Housed in five adjoining medieval palaces on Carrer Montcada in the Born neighbourhood, the Museu Picasso holds over 4,000 works and is strongest on the artist's formative years — the Blue Period, his early sketches, and the remarkable series of 58 interpretations of Velázquez's Las Meninas. It is not a comprehensive survey of Picasso's career (for that you'd go to Paris or Málaga), but the depth of his early work here gives real insight into how a teenage prodigy became the twentieth century's most influential artist.
The museum gets crowded, especially in summer. Booking tickets online in advance saves a significant wait. Thursday evenings offer free entry and a slightly calmer atmosphere. The Gothic courtyards connecting the five palaces are worth lingering in — they are lovely spaces in their own right.