3 days in Barcelona

Didn't do the hop-on, hop-off bus but we did take the Barri Gotic walking tour done by the TI - thought it was a good value.

I'd say spend one day seeing Barri Gotic/Born sights. Another day for Moderniste architecture (Block of Discord, Park Guell, Sagrada Familia). Third day depends on weather and your personal interests - there's plenty more options.

We stayed at Hostal Capri, not far from the Ramblas. I liked the place and staff. We asked for a quiet room so we overlooked an alley rather than busy street. There is no elevator and only half the rooms are ensuite. I can't recall if it had AC but we were there first week of April and didn't need AC - seriously doubt you will miss it in March.

We used the Hop-on/hop-off buses a lot while we were there. We stayed at the Hilton Diagonal Mar which is on the east end of the city near the beach. We used the buses as a nice overview of the city (there was a stop less than a block from our hotel for the buses) as well as just getting from point A to point B. The buses go all over the city, so you can see a lot. We went to the Olympic area and saw team USA play Spain in basketball just before the London Olympics using these buses! If you are staying in the center of everything, you may not benefit from them as much, but you can still get to a lot places easily.

The teens will probably like the Gaudi architecture. Sagrada Familia is a must, and you really need to book tickets in advance (about a week ahead in most cases). I recommend the Casa Battlo as it has a more unique apartment interior and can be seen relatively quickly if they get bored. Casa Mila is great too, but if they get burned out on museums, skip that. Parc Guell can be great on a nice day, but you also must now book that in advance to see the main portions. They may enjoy being out in the park and seeing all the trinket salesmen.

The Ramblas and Bari Gothic are popular. They may enjoy the market hall along the Ramblas (great to pick up some food for the apartment too). And they may enjoy the beachfront, depending on the weather.

Sometimes overlooked is the excellent cathedral, which is Gothic. It'll make a good counterpoint to Sagrada Familia.

Barcelona has an excellent and extensive metro system. Almost anywhere in the city center near to a metro station will be convenient.

For food, I recommend a lot of tapas (especially at dinner). It's a great way to try lots of different things and if one doesn't like something, someone else will. And no big loss if nobody liked it. And you can get tapas at a more American dinner hour (Spanish don't eat dinner until about 9:00. The cafes along the Ramblas are not known for their food, but there are plenty just off the street or in the Eixample and Barcelonetta districts. There are breakfast cafes (French style generally) all over.

Lots of great info everyone thank you. I'm getting more excited about the trip. Definitely the most important part is keeping the teens entertained lol
Late dinners are ok for us we are currently stationed in Sicily and that's how it is here for us :)

Hello Janette
Take some Free Walking tours. I've visited City tour and Gaudi Buildings tour - quite interesting and cheap =)

Some ideas...

Notice I've grouped them in 'logical visits' so to speak -one being close to the other or if not, ie. 1) then on the way to:

1) PARK GÜELL (http://www.infocatalonia.eu/w/2013/12/05/a-tourist-view-of-parc-guell/) + GAUDI MUSEUM in Park Güell (http://www.infocatalonia.eu/w/2013/12/08/gaudi-house-museum-at-parc-guell/) + GAUDÍ EXPERIENCE also by Park Güell (http://www.infocatalonia.eu/w/2013/12/01/gaudi-experience-in-4d/) + SAGRADA FAMÍLIA (http://www.infocatalonia.eu/w/2013/12/03/sagrada-familia/) + HOSPITAL DE SANT PAU (http://www.visitsantpau.com/en/)
2) CASA BATLLÓ (http://www.infocatalonia.eu/w/2013/12/05/casa-batllo/) + CASA MILA (aka LA PEDRERA)(http://www.infocatalonia.eu/w/2013/12/08/casa-mila-a-k-a-la-pedrera/)
3) PALAU GÜELL -not close to Park Güell!- (http://www.infocatalonia.eu/w/2013/12/08/palau-guell/)
4) TORRE BELLESGUARD (http://www.infocatalonia.eu/w/2014/01/15/torre-bellesguard/)

These are only a few examples of modernist landmarks in the city, if anything probably the most famous and visited, but there are more... but again, you wouldn't have the time anyway :(

Do pre-book online wherever you can (see their websites) in order to avoid queueing -thus wasting precious time!- especially if you're visiting in summer. Barcelona gets nearly 10 million visitors each year, might not sound a lot... but the city has 1.8 million inhabitants (nearly 3.9 with the metropolitan area) so you grasp the idea, don't you? ;)

Other MUST see:

5) NOU CAMP (http://www.infocatalonia.eu/w/2013/12/01/camp-nou-experience/) -specially if you are a football lover (+)
6) BARRI GÒTIC: the Gothic Quarter, birthplace of the city, 2000 years of history there so too much to put in a couple of lines, sorry!
7) EL BORN (http://www.infocatalonia.eu/w/2013/12/01/el-born/) + BORN CULTURAL CENTRE (http://www.infocatalonia.eu/w/2013/12/06/el-born-cultural-centre/) + PICASSO MUSEUM (http://www.museupicasso.bcn.cat/)

8) LA RAMBLA (http://www.infocatalonia.eu/w/2013/12/08/la-rambla/) + LA BOQUERIA (http://www.infocatalonia.eu/w/2013/12/08/el-mercat-de-la-boqueria/) -actually these can be combined with 6) 7) and 3) because they're all in the same area.

9) MONTJUÏC (http://www.infocatalonia.eu/w/2013/12/05/areas-montjuic/), also too many landmarks here to put in two lines. Have a look here for such a list: http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/Parc-de-Montjuic/_xMCfM9AMDl_lKCezjRpMoMhr-AZA4XHP4btJkzuN28w
10) BARCELONETA and waterfront (http://www.infocatalonia.eu/w/2013/12/01/areas-la-barceloneta/)

Some other ideas:
http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/ -Barcelona’s Tourism Agency
http://www.timeout.com/barcelona

We used the hop-on hop-off buses when I was in Barcelona last year, and got a great overview of many parts of the city. We agreed, though, that the two day pass was a better idea than the one day, since we didn't have time to stop everywhere we wanted. We were there in August, though, and your experience in March may be different.

My wife and I spent 3 nights in Barcelona and Fundació Joan Miró ascended to the top of our favorite art museum list.