The stapler building
One end of the building juts out over the square in a long cantilever — the best-known thing here before you even go in.
Amadalvarez — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fred Romero — CC BY 2.0 · Jorge Franganillo — CC BY 2.0 · Jorge Franganillo — CC BY 2.0
Honestly, no. On a first three-day trip the Sagrada Família, Park Güell, Casa Batlló, the MNAC and the Picasso Museum all come first. Save this for day four or five — or move it up if design or fashion is your field or your hobby.
Metro Glòries on L1 comes out onto the square itself, and the tram stops there too. The building is obvious the moment you surface — the grey block projecting over the plaza. It is about ten minutes on L1 from Plaça Catalunya.
Less so than other options. The displays are objects behind glass with written labels, not hands-on experiences. With young children, CosmoCaixa or the Aquarium suit far better; a teenager interested in drawing or fashion will find plenty here.
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The Design Museum sits on Plaça de les Glòries in a heavy grey block, one end of which juts out over the square in a deep cantilever — hence the city's nickname for it, the stapler. The building is the first thing you notice; it stands in a modern business district, not the Gothic Quarter or the Gaudí trail. Inside are holdings once split across separate city collections of decorative arts, ceramics, textiles and graphic arts, now arranged by discipline: product design, clothing across the centuries, graphic design and posters — plus temporary shows that rotate through the year. It is not on the scale of the MNAC or the weight of the Picasso Museum, and it is fair to postpone on a short visit. It earns its time if design, fashion or craft interests you, or if you want a calm indoor stop on a wet afternoon: wide galleries and far smaller crowds than the central museums. The nearest Metro is Glòries on L1, minutes on foot. The open-air Encants flea market under its mirrored canopy is across the square and the cylindrical Torre Glòries is close, so the three make an easy half-day.
One end of the building juts out over the square in a long cantilever — the best-known thing here before you even go in.
A dress collection tracking how cut and cloth shifted from past centuries to the present.
An open-air second-hand market under a mirrored canopy, free to walk into and a complete change of pace.
Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes 37-38, 08018 Barcelona