Palau Martorell Tickets
One ticket covers a restored 19th-century bank palace and whatever exhibition fills its three floors, right now «Prelude», the Czech painter Petr Kvíčala’s first solo show in Spain.
Every bundle below includes the same Palau Martorell entry: admission to the palace and its current exhibition. Pairing it with another stop works out cheaper than booking separately, and turns the palace into one stop on a bigger art (or Gaudí) day instead of a special trip on its own.
Benefits
Tickets & Prices
One entry ticket covers everything under the roof, the exhibition and the palace together. The audio guide isn’t included, it’s paid separately onsite. Reduced entry applies for over-65s, students, unemployed visitors and large families, children aged 6 to 12 pay a lower rate, and under-6s go in free.
Online entry tickets are nonrefundable and can’t be moved to another date, so pick a day you’re sure of.
If the palace is one stop on a bigger art day, combo tickets pair it with the Moco Museum, Casa Milà or Sagrada Família at a discount on both.
Plan Your Visit
Open every day of the year, holidays included, from 10:00 to 20:00 with last entry at 19:00. Access to the exhibition halls ends an hour before closing.
In practice the wind-down starts earlier: staff begin switching off videos and lights around 19:50, and visitors on the 19:00 slot have felt short-changed. Aim to be inside by 18:00. A typical visit runs 60 – 90 minutes.
There is a large wheelchair-accessible lift, stair lifts with staff assistance, an entrance through the side building, adapted restrooms, Braille-marked lift panels and seating through the galleries. On the standard route the exhibition runs over three floors linked by the staircase, so expect some climbing between them.
What to See & Do
Prelude: Petr Kvíčala (until 16 October 2026)
Large geometric canvases from the last ten years of his career. Circles, lines and faceted shapes repeat across each surface until the painting seems to move. Next to the flat canvases in saturated colour, some pieces are faceted reliefs that stand out from the wall.
The show fills the whole building. Paintings line the courtyard under the skylight, and a big red canvas with a white wave greets you from the staircase.
The palace itself
Joan Martorell i Montells raised the building between 1886 and 1900 as the head office of the Crédito Mercantil bank, and in 1901 it took first prize in the city council’s annual competition for artistic buildings. The facade plays it straight, five symmetrical openings with Doric columns below and Ionic above. Inside is where it opens up: the marble staircase with its iron railing, the central courtyard, and that blue cartwheel of a stained-glass skylight.
Ask the room staff about the building – they know its history well and enjoy telling it. Before Kvíčala the palace hosted Steve McCurry, Sorolla, Botero, Chagall, Mucha and a show of 19th-century Japan, and it has become the kind of venue you check whenever you’re back in town.
Insider Tips
- Book an afternoon slot rather than the 19:00 last entry. Rooms start shutting around 19:50 and the final hour feels rushed.
- The palace is kept noticeably cool with the lighting low. In summer that makes it a genuine midday refuge, and a light layer is worth carrying in any season.
- Even in July the rooms stay quiet – at one summer show a father and son had the place nearly to themselves.
- The spot lighting can throw reflections off the glazed prints. A slight change of angle deals with it.
- The gripe that recurs in lower-star reviews is price: entry can feel steep if the building itself isn’t part of the draw for you. The combo tickets are the answer if it is a borderline call.
- Finish at La Plata around the corner, a tiny old-school tapas bar, for a vermouth.
FAQs
Is Palau Martorell free on Sundays?
No. It is a private venue and runs no free-day scheme. Children under 6 always go free.
What is on at Palau Martorell right now?
Prelude, geometric paintings by Petr Kvíčala, until 16 October 2026.
What are the next exhibitions at Palau Martorell?
Calder, Basquiat and Tamara de Lempicka are the announced names. Dates go up on the venue’s website.