MACBA

MACBA — the Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona — opened in 1995 and immediately changed the conversation about what the El Raval neighbourhood could be. Designed by American architect Richard Meier, the building is a gleaming white modernist statement that stands in deliberate contrast to the dense, medieval fabric around it. Inside, the museum holds one of Spain's most important collections of post-war and contemporary art, with particular depth in work from the 1950s onwards, including Spanish and Catalan artists who were producing work under Franco's dictatorship — context that gives the collection real political weight.

Visiting MACBA means moving through large, light-filled galleries across several floors, encountering paintings, sculpture, video art, and installation from figures like Joan Miró, Antoni Tàpies, and international names such as Paul Klee and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The permanent collection is displayed thematically and rotates regularly, so even repeat visitors find new configurations. Temporary exhibitions tend to be ambitious and often pull works from major international lenders — it's worth checking what's on before you go, because the programming can elevate a visit from good to genuinely unmissable.

The plaza in front of MACBA — Plaça dels Àngels — is as much a part of the experience as anything inside. It's one of Barcelona's most famous skateboarding spots, and on any given afternoon you'll find skaters using the long marble ledges while tour groups file past and locals cut through on their way somewhere else. It's chaotic and alive in a way that feels very Barcelona. If you're visiting on a Sunday, note the museum closes at 3pm, which catches a lot of people out. Mondays are open but Tuesdays are closed — unusual enough that it's worth double-checking before you make the trip.