48h Open House Barcelona is an annual festival that opens some of the city’s most interesting buildings to the public. For one weekend, you can step inside museums, art spaces, design studios and architectural landmarks that are usually closed or hard to access. What makes it stand out is the variety: from former Modernista mansions to contemporary creative spaces. Moving through them offers a different way of seeing the city from the inside, with architects and volunteers on hand to explain what is normally out of view. It is a chance to explore Barcelona’s hidden spaces and see how life and work unfold within its buildings.
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Most visits are free. Some require advance booking, while others allow open access.
The route offers a different way of reading museum architecture: vaults, corridors and restoration workshops show museums as living spaces in their own right.
The festival extends across different neighbourhoods in Barcelona and towns in the metropolitan area, encouraging a more local, close-to-home format.
Some buildings, such as MACBA, host temporary installations that only appear during the festival.