Picasso Museum go when it's free or buy tickets?

Sunday afternoon?.... http://www.btv.cat/btvnoticies/2013/08/18/diumenge-museu-picasso/ judge for yourself!

Do you think we locals don't go to museums?

Julane, I won't speak for the Picasso but free days are generally the worst times to try and visit ANY popular museum. They're just mobbed, and you waste a ton of valuable sightseeing time standing around in a queue unless there's a method of pre-buying tickets or making reservations. Even if there is, the place is going to be overrun.

I think the Prado in Madrid may be an exception to Kathy's rule above. It has free time at the end of EVERY day, and seems to handle the crowds very efficiently.

I was in Barcelona for a month last summer and stayed in an apartment not far from the Picasso museum. The line was always down the street on Sundays. You may try to get there early (as in, at least 30 minutes before it opens) and see if that helps. FYI, I went to several other museums on their free days such as the Museum of Catalan Art (MNAC) and it had very few crowds. That probably never happens at the Picasso museum since it's much smaller and has such tight crowd control, but still good to know.

Thank you all! Based on the advice, I will pre-purchase tickets.

We loved having our pre-purchased tickets and walking past the long line and straight into the museum. Enjoy!

Another option you may want to consider is a guided walking tour. I took one called Picasso's Barcelona. It left out of the TI at Placa Catalunya around 16.00, arriving at the Picasso Museum at about 17:30. There the tour guide walked us through the highlights of the collection, then left us to explore the rest of the museum on our own. The cost was, I believe, euro 18.00 per person, which included the Museum entrance. I don't think this tour is offered every day of the week - I went on a Thursday I believe. You can check it out on the TI's website.

Jack, how did you find the walking part of that tour, was it interesting and a good use of your limited time?

Another option I was thinking of trying was with the ArticketBCN which Rick (Spain 2016 p78) says "lets you go straight to the special Articket window near the main entrance (you'll be allowed in at the next timed-entry slot)" Does anyone know if that works? Does "next timed-entry slot" mean even if the next one is sold-out for general admission? Seems like julane could go that way if wants to buy the ArticketBCN for Picasso and other museums.

How about Tuesdays? Are lines long for weekdays too? Trying to gauge if we should buy tickets in advance. Thanks!

Larry -

The Walking Tour portion (aside from the Picasso Museum) was excellent. It was about 90 minutes. We visited several sites where Picasso either lived, worked, or displayed his art in Barcelona - for example the Four Cats restaurant. As I recall, the tour begins in the midafternoon (at 4:00 PM, I think). Information and reservations are available at the TI under Placa Catalunya. Enjoy!

There is something I do not understand. Entrance to the Picasso museum is free on Sunday, which is the only day the OP has available. How then can the OP pre-purchase a ticket for a free-entry Sunday?

We went on a Sunday and the line moved very fast.
It's not a huge museum.
The Miro museum on Montjuic is wonderful. We liked it better.
We took a bus up there. It was a nice ride. Has a great sculpture garden that overlooks Barcelona.