Discover the best museums and cultural centers of La Rambla and its surroundings
La Rambla, in which the Hotel Arc is located, has so many places to visit and activities to enjoy that it is very difficult to summarize them in just a few lines. To complement our previous post about what to do and what to see near the hotel, today we suggest a tour around the best museums and cultural centers that can be visited on La Rambla and its surroundings.
1. Arts Santa Mònica
Practically next to the Hotel you will find the Center Arts Santa Mónica, a cultural space that invites you to enjoy both the artistic exhibitions and its wonderful building, which was a monastery from 1626 to 1811 and whose architecture fuses perfectly the past and the present.
Thus, the venue combines a beautiful Renaissance monastery with an exterior ramp of modern design, from where you can have a privileged view of La Rambla. In its five halls you will find exhibitions dedicated to contemporary art and digital culture.
2. Museo de la Erótica
The offer of museums in Barcelona is so wide that there is always something to discover. One of the most suggestive, fun and exciting is the Museum of Erotica, where you will find exhibitions relating to the evolution of art and erotic culture from ancient Greece and Rome to the present day.
Located in the heart of La Rambla, the center has more than 800 pieces including erotic drawings from Picasso, a collection of pornographic films by Alfonso XIII King of Spain, illustrations of the Kama Sutra or a surprising and funny section in which they are collected the most outstanding sexual records.
The museum also offers visitors an important collection of Asian art and an exhibition of contemporary erotic art with pieces by internationally renowned artists.
3. Virreina Centre de la Imatge
Also on La Rambla you will find one of the most interesting and innovative museums in Barcelona. Known for being one of the most beautiful examples of the city’s local baroque, The Virreina Palace hosts the headquarters of Barcelona’s City Council Culture Institute (Institut de Cultura de l’Ajuntament de Barcelona) and also hosts temporary exhibitions related to art, photography or literature.
4. Museo de Cera
A few steps from La Rambla, located in a beautiful neo-classical palace from the 19th century that hosted the Bank of Barcelona, you will find the Wax Museum. Its halls, magnificently themed and with an atmosphere of mystery, host nearly 200 real and fictional characters, both current and historical, related to art, culture, music, movies, etc. In addition, in the passage of terror you will discover a space dedicated to the tortures, the monsters from the movies and the most famous criminals in the history of Barcelona and Spain.
You can’t miss either the beautiful Bosque de las Hadas (the Fairies’ Forest, right in front of the wax museum), a cafe full of magic and fantasy in which you will feel like in a fairy tale while having something to drink and regaining strength.
5. Museu Marítim
Very close to the Hotel (5 minutes walk, towards the port), you will find Barcelona’s Museu Marítim, which will submerge you in the fascinating world of navigation through its collections of boats and nautical instruments.
The museum is located in the old building of the Barcelona Royal Shipyard, where some of the most feared galleys of the Crown of Aragon were built between the 13th and 18th centuries.
In this regard, the museum hosts an impressive reproduction on a natural scale of one of he greatest ships of its time, the Royal Galera that captained Juan of Austria in the battle of Lepanto of 1571.
6. Museu d’Art Contemporani (MACBA)
A few 10 minutes walk from the hotel, in the heart of the Raval district, you will find the most important contemporary art museum in the city, MACBA.
In its different halls, you can see works by national and international artists from the second half of the twentieth century, in a space that invites the visitor to generate critical debates about art and culture through meetings with artists, conferences and a multitude of activities and temporary exhibitions.
Everything in a spectacular building designed by Richard Meier, which stands out for its combination of straight lines and curves, large interior spaces and maximum use of natural light.
7. Centre De Cultura Contemporània De Barcelona (CCCB)
Right beside MACBA is located the CCCB, a space for various events such as exhibitions, festivals, concerts, film cycles, courses, conferences and all kinds of cultural activities of great interest. An eclectic concept focused especially on the city and the urban culture, which aims to encourage creation through new technologies and language.
8. Museu Picasso
To get to the Picasso Museum you will have to walk a little further (about 15 minutes from the Hotel), but we can assure you that it will be worth it.
Located in El Born, one of the must-see neighborhoods in Barcelona, the venue hosts nearly 4,000 works corresponding to the period of Picasso’s youth, making it a world reference for the knowledge of his formative years.
It opened to the public in 1963 and is the most obvious example of the strong links between Picasso and Barcelona, where he spent a long period of his life. It was the artist himself who promoted the creation of the museum together with his friend and secretary Jaume Sabartés (both donated most of the works that make up the collection of the Museum).
In addition to the permanent collection, the Museum houses an interesting program of temporary exhibitions in a beautiful Gothic building which is a work of art by itself.
The museum can be visited for free on the first Sunday of each month between 15:00 and 17:00; during La Nit dels Museums and the celebrations of Santa Eulàlia and La Mercè.
9. Museo de las ilusiones
Have you ever dreamed of being in a painting by Dalí or Picasso, celebrating a goal-scoring with Barcelona players or being the hero on your favorite movie or Tv show? In the Museum of Illusions you can make it happen through visual games and optical illusions. For a moment, you will be able to visit fantasy landscapes or become the star of fictional universes.
Each room is specifically designed playing with perspective and optical illusions and the visitor can submerge himself completely in the scene and get the best photos. Don’t forget your camera!
After an intense day full of culture probably you will need to rest in the hotel. Do not hesitate to ask our staff if you have any questions or need more information!
