Egyptian Museum

Surely, when you arrive in Barcelona, the first thing that will come to your mind will not be Ancient Egypt, but then again, the city has a splendid museum dedicated to this extraordinary civilisation, one of the most important in the world after those in Cairo and Turin.

Discovering Ancient Egypt is always fascinating, both for children and adults, and even more so is doing so in Barcelona, thanks to an incredibly rich and detailed collection of artefacts, with all kinds of objects on display, ranging from cosmetics to jewellery, passing by pharaoh masks and even erotic art.

A stone’s throw from Passeig de Gracia, Casa Milà and Casa Battlò, the Egyptian Museum in Barcelona is sure to amaze young and old alike, proving to be a pleasant discovery and a must-see in the city, especially on one of the rare rainy days.

Things to do at the Egyptian Museum in Barcelona

The entire structure, with a total area of more than 2,000 square metres, consists of three museum halls , one of which is used for temporary exhibitions, three training rooms, and a specialised library with more than 10,000 documents. Visitors can admire everyday objects such as handicrafts and cosmetic items, as well as items related to beliefs and funerary practices.

The permanent collection is spread over two floors: the ground floor and the first floor. Inside its rooms one can admire, among other things:

• A room developed around the figure of the pharaoh and the royal family
• Jewellery, including the golden head of the god Osiris
• Cosmetics such as mirrors or headrests
• Funerary materials such as coffins or masks, belonging to pharaohs and high officials
• Erotic figures dating from the Ptolemaic period, i.e. 305 to 30 BC.

The Library

The library of the Egyptian Museum in Barcelona displays a bibliographic collection with more than 10,000 documents dating from the 16th century to the present day. One of the most exceptional documents is a handwritten letter addressed by the Italian Egyptologist Ippolito Rosellini to his teacher and friend JF Champollion.

The archaeological campus

In addition to the library, the museum has an actual school of Egyptology and an archaeological campus, which was inaugurated in April 2002 and is located in the town of Palau-Solita i Plegamans, 20 kilometres from Barcelona. The facility was created with the aim of getting children interested in ancient Egypt and especially in the methodology used during archaeological excavations.

Participants can experience all the steps involved in a real archaeological excavation, from the topography of the area to the actual excavation of the layers. The school, opened in 2000, is the first in Spain, and the training provided is complemented by a trip to Egypt held at the end of each cycle.

Tickets for the Egyptian Museum

Tickets for the Egyptian Museum in Barcelona can be bought on site or online. Buying them online has the great advantage of not having to queue at the cash desk and having the certainty of the visit. In addition to the full-price ticket, there is the possibility of purchasing a reduced ticket for students, tour guides, the unemployed, single parents and large families, as well as for the over-65s and children between 13 and 18 years of age.

In addition, children between 6 and 12 years of age pay an even more advantageous reduced ticket, while children under 6 years of age getfree admission. A curiosity: admission to the museum is also free for Egyptian citizens.

Opening Hours

The Egyptian Museum in Barcelona is open every day of the week except 1 and 6 January, and 25 and 26 December. Opening hours vary depending on the day according to the following schedule:

• Monday to Friday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7.30 p.m
• Saturday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7.30 p.m
• Sunday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m

Guided Tours

The Egyptian Museum provides guided tours of its collections with real Egyptologists, essential to give visitors a better understanding and knowledge of Egyptian culture and civilisation.

In addition to the permanent collections and temporary exhibitions, the museum also organises other activities that allow visitors to enjoy the collections in an entertaining way, such as guided tours at night featuring re-enactments with actors, or ‘the eternal banquet‘, a guided tour focusing on Egyptian cuisine, which offers visitors the chance to taste the products that were part of the diet of this ancient civilisation.

In addition to tours of the Egyptian Museum conducted by official tour guides, you can also take part in a free guided tour of the permanent exhibition, held every Saturday at noon (in Spanish) and at 5 p.m. (in Catalan).

How to get to the Egyptian Museum

The Egyptian Museum in Barcelona is very easy to visit, thanks to its proximity to public transport: the street where it is located, Carrer de Valencia, crosses Passeig de Gracia at a very short distance from the museum, and is consequently convenient to the Diagonal (lines L3, L5) and Passeig de Gracia (lines L2, L3, L4) metro stations, which are more or less equidistant from the museum entrance. If you wish, it can also be reached on foot from the city centre, as it is just over a kilometre from Placa de Catalunya, and consequently from the end of Las Ramblas.

The museum is also only a short distance from Casa Batllò and Casa Milà, so it is natural to include it in a walking itinerary that also includes a visit to the two mansions designed by Gaudí.