wednesday, the 23rd, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Thursday, the 24th, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Funeral Carriage Collection. Open Saturday, the 26th, through Sunday, the 27th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- Filmoteca de Catalunya. Open Friday, the 18th, through Sunday, the 20th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday, the 21st, and Tuesday, the 22nd, from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Thursday, the 24th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
