The Erotic Museum of Barcelona (MEB), number 1 among the museums of Barcelona on Tripadvisor
July 7th. 2026
The MEB receives Travellers' Choice 2026 for the 4th consecutive year, consolidating its place as one of the 10 most highly rated experiences in Barcelona thanks to its commitment to education and cultural mediation through the Art and Sexology project.
The Museu de l'Eròtica de Barcelona (MEB) has been awarded, for the fourth consecutive year, the Travellers' Choice 2026 recognition from Tripadvisor, an award given to establishments and attractions most highly rated by travelers from around the world.
This recognition also places the MEB, for the first time, as the number 1 museum in Barcelona on Tripadvisor and among the ten most highly rated experiences in the city, a particularly significant achievement for a specialized, independent museum dedicated to the history of eroticism which, in recent years, has made a strong commitment to profoundly transforming its cultural offering.
Far from being the result of a major temporary exhibition or a specific promotional campaign, this recognition is the result of a sustained strategy that has placed research, museographic renewal, and cultural mediation at the heart of the museum's project. This transformation has strengthened the bond with the local community, expanded the educational program, and offered a more rigorous, inclusive, and contemporary reading of erotic heritage through the Art and Sexology project, conceived and directed by the museum's sexologist, Sigrid Cervera, and driven by the institution's management.
In a city that hosts some of Europe's most visited museums, the MEB currently leads the ranking of Barcelona museums based on traveler reviews on Tripadvisor. This recognition coincides with the start of a new era for the institution with the appointment of Azul Sierra as the museum's director.
"Receiving this recognition for the fourth consecutive year is an enormous source of pride because it comes directly from our visitors' experiences. It also confirms that the commitment made in recent years to strengthening the museum's cultural content, research, and mediation has been the right path. Our commitment is to continue developing this line and keep consolidating the MEB as a reference museum within Barcelona's cultural offering," says Sierra, the director of the MEB.
A new way of understanding the Museu de l'Eròtica de Barcelona
“In recent years, the MEB has developed a deep renewal of its museological approach with a clear goal: to turn the history of eroticism into a tool for understanding the evolution of societies, the representation of the body, and the cultural construction of desire”, explains Sigrid Cervera, sexologist at the MEB.
The creation of new permanent spaces, the revision of historical narratives, the incorporation of new curatorial stories, and the development of specialized activities have consolidated a unique museum model, in which eroticism is no longer understood as a mere curiosity but becomes cultural heritage and a tool for reflection and knowledge.
As a result of this line of work, developed through the Department of Education and Cultural Mediation, the permanent exhibitions "Eros & Venus. The desire that shapes love," dedicated to the representation of love and desire in Western artistic tradition, and "Gustav Klimt: the forbidden line. Graphics, censorship and the visual construction of eroticism," a project that analyzes the role of the Viennese artist in transforming the modern view of eroticism, have recently been created.
“Art and Sexology”: the project that has transformed the museum's narrative
The creation of the Department of Education and Cultural Mediation marked a turning point in the museum's recent development. It was from this department that Art and Sexology was born, a project conceived and directed by sexologist Sigrid Cervera which, in a pioneering manner, incorporates the sexological perspective into the interpretation of artistic heritage and the design of the visitor experience.
The program proposes a rigorous, historical, and cultural reading of eroticism, moving away from anecdotal or sensationalist approaches to place knowledge at the center of the museum experience. Through this methodology, new permanent exhibitions, thematic tours, educational activities, guided visits, and outreach projects have been developed, allowing visitors to understand how desire, sexuality, and the representation of the body have been part of the history of art and culture since antiquity.
This line of work has also progressively expanded the programming aimed at the citizens of Barcelona, strengthened the museum's presence in the media, and consolidated a stable cultural offering capable of attracting both the local community and international visitors.
In addition to the recent exhibitions dedicated to Klimt and Eros & Venus, the project has promoted initiatives such as "Marilyn beyond the cover," organized to mark the centenary of Marilyn Monroe's birth; tours dedicated to the history of sexual and gender diversity; specialized visits about BDSM and fetishism; and itineraries that integrate a sexological perspective into the museum's permanent exhibition.
"Eroticism is part of humanity's cultural history. When we study it through art and sexology, we stop seeing it as a taboo and start to understand it as a tool for building imaginaries, identities, and ways of understanding the body and desire. Our goal is for every visitor to leave the museum having learned something new about history… and about themselves as well," explains Sigrid Cervera, sexologist at the MEB and head of the Department of Education and Cultural Mediation.
A summer to discover the number 1 museum in Barcelona on Tripadvisor
Coinciding with this international recognition, the MEB is launching a special program for everyone visiting Barcelona over the coming months.
Throughout the summer, the program "Marilyn beyond the cover" will continue, organized to commemorate the centenary of Marilyn Monroe's birth, with special tours delving into the making of one of the 20th century's greatest erotic icons. The museum will also offer, throughout July, thematic visits to the Diversity Hall, one of the most highly valued permanent spaces by visitors, which presents the historical representation of sexual and gender diversity from ancient Egypt to the present day. On July 24, marking International BDSM Day, the museum will showcase one of its most unique permanent collections, made up of historic spanking photographs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, along with specialized tours on the history of fetishism and BDSM practices.
Throughout the summer, there will also be shibari and erotic dance performances at the museum. The updated calendar can be consulted via the MEB's official Instagram profile.About the new management
Azul Sierra takes on the leadership of the MEB after a career linked to cultural management, marketing, and visitor experience. With a background in Business Administration, Cultural Management, and Customer Experience, she has led strategy, communication, and team development projects, promoting innovative, close management aimed at consolidating the museum as a reference cultural space.
Much more than a tourist recognition
The fourth consecutive Travellers' Choice award is much more than a prize given by a travel platform. It confirms the evolution of the Museu de l'Eròtica de Barcelona (MEB) from a museum known mainly for its subject matter to a cultural institution recognized for the quality and rigor of its content.
A transformation driven by research, the renewal of its contents, the creation of the Department of Education and Cultural Mediation, and the development of the Art and Sexology project, which today constitutes one of the MEB's main differentiating elements and one of the hallmarks of its cultural project, a line of work that the new management will continue to develop in the coming years.
Information for the press
At the time of this press release, the Museu de l'Eròtica de Barcelona (MEB) ranks first among museums in Barcelona on Tripadvisor and is also listed among the city's 10 best attractions according to traveler reviews.
Tripadvisor museum ranking: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g187497-Activities-c49-Barcelona_Catalonia.html
