The courtyard is the part you can use without deciding anything: an orange-tree patio at the entrance, free to walk into, with a café in summer and a bench in the shade, a few metres behind the cathedral. Inside, one ticket of 4.40 euros covers both the permanent collection and the temporary show. Two things are worth knowing before picking a day. The museum is free every Sunday from 3 pm and all of the first Sunday of the month, 11 am to 8 pm. And on those free days it does not lend the audio guide, which matters here more than in most museums.
How much is the Museu Frederic Marès and when is it free? 4.40 euros general and 2.50 reduced. Free every Sunday from 3 pm to 8 pm and all of the first Sunday of the month, 11 am to 8 pm. No audio guide is lent on free days.
What you are actually looking at
The collection splits in two, and the second half is the reason people remember the place.
The lower floors hold medieval and Catalan sculpture, which is what the building announces. Above it sits the part the sculptor Frederic Marès assembled over sixty years: everyday nineteenth-century objects sorted by type rather than by story. 108 snuff boxes. Fans, clocks, automata, keys, scissors, playing cards.
It is closer to an inventory of ordinary life than to an art display, and that is precisely why the commentary changes the visit.
Why the free day is not always the better day
This is the trade-off, and it is stated only on the museum’s own rates page.
On free-admission days the museum does not lend the audio guide. In a room of labelled paintings that costs little. In a room of snuff boxes arranged by shape it costs a lot, because nothing on the wall explains why a man spent six decades collecting them.
So the practical split is this. If you are going for the everyday-objects collection, pay the 4.40 euros on an ordinary weekday and take the guide. If you are going for the sculpture or for the building, Sunday afternoon does the job.
Prices
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| General | 4.40 euros |
| Reduced | 2.50 euros |
| Group, self-guided, per person | 2.50 euros |
| Under 16 | Free |
The reduced 2.50 euros applies to visitors aged 16 to 29, over 65s, people out of work and holders of certain cards and family status.
One ticket covers both exhibitions, permanent and temporary, with no supplement. That is not the rule across the municipal museums, so it is worth noting when comparing.
Free slots and who never pays
| Slot | Hours |
|---|---|
| Every Sunday | 3 pm to 8 pm |
| First Sunday of the month | 11 am to 8 pm, all day |
| Santa Eulàlia, 12 February | All day |
| International Museum Day, 18 May | All day |
| La Mercè, 24 September | All day |
Sunday afternoon is the usable one, because it repeats weekly and runs five hours. The first Sunday adds the morning. The wider picture of which museums open free and when is in the free Barcelona guide.
Admission is always free for under-16s, ICOM members and visitors with a recognised disability, whose companion comes in free too.
Opening hours and the two early closures
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Tuesday to Saturday | 10 am to 7 pm |
| Sundays and public holidays | 11 am to 8 pm |
| Monday | Closed, unless a public holiday |
| 26 December and 6 January | Until 2 pm |
It closes on 1 January, 1 May, 24 June and 25 December, the same calendar as the other municipal museums.
Getting there and where to buy
The address is Plaça de Sant Iu, 5, directly behind the cathedral, with the entrance through the courtyard. The nearest metro is Jaume I (L4) and Liceu (L3) is about ten minutes on foot; which ticket pays off for the number of journeys you plan is compared in the metro ticket worth buying.
Tickets are also sold at the Palau de la Virreina desk on La Rambla 99, Monday to Sunday from 10 am to 8.30 pm, on 93 316 10 00.
The cathedral itself sits a minute away and has its own free-entry hours, set out in the cathedral tickets guide. For a wet afternoon in the same quarter, the rainy day guide covers what else is indoors nearby.
If you came for the snuff boxes, pay and take the guide.
Frequently asked questions about the Museu Frederic Marès
How much does the Museu Frederic Marès cost?
General admission is 4.40 euros and the reduced rate 2.50 euros, among the lowest in Ciutat Vella. One ticket covers the permanent collection and the temporary exhibition, with no separate entry and no supplement.
When is the Museu Frederic Marès free?
Every Sunday from 3 pm until 8 pm, and all of the first Sunday of the month from 11 am to 8 pm. It is also free on 12 February for Santa Eulàlia, 18 May for International Museum Day and 24 September for La Mercè.
Is there an audio guide on free days?
No. On free-admission days the museum does not lend the audio guide, a trade-off stated only on its rates page. In a collection of everyday objects the commentary is what turns a display case into a visit.
What is actually in the collection?
Two very different things. Medieval and Catalan sculpture on the lower floors, and above it the Col·lecció Sentimental: sixty years of everyday nineteenth-century objects, including 108 snuff boxes, fans, clocks and automata.
Can you sit in the courtyard without a ticket?
Yes. The orange-tree courtyard at the entrance is free to enter and has a café in summer, so it works as a shaded stop in the Gothic Quarter without buying admission to the museum itself.