Barcelona Recommended Itinerary Help

Have you been to Europe before? If not, lower your expectations for the first day. You don’t know if you will sleep on the plane or how jet lag will affect you. The two RS walks are enough for the first day and even then you may not finish them (we didn’t). Clearing immigration took well over an hour in the Barcelona airport and the taxi ride was about 30 minutes to our hotel by Sagrada Familia.

Have you taken an overnight flight to Europe before so you can be reasonably confident you won't be in zombieland when you arrive? I've learned not to plan anything on Day 1 that requires pre-purchased tickets, because I have great difficulty staying awake. That would eliminate the Picasso Museum (which is also usually massively overcrowded--not a good environment for appreciating art). You might or might not be able to get day-of tickets to the Palau de la Musica Catalana if you feel up to it upon getting into the city. But...

The usual guidance when dealing with jetlag is to try to spend time outdoors at your destination. The Barri Gotic walk would fit that strategy. As for the Ramblas, I'm one of many who don't understand why Rick didn't take that out of his guidebook 10+ years ago. It's a big nothing (except for the pickpockets, who--unlike you--will not be jetlagged). It's fine if you want to go somewhere on the Ramblas (La Boqueria market is a convenient source of food if you're hungry at off hours), but to make a point of walking down that street is not a good use of your time.

You could also walk through part of the Eixample, looking at the modernista buildings. I didn't find Barceloneta all that interesting, but that's another possibility for staying awake on your arrival day.

You need to pre-purchase tickets for any of these sights you want to see later during your visit: La Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell, Casa Mila/La Pedrera, Casa Batllo, and the Picasso Museum. Unless you're especially a fan of Picasso, I seriously recommend that you choose one of Barcelona's other art museums, where your odds of seeing art in pleasant conditions will be much greater.

you are listing way too much for an afternoon, and the first afternoon at that. try the walks, then stop for a drink. if you do the gotic area, there are places to stop in the square in front of the cathedral. that's the old cathedral, not sagrada familia. you may want a nap then, and plan to hit the town for tapas for dinner. if you plan to do the picasso, be sure to get a reservation on line before you go. the cruise ships dump hundreds of people, who then form a very long line. also the sagrada familia. and you absolutely should go inside, not just look from street. the parc guell is neat also. we found the shops etc along las ramblas to be quite tacky. the walk along the beach is lovely. think about a hop on/off bus tour, and maybe not hop off, just ride.

For walking around on your first day you could also consider strolling along the Port Olímpic promenade, to get some fresh sea air.

Also consider visiting el Pueblo Español, an open-air architectural museum at Montjuïc, showcasing the different architectural styles and artisan crafts from across Spain. Their website: https://www.poble-espanyol.com/

Based on this itinerary, we are looking for someone that has experienced going through customs and transferring to hotel and what reasonable time can we expect to arrive at the hotel? Based on arrival time, how would you recommend we pick up on the guidebooks and maximize our time.

Ok, sounds like this is your first int'l trip. Getting through passport control (not customs) is simply lining up, answer a few questions if that and moving on. No issues, just get your passport out. Gather your luggage then figure out your transportation to your accommodations. You're arriving in the mid-morning, by the time you check-in, freshen-up and change, you'll be ready to hit the town around noonish. Easiest day-1 activity, find a hop-on/off bus and ride it around, take in the sights, get your bearings.

Go find lunch (lunch in Spain is after 1300)(Europe uses a 24hr clock). After lunch, go walk RS Bari Gotic Walk. Doing the walk, find a restaurant you like, see if you can make a reservation for dinner, dinner starts around 2100. Go back to hotel and/or, shop for any toiletries you may need, get familiar with the metro system, pick-up a metro card. Don't rush day-1, take it in, breath and enjoy.

You never know how long the lines will be at passport control or how long you'll wait for luggage. My experience is that it's pretty fast. The buses run every 5-10 minutes and the ride is pleasant, but if there's a line, you could end up standing most of the way in. If it doesn't look like you'll get seats, just wait in line for the next bus and let others pass you by to board. It's an easy walk from the bus stop to your hotel. To get your bearings, cross the street to the El Corte Ingles store and walk in the same direction as the bus is facing. Then you'll turn right when you get to the fountain.

Drop off your luggage; if your room isn't ready, the hotel will hold your bags. You can rearrange stuff before you go out, taking only what you need for a few hours. Leave the hotel after getting a map and walk in the opposite direction you came, to the corner of Via Laeitana and turn right (downhill). If you get there before 1 pm, Xurreria Laietana (#46, on your left) should be open. Pop in for freshly fried churros. You can get them in a paper cone, sprinkled with sugar (as for extra) for about €1-2 to munch as you walk or stop for coffee or hot chocolate and dunk them. From there, it's another 5 minutes to the Cathedral and the big TI opposite it. Since you're not real hungry you can do a self-guided walk, then head back uphill to Placa Catalunya and your hotel on La Rambla (easier to walk on the sidewalk than the middle strip - and more interesting). Stop for a bite anywhere that you want, or just graze through all the tastings in La Boqueria market.

In other words, relax and soak up Barcelona. Don't try to do anything that requires concentration (museum, organized tour). Whether you feel it or not, you're probably going to be in a haze. I'd go back to the hotel to settle into the room, so that after dinner, you can crash. I would not try to stay up for "real" dinner - there are plenty of cafes and bars where you can get a meal (no pressure to drink alcohol) and go to bed early for a long sleep, so you'll be fresh for your first full day.

For a quick meal, go into El Corte Ingles, go down one floor to the supermarket. There are numerous prepared foods you can buy and eat on the spot (though mostly standing). Take a walk through before choosing. You could also take food back to your hotel and eat in your room.

For a quick meal, go into El Corte Ingles, go down one floor to the supermarket. There are numerous prepared foods you can buy and eat on the spot (though mostly standing). Take a walk through before choosing. You could also take food back to your hotel and eat in your room

...or, go upstairs and have a casual sit-down meal with a view, and relatively clean bathrooms available to use.

First of all, let me say....wow! Thank you all for your thoughtful and speedy responses. I’m blown away.

My wife and I have traveled to Italy for our 25th wedding anniversary and managed to sleep only moderately on the plane but we pushed through the first day in Rome, including Vatican City, St Peter’s Square and the Sistine Chapel. We managed fine, however, this year (35th wedding anniversary), I splurged and booked our flight in first class to ensure we get better rest on the plane.

That said, I agree with all of you that said we may be pushing it a bit on the first day. Thank you Kelly, acraven, Diane and Bill. I particularly like the recommendation of not buying pre-purchased tickets on the first day and try to spend more time outdoors. Who knows, how we will feel.

Also, thank you zcorsair and Chani for the clarification on passport control (vs customs) and consider a hop on/off bus to get bearings.

I’m revising our itinerary based on your collective feedback! Thank you!