Within walking distance of La Rambla, a small passage leads you to a wonderful building of neoclassical architecture, which was designed in 1867 to be the headquarters of the Bank of Barcelona. Since 1973 it has housed one of the city’s most elaborate museums, the Museu de Cera, the Barcelona’s Wax Museum.
Information to visit the Barcelona’s Wax Museum
Enrique Alarcón, an architect and set designer, was commissioned to develop and promote the wax museum, and he was responsible for choosing the building in which it is housed. It’s easy to see why he made this choice – as well as being a beautiful building, it’s also versatile and creates an atmosphere of mystery. Although the museum itself is quite hidden away, it’s easy to find, thanks to the unmistakeable box office towards the lower end of La Rambla itself, where you can find out more information and buy your tickets.
Types of visit, and tickets for the Wax Museum
You can buy your tickets for the Wax Museum in the ticket office at the museum itself, or you can buy online if you prefer, in which case you’ll receive a discount of 5%. If you buy online, you’ll need to print your ticket or booking confirmation and bring it with you to the museum.
Promotion that includes the tickets to visit the Barcelona Wax Museum and a tour on the famous Las Golondrinas boats
-15% online
When you enter the wax museum, you’ll find a marble staircase, on which is attached a red carpet, inviting you to delve into the mysterious interior of the museum. Barcelona’s wax museum has many rooms, but unlike some of the other internationally recognised wax museums such as Madame Tussauds in London, the rooms aren’t very big and are close together. If you rush round the museum you’ll find that you will have completed your visit within half an hour, so we therefore recommend that you take it at a leisurely pace, spending plenty of time looking closely at the details of the sculptures.
During the tour you will find all sorts of current and historical characters, related to the arts, to culture, music, cinema, literature etc. Barcelona’s wax museum does have different characteristics to those in other cities, in that it focuses on some of the great figures of the culture and history of Spain, which will make it both interesting and educational to foreign visitors.
Night-Time and theatrical visits
Guided tours: will tell you a little more about each of the historical characters, as well as giving you an insight in to how the wax figures are made, and how they are designed to look so much like the real thing.
Nocturnal dramatized visits: are also hugely popular, and have the beauty of bringing the characters to life, making it a more lifelike experience for visitors.
Horror Experience: functions of horror (organized occasionally).
A good way to make the most of the visit, although it will cost you slightly more, is to purchase a package which includes an audio guide, a souvenir booklet, a photo and a discount of 10% which you can redeem towards entry to the ‘Passatge del Temps’ and the ‘Bosc de les Fades’, places that we’ll tell you about shortly.
‘Passatge del Temps’ and ‘Bosc de les Fades’
Once you have visited the museum, we recommend that you go to the Passatge del Temps (The Passage of Time) and the Bosc de les Fades (Forest of Fairies), which are located inside the building in front of the wax museum.
Bosc de les Fades
At the end of the Passatge del Temps you’ll arrive at the Bosc de les Fades. Thanks to a wonderful décor and atmosphere you’ll be transported to a magical forest full of fairies, in which you can enjoy a moment of rest with a drink after your trip.
It’s a bit difficult to define the ‘Passatge del Temps’, but it’s basically a space that offers all sorts of very original designs and displays avant-garde objects; it’s perfect for finding original gifts.