The Picasso Museum Málaga (Museo Picasso Málaga) shows the work of the city’s most famous son in the 16th-century Buenavista Palace, a few streets from the house where he was born in 1881. A ticket costs €13 (reduced €11), covers the collection and the temporary exhibitions, and is free for under-17s and for everyone in the last two hours on Sundays (as of October 2026). It opens daily from 10:00. Allow about two hours.
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Tickets and tours for Museo Picasso Málaga
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Why the museum matters
Pablo Picasso was born in Málaga and spent his first ten years here before his family moved north. He long wanted a museum in his home city, and asked that it be in an old, secular building. That wish came true only after his death: the museum opened on 27 October 2003, built around works given and lent by his family, and today it works closely with the Fundación Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso (FABA), set up by his grandson Bernard and Almine Ruiz-Picasso.
The building is part of the story. The Buenavista Palace was built in the 16th century by Diego de Cazalla, who had taken part in the Christian conquest of Málaga in 1487, on the remains of a Nasrid palace. It mixes Renaissance and Mudéjar styles around a central courtyard, and it was declared a national monument in 1939. After housing the city’s fine arts museum from 1961 to 1997, it was bought by the Junta de Andalucía for the Picasso museum. The architect Richard Gluckman, with Isabel Cámara and Rafael Martín Delgado, added a cluster of simple white buildings around a small square behind it, using fifteen neighbouring houses, for the temporary exhibitions, library and auditorium.
What you’ll see
- The collection: the current display, “Pablo Picasso: Structures of Invention”, brings together 144 paintings, sculptures, ceramics, drawings and prints, chosen with FABA and curated by Michael FitzGerald. Instead of walking period by period (Blue, Rose, Cubist and so on), it groups works across his 80-year career to show how he kept reinventing the same ideas.
- The temporary exhibition: from 30 October 2026 to 28 February 2027, “Munch–Picasso” sets more than a hundred paintings, drawings and prints by Edvard Munch and Picasso side by side for the first time, on themes such as love and desire, illness, death and the café life of modern cities. It is curated by Paloma Alarcó with the Munch Museum in Oslo.
- The archaeological site: in the basement, the remains of Phoenician Málaga (Malaka), including part of a house from the late 7th to early 6th century BC, sections of the 6th-century BC city wall and a tower, plus Roman remains and rooms of the old palace.
- The palace itself: the arcaded courtyard and a quiet garden café with orange trees, laurels and a fountain.
Tickets and how to visit
From the museum’s official website, as of October 2026:
- Hours: daily, 10:00–19:00 in March to June and September to October; 10:00–20:00 in July and August; 10:00–18:00 from November to February. Last entry 30 minutes before closing; the galleries start to clear 10 minutes before.
- Closed: 25 December, 1 and 6 January. On 24 and 31 December and 5 January it opens 10:00–15:00.
- General ticket: €13, including the collection, the temporary exhibitions and a web-app audioguide on your phone. Reduced: €11 for over-65s, European Youth Card holders and students under 26.
- Free: under-17s; visitors with a disability and one companion; registered unemployed people; University of Málaga students. Free for everyone in the last two hours every Sunday (the ticket office closes 30 minutes before closing), and on 28 February, 18 May, 27 September and 27 October.
- Where to buy: all tickets are sold online. If online tickets are sold out, the ticket office can sell them at quieter times.
How long to allow and when to go
Allow about two hours for the collection, the exhibition and the basement. Weekday mornings are calmest. The free Sunday hours are popular, so arrive early in the window, and expect a queue in summer and around Easter.
Accessibility
According to the Junta de Andalucía’s accessible tourism guide, there is a step-free alternative entrance with an intercom to call staff, a lift serves all three floors, the galleries are wide and open, and manual wheelchairs are available for the visit. Only part of the garden café is accessible. Visitors with a disability and one companion enter free.
Getting there
The museum is on Calle San Agustín, in the pedestrian old town, close to the cathedral, the Roman Theatre and the Alcazaba. From the Centro-Alameda station of the C1 train, it’s a 10–15 minute walk. The nearest public car parks are on the edge of the old town; don’t try to drive in.
Combine it with
The Alcazaba is about 200 metres away, with the Roman Theatre at its foot. Picasso’s birthplace, now a small museum, is a few minutes north on Plaza de la Merced. On Sunday afternoons you can link free entry to the Alcazaba (from 14:00) and the museum (last two hours). See our Málaga travel guide for the Centre Pompidou, the beaches and day trips.
Picasso Museum Málaga FAQ
How much is the Picasso Museum in Málaga?
€13 for a general ticket as of October 2026, €11 reduced. Under-17s go free. The ticket includes the temporary exhibitions and an audioguide on your phone.
When is the Picasso Museum Málaga free?
Every Sunday for the last two hours before closing, and on 28 February, 18 May, 27 September and 27 October. Under-17s and some other groups are always free.
Do I need to book in advance?
It helps. All tickets are sold online, and the ticket office only sells when it’s quiet if online tickets have run out. Book ahead for weekends, holidays and the free Sunday hours.
Is this Picasso’s birthplace?
No. He was born nearby, on Plaza de la Merced, where his birthplace is a separate small museum. This museum holds the main collection.
How long does it take to visit?
About two hours for the collection, the temporary exhibition and the Phoenician remains in the basement.
What exhibition is on in autumn 2026?
“Munch–Picasso”, from 30 October 2026 to 28 February 2027, alongside the permanent display of 144 works by Picasso.