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1 day in Madrid and 2 in Barcelona

Hi there,
I will be travelling with my 85 yr old mother to Spain this Sept for a couple of days. It's a quick visit however all we can manage at this time.

Can you please give me some advise on best things to do in such a short time.

One full day in Madrid, then we take the train next day to Barcelona and 2 days there.

I intend to book tickets for LSF however not sure about the tower option. We go up in the lift and have to come down the stairs, correct? Are there a lot? She's very healthy but if it's more 100 stairs, I don't think that will be an option.

Also, going to go to Park Guell and Casa Balto.

Any good eats on the way? We have an Airbnb in the Ramblas area.

Thanks!

Posted by
7175 posts

If I had 2 days in Barcelona for a first time visit.

Day 1
•Sagrada Familia (BOOK a first up visit)
•Eixample - Passeig de Gracia, Casa Mila & Casa Batllo
•Park Guell (BOOK a late visit)

Day 2
•Palau de la Musica Catalana (BOOK a first up visit)
•Las Ramblas - La Boqueria, Placa Real
•Bari Gotico - Cathedral
•La Ribera - Basilica Santa Maria del Mar

Posted by
7175 posts

Similarly, if I had just one day for Madrid.

•Royal Palace
•City Walk
Plaza de Oriente >> Plaza Mayor (lunch) >> Puerta del Sol >> Metropolis Bldg >> Plaza de Cibeles >> Puerta del Alcala >> Retiro Park
•Prado Museum

Posted by
3442 posts

Even with only two days in Barcelona, I would walk from the Sagrada Familia to Saint Pau - an even better Modernista sight, and you will have it almost to yourself.

Posted by
4 posts

Sounds great - thanks.

Didn't have anything planned for Madrid so great ideas.

Posted by
7175 posts

The Prado offers free admission at the end of every day ...
From Tuesday to Saturday from 6PM to 8PM, and on Sunday from 5PM to 8PM.

Posted by
4 posts

Wanted to add to this topic instead of starting a new one.

Regarding trains... okay, I'm not going to panic. Yet.

I have been trying to book a train from Madrid to Barcelona for the 17th of Sept. However the Renfe website shows that "it's not available at this time and there may be no direct connection"
I'm hoping maybe it's too early or I will be in panic mode.

I tried Rail Europe and it just shows me 4 trains leaving that day.

So, anyone have any experience with the trains from Madrid to Barcelona?
I don't want to take a plane since I was hoping to experience the bullet train plus Mama would not be happy having to return to the airport.

Thanks!

Posted by
28090 posts

The train is a lot faster than dealing with airports. I cannot explain why you're not seeing availability. Have you tried the day before your travel date and the day after? If those are available, I'd be concerned that there's something really big happening in one of the two cities and a bunch of trains are sold out. That seems very unlikely this early, however.

Note that Parc Guell is outdoors and not totally level. There's a fair amount of walking. Unless the weather is really mild, it's best not to go there at midday.

I'm not a fan of the Ramblas. It's very crowded and has lost much of its charm. I think that's walking your mother can do without. If you do go, be very wary of pickpockets; it's apparently one of their favorite places.

Another vote for Sant Pau. Not only is the multi-building complex lovely, it's a place in Barcelona where you can just walk up, buy your ticket, and go inside. It's very difficult to plan short trips to Barcelona since you have to pre-purchase tickets to so many places to avoid long lines, which requires you to guess how much time you'll want at each place. These are my rough time suggestions. They do not include travel time from site-to-site, and they do not include time you may spend in line even with pre-purchased tickets.

La Sagrada Familia: 90 minutes without a tower
Parc Guell: depends on how much territory you want to cover, but 90 minutes might be reasonable.
Casa Batllo: 90 minutes (expect massive crowds; might be better in the evening)
Palau de la Musica Catalana: mandatory tour is a fixed length, probably about 1 hour
Sant Pau: 2 hours (it's large, and I would have spent more time there if they hadn't been closing. No need to buy in advance.

Posted by
6485 posts

You could also see if there is a concert/program at Palau de la Musica Catalana, instead of doing a tour (which I'm sure is nice, too). I think since you are staying near Ramblas, you will end up on Ramblas a bit. I wasn't especially awed with the Ramblas, enjoyed other areas more, but we did really enjoy the Bouqueria.

Posted by
2047 posts

I've just looked on the RENFE website in Spanish and was able to see all the trains and tickets for September 17th. Are you sure you put in the date/month/year instead month/day/year?

Posted by
11294 posts

I'm seeing a bunch of trains for that day too. The cheapest tickets are gone, but you can still snag tickets for almost any train that day.

If you're still not seeing it, and you are sure you are looking at the right day, try another browser. It's very common that websites, especially foreign ones, only work well with certain browsers.

Here is a great tutorial with step by step directions for using the Renfe site: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g187514-c80518/Madrid:Spain:Buying.Renfe.Tickets.Online.html

Posted by
4 posts

So the next day (today) I tried it and a whole bunch came up. Maybe too soon or something before?

Anyway, will be booking today. Ticket prices not as high as I thought.

Thanks everyone!