Museu d'Història de Catalunya

Lonely Planet review

From the caves of the Pyrenees to air-raid shelters of the civil war, see how Catalans and other folk (including Romans and Arabs) have rolled with history's ups and downs over 2000 years in this hectic but entertaining interactive display. Pick up a guide in English at reception and don't miss the view from the top-floor restaurant.

The permanent display covers the 2nd and 3rd floors, taking you, as the bumf says, on a 'voyage through history' from the Stone Age through to the early 1980s. The museum is a busy hodgepodge of dioramas, artefacts, videos, models, documents and interactive bits. It is an entertaining and informative (although a little uneven) exploration of 2000 years of Catalan history. See how the Romans lived, listen to Arab poetry from the time of the Muslim occupation of the city, peer into the dwelling of a Dark Ages family in the Pyrenees, mount a knight's horse and try to lift a suit of armour. When you have had enough of all this, descend into a civil war air-raid shelter or head upstairs to the rooftop restaurant and cafe.