The Museu Blau in Barcelona is a museum of natural sciences, suitable for visiting especially for the little ones. The building that currently houses it is an architectural work worthy of being seen in itself: designed by architects Herzog and de Meuron in 2004 in the park of the Forum, it offers 9.000 square meters of exhibition space, with modern facilities and services for every visitor. The museum includes a permanent exhibition, Planet Life, and at least one temporary exhibition, in collaboration with other museums and international bodies. For the little ones there is also the Nest of Science, a space dedicated to children between 0 and 6 years.
The permanent exhibition Planeta Vida
The permanent exhibition, Planeta Vida, interprets the present Earth as a result of the interaction between the chemical and physical environment of the planet with living beings. Rivers, mountains and oceans are intimately related to the organisms that live in them and as a whole form a global ecosystem that interacts to regulate the conditions of the planet. This vision is the central axis of the permanent exhibition, structured in three areas: the biography of the Earth, the Earth today and The islands of science.
In the first, Biography of the Earth, describes a journey through the history of life on our planet. The Earth today, is the part that explains what the Earth is like now; these two areas show the museum collection. The islands of science, cyclically renewed areas, are small exhibitions in isolated spaces within the general reference exhibition, which deal with themes such as evolution, nomenclature and classification, the Mediterranean, animal behavior, etc.
Temporary exhibitions at the Blue Museum
Spinosaurus, the lost giant of the Cretaceous period (12 July 2016 to 26 March 2021). This exhibition presents in the Museu Blau the first known swimming dinosaur and the largest of the carnivorous dinosaurs. The exhibition, organized by National Geographic with the collaboration of the University of Chicago, is enriched with fossils from the museum's collection. The Spinosaurus, of colossal dimensions - it measures 15 meters in length and weighed about 6,8 tons - it has unique characteristics: a skull similar to that of the crocodile, a huge dorsal crest and short hind legs to be able to move in the water. A life-size replica of the skeleton occupies the central space of the exhibition, along with models, fossils and audiovisuals that recreate the fauna and ecosystem of North Africa in the Cretaceous period, 95 million years ago, when the area was a immense river delta. An extensive dossier on the exhibition in Spanish is available on this page, while here the trailer of the exhibition is available on youtube.
Useful Information
If the weather is good - and in Barcelona it is not difficult - you can organize a picnic on the lawn of the nearby Forum park, and the beach is just a few steps away. All the facilities of the Museu and the surrounding area are adapted to be walked with a stroller or wheelchair, and the museum's exhibition has also been adapted for the blind.
How to get to the Museu Blau
The Museu Blau is located in Plaça Leonardo da Vinci, 4-5, in the Parque del Forum in Poblenou. You can get there easily by metro, getting off at El Maresme-Fórum (yellow line 4); with the Bus Turístic instead the nearest stop is Fórum, on the green line. It should be remembered that, for 2016-17, the green line is not in operation from November to February.
Working Time
The Museu Blau opens in winter - from October to February - from Tuesday to Friday, from 10:00 to 18:00, on Saturdays from 10:00 to 19:00 and on Sundays and holidays from 10:00 to 20:00 : 10. During the other months of the year, from March to September, the museum opens from Tuesday to Saturday from 00:19 to 00:10 and on Sundays and public holidays from 00:20 to 00:24. The museum is closed on non-holiday Mondays, January 25st, May XNUMXst, June XNUMXth and December XNUMXth.
The activity of the Nest of Science it is available on Saturdays from 11:00 to 14:00, and on Sundays also from 16:00 to 19:00. From June 28 to September 4, however, the activity is carried out from Tuesday to Sunday, from 11:00 to 13:30. Lasting about 30 minutes, no reservation is required, and the activity is free.
tickets
THEgeneral admission at the Blue Coast Museum 6€, or € 2,70 if at a reduced rate. With this ticket you can only visit the permanent collection. Admission to the temporary exhibition only instead it costs 6,50€ (€ 4,50 at a reduced rate). The combined ticket permanent collection - temporary exhibition costa 10,50€ if at full rate or € 6,50 if at reduced rate. There is the possibility of buying the single ticket with the Botanical Garden: in this case you can enter both the permanent exhibition of the Museu Blau and the Botanical Garden for € 7, or € 3,50 with the reduced price.
They are entitled to reduced rate people aged between 16 and 29, families with at least one child under 16, those over 65 and groups with more than 10 people. There is also a 20% discount for those who own the Bus Turístic discount booklet. The entrance is free for children under 16 and for holders of the Barcelona Card, admission is also free every first Sunday of the month all day, and all other Sundays starting at 15:00. Other open days are February 12 (Santa Eulalia), May 18 (international museum day) and September 24 (la Mercè).
