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Museu del Cinema
Cross the river in Girona for the engaging Museu del Cinema. You might just squeeze in a swift, early dinner, as the last train back down to Barcelona leaves around 9.20pm.
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Museu del Futbol Club de Barcelona
The museum dedicated to one of the Europe's greatest football clubs is a big draw. Among the quirkier paraphernalia are old sports board games, a 19th-century leather football, the life-size diorama of a dressing room in the days of yore, posters and magazines from way back and the futbolín (table soccer) collection.
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Museu Egipci
This oddball private collection features more than 700 exhibits, including ceramics, mummies, friezes, jewellery, masks and statuettes from ancient Egypt.
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Museu Etnològic
Barcelona's ethnology museum presents a curious permanent collection called 'Ètnic', in which several thousand items are on show in three themed sections, Orígens (Origins), Pobles (Peoples) and Mosaics . Along with material from rural Catalonia and parts of Spain, the museum's collections include items from as far afield as Australia, Japan and Morocco.
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Museu Frederic Marès
Within these centuries-old walls resides a mind-boggling collection of everyday items, art and medieval Spanish sculpture amassed by Frederic Marès i Deulovol (1893-1991), sculptor, traveller and hoarder extraordinaire. Have a snack in the shady courtyard café.
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Museu Marìtim
Much of Barcelona's medieval prosperity depended on sea trade. In these one-time Gothic shipyards, you can get a sense of the glory and adventure of centuries of maritime history , from the era of rafts to the age of steam. Entry also gives access to the 1918 three-master Pailebot de Santa Eulàlia , moored at Port Vell ( M0086, B4).
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Museu Militar
An assortment of weapons, uniforms, armour, tin soldiers and instruments of war from down the centuries make up this sombre collection, housed in an 18th-century fortress (more often used for bombarding the city than defending it) that overlooks Barcelona. The view is magnificent.
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Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya
The grandest and worthiest of all Barcelona's art museums, the MNAC gathers under one roof a plethora of Catalan works that range from the Middle Ages to well into the 1900s. The Romanesque art in particular is a unique experience.
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Museu Picasso
Barcelona's most visited museum shows numerous works tracing the artist's early years and is especially strong on his Blue Period, with canvasses like The Defenceless , as well as ceramics and early works from the 1890s. The rest of the museum traces Picasso's life and travels.
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Museu Tèxtil i d'Indumentària
Fashion victims with a sense of history will appreciate this millennia-long march-past of clobber. Inside the 13th-century mansion, you are confronted by everything from 4th-century Coptic Egyptian textiles to 20th-century local embroidery, but best is the collection that takes you through the salons of 17th-century Europe to 1930s fashion.
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Museu-Monestir de Pedralbes
This peaceful museum provides an absorbing insight into medieval monastic life. The convent was founded in 1326 and is a jewel of Catalan Gothic with its three-storey cloister. The few remaining nuns have moved to nearby quarters. Around the cloister, visit the restored refectory, kitchen, stables, stores and infirmary. Built into the cloister walls are day cells where the nuns spent most of their time in prayer and devotional reading. To get there take the FGC train to Reina Elisenda or bus 22, 63, 64 or 75.
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Palau del Baró Quadras
Remodelled by Puig i Cadafalch between 1902 and 1904, this palace currently houses the Casa Asia cultural centre. It has fine stained glass and its façade is ornamented with detailed neo-Gothic carvings. Pop in for a cuppa at the café.
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Parc d'Atraccions
For the Ferris Wheel ride of your life - with panoramic views from the top of mount Tibidabo mountain - head to this cherished old-fashioned funfair. It's also a museum for old carnival games and gizmos dating back to the 19th century. Follow the funicular to fun.
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Sitges Museums
Sitges resort is no less attractive in winter, although you won't have much company as you cavort between its three museums, admire the sun-bleached baroque church atop a bluff over the beach, soak up the village atmosphere and wonder if it's too cold for a dip at the nude beach southwest of town.
