Quick answer
- €6 for adults for the permanent exhibition, or €10.50 including temporary exhibitions.
- Under-16s go free, always. Two adults and two children is €12.
- Free for everyone every Sunday from 3pm, and all day on the first Sunday of the month.
- Closed Mondays. Sunday closing is 20:00 year-round.
- Plaça Leonardo da Vinci 4, metro El Maresme | Fòrum (L4) — out at the Fòrum, not in the centre.
- Allow about two hours.
Barcelona’s natural history museum sits out at the Fòrum, in a building that looks like a rusted triangle dropped on the seafront. It’s further out than most visitors go, which is exactly why it’s calm on a Saturday when the centre isn’t.
It’s also, by a distance, the cheapest serious museum in the city for a family — and on Sunday afternoons it costs nothing at all.
Where to stay in Barcelona — our three picks
Generator Barcelona – private family rooms at hostel prices, five minutes from Passeig de Gràcia and metro Diagonal (L3/L5). Rooms are small and the bar downstairs is lively, so ask for a higher floor.
H10 Cubik – on the edge of the Gothic Quarter, with the Atic rooftop terrace and pool. You can walk to the cathedral, the beach and the Born from the door, which saves you metro tickets all week.
The Cotton House Hotel, Autograph Collection – the old cotton guild building on Gran Via, a ten-minute walk from Casa Batlló and the Sagrada Família side of Eixample. Quiet, grown-up, and the rooftop is the reason to book it.
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What it costs
| Ticket | Permanent | Permanent + temporary |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | €6.00 | €10.50 |
| Reduced (16–29, 65+) | €2.70 | €3.50 |
| Under 16 | Free | |
Also free with a Barcelona Card, and for ICOM members.
Prices correct September 2026.
The free Sundays, which are the real story
Museu Blau is free for everyone every Sunday from 3pm until closing, and all day on the first Sunday of every month. Sunday closing is 20:00, so the free window on an ordinary Sunday is a full five hours.
That’s not a token hour at the end of the day. It’s most of an afternoon, in a big museum, for nothing — and because it’s out at the Fòrum rather than in the centre, it doesn’t get the queue that the free slots at the Picasso Museum or MNAC do.
If you’re building a Barcelona trip around what’s free, this is one of the best entries on the list. The rest of them are here.
What’s inside
The permanent exhibition, Planeta Vida, runs through the history of life on earth — minerals, fossils, skeletons, taxidermy, and the big-scale stuff that children respond to before they can read a single label.
The building itself is part of the visit. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron for the 2004 Fòrum, it’s a huge triangular volume in weathered blue-tinged metal, and the interior is open and light in a way older natural history museums never are.
Museu Blau with kids
It works, and for a specific reason: there’s space. The galleries are wide and open, so children can move at their own pace without being shushed every two minutes, which is not true of most museums in the city centre.
Under 6: the skeletons and the large specimens do the work. An hour is plenty.
6 to 12: the sweet spot. Two hours, easily, and the fossil and mineral sections hold attention longer than you’d expect.
Teenagers: depends entirely on the temporary exhibition. Check what’s on before making the trip out — the extra €4.50 for the combined ticket is worth it if the temporary show is good, and pointless if it isn’t.
Getting there
Metro El Maresme | Fòrum on L4, then a short walk. It’s about twenty minutes from the centre on the metro — genuinely out of town by Barcelona standards, and worth planning as its own trip rather than squeezing between two other things.
It sits right by the Parc del Fòrum and the seafront, which is what makes the journey worth it: the museum plus the park plus the water is a whole afternoon rather than an hour in a building.
The Fòrum is also the last stop on the City Tour bus green route, if you’re using it.
Opening hours
- October to February: Tuesday–Friday 10:00–17:00, Saturday 10:00–19:00, Sunday 10:00–20:00
- March to September: Tuesday–Saturday 10:00–19:00, Sunday 10:00–20:00
- Closed Mondays
Note the winter weekday closing at 17:00 — it’s early, and it’s the one that catches people who set off after lunch.
Is Museu Blau worth it?
Yes, with one condition: go on a Sunday afternoon, or go for a whole afternoon.
It’s far enough out that a rushed hour doesn’t justify the journey. Give it two hours, add the Parc del Fòrum and the seafront, and it’s one of the better-value family days in Barcelona — and if you time it for a Sunday after 3pm, the museum part is free.
If you only have three days in the city and you’ve never seen the Sagrada Família, do that instead. This is a second-visit museum, or a rainy Sunday, or a day when you want somewhere your children can move around.
Where to stay in Barcelona
More Barcelona with kids
- CosmoCaixa — the other science museum, and the better rainy-day option if you’re staying central
- 50 free things to do in Barcelona
- Barcelona Zoo
- Aquarium de Barcelona
- Top places to visit in Barcelona
- Barcelona with kids: our full family guide
Museu Blau Barcelona: FAQ
How much is Museu Blau?
€6 for adults for the permanent exhibition, or €10.50 including temporary exhibitions. Visitors aged 16 to 29 and over-65s pay €2.70 or €3.50. Children under 16 enter free, so two adults and two children costs €12. Prices correct September 2026.
When is Museu Blau free?
Every Sunday from 3pm until closing at 8pm, and all day on the first Sunday of every month. It is also free with a Barcelona Card and for ICOM members.
Are children free at Museu Blau?
Yes. Under-16s enter free at all times, which makes it one of the cheapest museums in Barcelona for a family.
What are Museu Blau’s opening hours?
From October to February, Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 17:00, Saturday 10:00 to 19:00 and Sunday 10:00 to 20:00. From March to September, Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 to 19:00 and Sunday 10:00 to 20:00. It is closed on Mondays.
How do you get to Museu Blau?
Metro El Maresme | Fòrum on line 4, then a short walk. It is at Plaça Leonardo da Vinci 4, out at the Fòrum on the seafront rather than in the city centre, about twenty minutes from the middle of town.
How long do you need at Museu Blau?
About two hours for the permanent exhibition. Because it is out at the Fòrum, it is worth combining with the Parc del Fòrum and the seafront to make an afternoon rather than travelling out for a short visit.
