5 Ideas to Explore Barcelona Art, History & Culture

Exploring Barcelona’s museums, curious landmarks, or tumultuous history doesn’t have to be monotonous. What if you knew five interactive ways to discover the city? From DIY-ing your own Gaudí souvenir to trekking the streets that Christopher Columbus walked, we’ve come up with five interactive and creative ideas to explore Barcelona’s art, history, and culture.

Paint and drink wine

What pairs well with wine? Paint! Join Arte Bar for paint and wine nights to create your own painting on canvas while simultaneously drinking your favorite vino or cerveza. It’s a 3-hour event where you create your version of the featured painting of the night. Don’t have a creative bone in your body? No worries! You’ll get step-by-step instructions from a professional artist. Arte Bar is a space to relax, unleash your creative juices, and come home with a one-of-a-kind souvenir created by an artist: you! Materials, apron, and snacks are provided.

Listen to live music

As a cosmopolitan city, Barcelona offers a wide range of live music from flamenco to classic to your favorite EDM beats. In the spring and summer, the music scene pumps up with huge festivals like Cruilla Barcelona (with headliners like Black Eyed Peas and Kylie Minogue) and the Primavera Sound Festival (with names like Janelle Monae and Interpol). Looking for a more intimate ambiance? Listen to live music at the Sidecar Factory Club, where live DJs spin punk and alternative music. Harlem Jazz Club has live funk, jazz, blues, and rock concerts. For mature party-goers, try Luz de Gas for the live soul, blues, disco music in an incredible music hall decorated with chandeliers.

Sidecar Factory Club: Plaça Reial, 7

Harlem Jazz Club: Carrer de la Comtessa de Sobradiel, 8

Luz de Gas: Carrer de Muntaner, 246

Make a Gaudí-Esque souvenir at a mosaic workshop

Make creative and colorful art a la Gaudí for a fun and interactive workshop. If you’ve admired Antoni Gaudí’s work like the Sagrada Familia, La Casa Batlló, or Parc Guell, then you don’t have to leave Barcelona with just photos you snapped. In this art mosaic workshop, you’ll learn Gaudí’s unique design technique called trencadís, where broken tiles are artfully pieced together. In a 2-hour, 3-hour, or 4-hour class, you can create a picture frame, salamander, an elephant, or a mirror, among others. Be your own Gaudí and have a memory you can admire and keep!

Participate in a museum workshop

Barcelona museums hold several creative events and workshops, often on Sundays. For example, the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC), Picasso Museum, Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA), and Museu del Disseny offer lectures, seminars, and guided tours. But they also interactive activities that you can participate in. For instance, the Fundació Miró has this drawing class for adults. The Museu del Disseny explores graphic arts, stamping, and more creative workshops. MNAC offers inspiring family lectures for young and old people like discussing how specific paintings reflect the world.  Events are constantly changing, so for up-to-date museum activities and workshops, visit the “Activities” or “What’s On” section on the websites.

MACBA: Plaça dels Angels, 1, Barcelona.

Museu del Disseny: Plaça de Les Glòries Catalanes, 37

Picasso Museum: Carrer Montcada, 15-23

MNAC:  Palau Nacional, Parc de Montjuïc, s/n

Go on a unique food and history tour

Shameless plug alert! If you love to explore Barcelona’s history, why not satisfy your tummy’s rumblings also? We’re talking about our Sips, SItes, and Bites tour! As self-professed foodies and history nerds, our tour not only gives you an in-depth dive into Barcelona’s Catalan gastronomic traditions, we’ll also give you a hands-on history lesson that won’t make you fall asleep. This 3.5-hour tour takes you through the mysterious medieval streets of the Gothic Quarter, the Plaça del Rei where Christopher Columbus set foot, and the ancient Roman walls. Check out Sips, Sites, and Bites tour here

Are you looking for another creative activity in Barcelona? Let us know in the comments, and we’ll see if we can help!

June 6, 2019 | Words by Justine Ancheta for Eye On Food Tours