Cork Museum of Palafrugell

The Cork Museum of Palafrugell (Museu del Suro) is in a former cork factory in the centre of Palafrugell, at Placeta del Museu del Suro, with a paid underground car park right beside it. A general ticket costs €7 in 2026, children under 12 go free, and entry is free on the first Sunday of each month. Outside summer it is closed on Mondays and shuts at midday; inside are two floors of permanent exhibition on cork, from the forest to the factory machines.

Quick facts

• What it is: the museum of cork in Catalonia, founded in 1972 according to Visit Palafrugell, in a cork factory built in 1899–1900.
• Where: Placeta del Museu del Suro s/n, 17200 Palafrugell (Baix Empordà, Girona), next to Plaça de Can Mario.
• Coordinates: 41.91828, 3.16506, the museum in OpenStreetMap.
• Hours: outside summer Tuesday to Friday 10:00–13:00 and 16:00–19:00, Saturday 10:00–14:00 and 17:00–20:00, Sunday 10:00–14:00; closed on Mondays. Check before you go.
• Tickets (2026): €7 general, €3.50 reduced, free for children under 12 and on the first Sunday of each month (Museu del Suro, prices, checked Oct 2026).
• Parking: a paid underground car park on Carrer de Begur, next to the museum.
• Access: step-free entrance with automatic doors and a lift to all three floors.

Access and parking

By car: the museum gives 135 km from Barcelona. Take the AP-7 towards Girona and France, leave at exit 9 (Vidreres / Lloret), follow the C-35 towards Sant Feliu de Guíxols and Platja d’Aro, then the C-31 towards Palamós, and leave at exit 331 Palafrugell Sud. From the French border (80 km) leave the AP-7 at exit 6 (Girona Nord) and follow the C-66 towards La Bisbal and Palamós to the Palafrugell Nord exit (Museu del Suro, getting here).

Parking: the museum points drivers to a paid underground car park on Carrer de Begur, right next to it (museum parking page). OpenStreetMap has it as Aparcament de Can Mario, open 24 hours with 165 spaces, under the square about 30 m from the museum. For a free space, OpenStreetMap marks the council’s Casal Popular car park, about 380 m south-west in a straight line, with 226 spaces and a fee only from 1 July to 31 August. There are 2 spaces for drivers with reduced mobility on Carrer Pi i Margall 49–51, 70 m from the main entrance. Coaches should call the museum or the Policia Local to agree where to park.

By bus: Palafrugell bus station is on Carrer Lluís Companys 2, with Sarfa buses to the towns around it. OpenStreetMap puts the station about 630 m from the museum in a straight line. From Girona–Costa Brava airport (45 km) there are Sagalés buses to Girona bus station and Sarfa buses on to Palafrugell.

By train: the nearest station is Flaçà, 25 km away, with Sarfa buses from there to Palafrugell.

By bike: there is bike parking in front of the museum, between Carrer de Begur and the Placeta del Museu del Suro.

What to expect

The museum has been renovated from top to bottom and describes the result as 1,200 m² of interactive exhibition (Museu del Suro, about the museum). The permanent exhibition fills two floors on a circular route:

• La revolució del suro: an introductory film, also in sign language and several other languages. Ask at reception for the one you need.
• Els paisatges del suro: the cork oak forest, the factories and the towns that grew around them.
• El suro: how cork is obtained, its properties and what it is used for, with hands-on exhibits.
• La cultura del suro: cork as a way of life, not only an industry.
• First floor: the history of cork from hand manufacture to robotisation, a space for crafts and a play area built from cork.

The building: the factory was built in 1899–1900 for Miquel, Vincke & Meyer, a company founded in 1900. The museum calls it the most important cork factory in Spain’s industry and points to the modernista decoration of the main façade by the architect General Guitart Lostalo and the wrought-iron gate on Carrer Pi i Margall (the museum’s buildings).

The Can Mario water tower: built in 1904–1905 to Guitart’s design, about 80 m from the museum, and protected as a Bé Cultural d’Interès Nacional since 2000, according to the museum. Visit Palafrugell gives the height of its terrace as 35 m, with views over Palafrugell and the Empordanet. The museum lists the tower as temporarily closed; to go up, you have to phone and book ahead.

Guided tour: «Més de dos segles fent taps» covers the cork oak, stripping the bark, hand and machine processing, and Miquel, Vincke & Meyer, a leading cork exporter in 1920s Spain. It lasts 90 minutes, runs every day except Monday and must be booked in advance (guided visits).

Practical details

• Opening hours outside summer: the museum’s hours page gives the school-term period as 14 September to 22 June, without a year. Tuesday to Friday 10:00–13:00 and 16:00–19:00; Saturday 10:00–14:00 and 17:00–20:00; Sundays and public holidays 10:00–14:00. Closed every Monday, on 25 and 26 December and on 1 and 6 January (Museu del Suro, hours).
• Summer: from 23 June to 13 September 2026 the museum opened Monday to Saturday 10:00–14:00 and 17:00–20:00, and Sunday 10:00–14:00. Check the hours page for next summer.
• Tickets in 2026: general €7; reduced €3.50 for retired people, students with a card and some other groups. Free for children under 12 (except guided visits), for disability card holders and the people who accompany them, and for everyone on the first Sunday of the month (except activities).
• Families: the minimón space on the ground floor is for children aged 0 to 6, and there is a baby changing table in the accessible toilet.
• Rules: photos are allowed without flash or tripod. No smoking, eating or drinking inside. Lockers for bags are at the entrance (plan your visit).
• Contact: the museum’s phone is 972 30 78 25.

Accessibility and safety

Accessibility: the main entrance is at street level with no steps and has automatic doors. The museum has 3 floors: ground floor with the lobby, shop and temporary exhibitions, a basement with part of the permanent exhibition and the toilets, and a first floor. The whole route can be done by lift, and there is an accessible toilet in the basement. You can borrow a wheelchair or a portable seat at reception, and there are places to rest along the way. For visitors with sensory needs there is a tactile route with braille, a hearing loop at reception and an audio guide with sign language, included in the ticket (Museu del Suro, accessibility).

Safety and comfort: the museum warns that temperature and humidity can change suddenly between rooms, and that some first-floor rooms get hot in summer. Bring water on hot days.

Best time to visit

No official source names a best season, so plan around the opening pattern. Outside summer, skip it on a Monday, when it is closed, and on a Sunday afternoon, when it opens only in the morning. On weekdays the museum shuts from 13:00 to 16:00, so arrive early enough in the morning or come after 16:00. The first Sunday of each month is free. In summer some first-floor rooms get hot, so a morning visit is more comfortable.

Nearby alternatives

• Llafranc, 3.3 km away: the nearest beach village. The museum also runs the Sant Sebastià de la Guarda monument complex at Llafranc.
• Calella de Palafrugell, 3.8 km away: the old fishing village on Palafrugell’s coast.
• La Fosca, 7.1 km away: a sandy beach in Palamós with the coast path to Castell.
• Iberian Town of Ullastret, 12 km away: an Iberian archaeological site inland.
• For beaches, where to stay and where to eat, see our Palafrugell guide and the Costa Brava guide.
• HolaCamp Palamós, about 4.5 km away: the nearest campsite you can book through Campcation (affiliate link).

Distances are in a straight line from the museum.

FAQ

What are the opening hours of the Cork Museum of Palafrugell?

Outside summer it opens Tuesday to Friday 10:00–13:00 and 16:00–19:00, Saturday 10:00–14:00 and 17:00–20:00, and Sunday 10:00–14:00. It is closed on Mondays. Summer hours are longer, so check the museum’s hours page before you go.

How much does the Cork Museum cost?

In 2026 a general ticket costs €7 and a reduced ticket €3.50. Children under 12 go free, and entry is free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month.

How long does a visit take?

The museum’s guided tour of the exhibition lasts 90 minutes. It gives no time for a visit on your own; the permanent exhibition covers two floors.

Where do you park for the Cork Museum?

In the paid underground car park on Carrer de Begur, right next to the museum. There are 2 spaces for drivers with reduced mobility on Carrer Pi i Margall 49–51, 70 m from the entrance.

Is the Cork Museum wheelchair accessible?

Yes. The entrance has no steps, a lift serves all three floors, there is an accessible toilet, and you can borrow a wheelchair at reception.

What is there to see at the Cork Museum?

Two floors on cork: the cork oak forest, how cork is stripped and processed, the factory machines and the history of the industry up to robotisation, plus the modernista factory building itself.

Sources and freshness

Checked 1 October 2026. Official: Museu del Suro pages for hours, prices 2026, getting here, parking, accessibility (also the exhibition route), itinerary, plan your visit, about the museum, the buildings and guided visits; Visit Palafrugell (founding year, water tower terrace). Location, car parks, bus station and water tower: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Photos: Wikimedia Commons, licences as credited.