Barcelona Pedralbes And Les Corts

Museums in Pedralbes and Les Corts cater to the obsessed. Whether your passion is soccer, Modernisme, or fashion, there’s a museum here that will impress you with its original, well-curated exhibits. On a hot day or a rainy day, leave the city center, head here, and educate yourself. There aren’t many dining options around, so it might be wise to pack a picnic.

Museu Del Fútbol Club Barcelona. Busloads of tour groups from all over the world pour into this museum, making it one of Barcelona’s most visited—it sees more than 1,200,000 visitors per year. The museum merits all the attention it gets, as it pays fitting homage to one of soccer’s greatest clubs. Any sports fan will appreciate the history of the team that began in 1899 when a Swiss soccer star, Hans Gamper, moved to Barcelona and gathered a group of eager players. Some of the team’s recent greats include Maradona, Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Messi, and Henry. Room after room displays countless cups the team has won, including the coveted European Cup, which it won in 1992, 2006, and 2009, and the Copa del Rey, which it has won 25 times, more than any other club. The museum includes soccer-related art and past team photos. Check out some of the funky uniform variations on the familiar blue and burgundy team colors. The high point, especially if you can’t get to an actual match, is the chance to enter the Camp Nou stadium itself—with a capacity of 98,787, it is the biggest stadium in Europe. In addition, the tour shows you the dressing rooms, a tunnel to the playing field, players’ benches, the press rooms, the chapel, and the presidential box. In the same complex, a gift shop sells all varieties of official FCB merchandise. (Next to the stadiu. Collblanc. Enter through access gate 7 or 9. ☎934 96 36 08. Open M-Sa 10am-6:15pm, Su and holidays 10am-2pm. Museum and Camp Nou tour €17. Free parking.)

Museu De Les Arts Decoratives. The quirky Museum of Decorative Arts presents European home furnishings and household objects from as far back as the Middle Ages. The displays are ordered chronologically; walking through, you can see the influence of each age on the objects that we live among today. The Romanesque-Gothic display emphasizes knights’ nomadic lifestyles and the need for their possessions to be portable. The Renaissance display includes several large, ornate, inlaid chests of drawers and coffers that beg to be opened (a sign forbids visitors to do so). The 19th-century collection of furniture hints at how the Catalan bourgeoisie once lived; particularly striking is an 1815 Catalan sleigh bed and its side table. Check out the pieces of metal sculpture, cast iron, and mosaic tiles and observe Modernism’s influence in the realm of interior design. The museum’s eclectic collection also contains 20th-century industrial objects, such as Juma’s 1977 Sabata de Talo, an ash tray shaped like a woman’s high-heeled shoe, and a collection of motorcycles. If that isn’t enough, a broad range of temporary exhibitions are held throughout the year. (Av. Diagonal, 686. Bus #7, 33, 63, 67, 68, 74, 75, 78, L51, or L61 or Palau Reial, L3. On the 2nd floor of the Palau Reial, opposite the Museu de Ceràmica. ☎932 56 34 65; www.dhub-bcn.cat/ca/museus. Admission will also get you into the Museu de Ceràmica and the Museu Téxtil. Open Tu-Sa 10am-6pm, Su and holidays 10am-3pm. €4.20, students under 25 €2.40, under 16 free.)

Museu De Ceràmica. The display in the Museu de Ceràmica traces the evolution of Spanish ceramic sculpture from the 11th century to the present. The exhibits showcase skillfully crafted plates, tiles, jars, and bowls gathered from all regions of Spain. Artists and art historians will want to read the plaques discussing each era’s symbolism and firing technique. The five rooms of 20th-century ceramics display abstract works by Picasso and Miró as well as other artists; imagine drinking sangria out of a pitcher designed by the master of Cubism himself. (Av. Diagonal, 686. Bus #7, 33, 63, 67, 68, 74, 75, 78, L51, or L61 or Palau Reial, L3. On the 2nd floor of the Palau Reial, opposite the Museu de les Arts Decoratives. ☎932 56 34 65; www.museuceramica.bcn.cat. Ticket will also get you into the Museu de les Arts Decoratives and the Museu Téxtil. Open Tu-Sa 10am-6pm, Su and holidays 10am-3pm. €4.20, students under 25 €2.40, under 16 free.)

Museu Téxtil I D’Indumentària. This museum offers a quick tour of the history of European fashion, from bustles and sadistic corsets to V-necks and miniskirts. The main exhibit—“Dressing the Body”—juxtaposes old with new, highlighting historical influence on modern design and the ways that clothing distorts the body. In the first display, for example, a 2008 dress by Emilio de la Morena with a flared hot pink tulle skirt is shown side-by-side with 16th-century dresses worn by noblewomen; an adjacent screen discusses why designers want to make the waist appear narrow and the hips wide. Fashionistas will ooh and ah at the museum’s collection of contemporary jewelry. (Av. Diagonal, 686. Bus #7, 33, 63, 67, 68, 74, 75, 78, L51, or L61 or Palau Reial, L3. On the 3rd floor of the Palau Reial. Take the stairs to the left of the main staircase, as you ascend. ☎932 56 34 65; www.dhub-bcn.cat/ca/museus. Ticket will also get you into the Museu de les Arts Decoratives and the Museu Ceràmica. Open Tu-Sa 10am-6pm, Su and holidays 10am-3pm. €4.20, students under 25 €2.40, under 16 free.)