Big Fun Museum Barcelona

The Big Fun Museum is a quirky, interactive attraction on the Rambla de Sant Josep, at numbers 88 to 94, the stretch of La Rambla beside the Boqueria market. It opened in 2018 and describes itself as nine small museums under one roof, each with a colourful theme, from an upside-down house to rooms of illusions and larger-than-life photo sets. The exhibition is aimed squarely at play: you walk through rooms that appear to be turned over, pose beside giant objects and take photographs that make little sense until you look closely. Image descriptions on show a huge pink unicorn sculpture holding an ice-cream cone and other oversized pieces. It is not a traditional museum with labels and artefacts, and it should be judged as an entertainment venue, which is exactly why it works on the right day. The operator lists hours of 11:00 to 19:00 Sunday to Thursday and 11:00 to 21:00 on Friday and Saturday, and the entry ticket is a straightforward timed admission.

Rated 4.4 from nearly two hundred reviews on the booking page, it sits comfortably in the family and rainy-day category. The booking page does not state a visit length or an age guide, so the sensible approach is to allow about an hour and to treat it as suitable for most children who enjoy dressing up, posing and exploring.

Adults who like novelty will enjoy it, but travellers who dislike crowded tourist streets or who want an educational museum should look elsewhere. Several combinations are listed at around five per cent off, including pairings with the Barcelona Aquarium and the nearby Museum of Illusions, which is useful if you want a cluster of light attractions in one day.

Location is the main advantage. La Rambla is the busiest pedestrian street in the city, and the stretch by the Boqueria is its liveliest, so the museum is easy to slot into a walk from Plaça de Catalunya down to the port. The same convenience is also its drawback: the street is crowded, pickpockets operate along it, and prices at the restaurants nearby are high.

Keep bags closed and in front of you, and for lunch walk into the Boqueria or a side street in the Raval or Gothic Quarter rather than eating on the street itself.

Plan it as a short stop. A pleasant sequence is the museum first, then the Boqueria market for juice, fruit and a counter lunch, then the Gothic Quarter lanes behind the cathedral. If you have older children and want a second activity of this kind, the Museum of Illusions is a short walk away, and the two together make a cheerful, low-effort afternoon after a morning at the Sagrada Família or Park Güell.

Check the hours for your day, because the venue stays open later on Fridays and Saturdays than on other days, and weigh the cost against the Museum of Illusions if you only want one of the two.

In summer the air-conditioned rooms are a welcome break from the midday sun, and in winter they offer a dry hour when the weather turns. For adults travelling without children, it is an optional extra, best taken with friends who enjoy a laugh and a photograph.