MNAC’s setting could hardly be more grand; the Palau Nacional, built in three years and opened in 1929, overlooks Barcelona from atop Montjuic mountain. Montjuic is also home to countless other attractions, including the Fundació Joan Miró, Museu d’Arqueologia and Olympic complex. Approaching it, you will commonly encounter people spilling out of large business conferences and temporary art exhibitions. Yet you’ll also find yourself facing the wonderful fountains, which erupt each evening in a spectacular light show along with a view that is just as breathtaking as in the daytime.

The museum itself houses the principal collection of Catalan art in Barcelona, spanning the Roman, Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance periods through the first half of the 20th century. The Palau Nacional would be worth seeing even without the accompanying interior splendor, but the full package makes the MNAC an indispensable experience.