The most useful line on the price list is not a price. Keeping the ticket stub entitles you to a free second visit to the permanent displays within six months, and it is a rule of the whole municipal museum system rather than an offer from this one. For a visitor staying a week that turns a 6-euro ticket into two afternoons. Entry is 6 euros, the reduced rate 2.70, and the combined ticket with the Botanical Garden 8 euros. The catch with that combination is geographic rather than financial: the museum sits in the Fòrum park and the garden on Montjuïc.
How much is the Natural Sciences Museum and when is it free? 6 euros entry and 2.70 reduced. Free all of the first Sunday of the month and every Sunday from 3 pm, and always for under-16s and Gaudir Més members.
Prices, and the one combination that pays
| Ticket | Standard | Reduced |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Sciences Museum | 6 euros | 2.70 euros |
| Temporary exhibition | 6.50 euros | 4.50 euros |
| Museum plus Botanical Garden | 8 euros | 4 euros |
| Planeta Vida plus temporary | 10.50 euros | 6.50 euros |
The combined ticket is the best arithmetic in the table: 2 euros more than single entry for a site that costs 5 on its own.
Whether it makes sense depends on your legs and your schedule, because the two sites are the same museum but at opposite ends of Barcelona. With the free second visit in hand, splitting them across two days costs nothing extra.
Buying the exhibition catalogue also entitles you to two reduced tickets, which is an unusual clause worth knowing if you were going to buy the book anyway.
The winter timetable catches people out
From October to February the doors close at 4.30 pm on weekdays, three hours earlier than the summer schedule.
If you are planning an afternoon here in the darker half of the year, treat it as a morning museum. In summer the same visit works comfortably after lunch.
Who gets in free
- Under-16s, at all times.
- People registered with Gaudir Més Barcelona, covering permanent and temporary displays.
- Holders of the free Targeta Rosa and of the regional disability card.
The windows open to everyone are all of the first Sunday of the month and every Sunday from 3 pm. The wider free-entry map is in the free Barcelona guide.
What the second-visit rule means in practice
Individual visitors get one free return to the permanent displays within six months, on production of the stub. It is not specific to this museum: it applies across the municipal network.
For a resident that is an obvious saving. For a visitor it matters differently: if you are in Barcelona for several days, one ticket covers two separate afternoons, and it stacks on top of the free Sunday windows rather than replacing them.
Getting there and what to pair it with
The museum is in the Parc del Fòrum, in Sant Martí, at the northern end of the seafront, which puts it near the beaches rather than near the old town. The Botanical Garden is on Montjuïc, so the combined ticket means crossing the city.
For science with children, CosmoCaixa is the other option and charges its own rate, and the aquarium is the third. For a full museum day, the Frederic Marès at 4.40 euros and the music museum at 6 are the cheapest in the city. Fares for crossing town are compared in the metro ticket worth buying, and if rain is the reason you are indoors, the rainy day guide has the alternatives.
Keep the stub. It is worth another afternoon.
Frequently asked questions about the Natural Sciences Museum
How much is the Natural Sciences Museum in Barcelona?
Entry is 6 euros and the reduced rate 2.70. The combined ticket with the Botanical Garden is 8 euros and the temporary exhibition 6.50. Under-16s never pay, and neither do people registered with Gaudir Més.
Does the ticket really include a second visit?
Yes, and it is a general rule of the municipal system rather than a promotion here. Individual visitors are entitled to one free return visit to the permanent displays within six months, on production of the original ticket stub.
Is the combined ticket with the Botanical Garden worth it?
The arithmetic says yes: 2 euros more than single entry for a site that costs 5 on its own. The problem is geography. The museum is in the Fòrum park and the garden is on Montjuïc, at opposite ends of Barcelona.
What are the winter opening hours?
From October to February the doors close at 4.30 pm on weekdays, three hours earlier than in summer. It is the detail that catches out anyone planning an after-work visit on a July timetable.
When is the Natural Sciences Museum free?
All of the first Sunday of the month and every Sunday from 3 pm. Admission is also always free for under-16s, Gaudir Més members, holders of the free Targeta Rosa and holders of the regional disability card.