Cant fit everything in!

Am I being crazy to think I can fit this all into 2 days?

Short answer from me is, "yes, I think so".

One day (at fast pace)
Sagrada familia
Casa Batllo
Boqueria market
Gothic Quarter (Cathedral, Placa del pi)
The Marina/Boardwalk

Second day
Nou Camp or Park Guell
Montjuic Park (castle, font magica, cable car)

Thanks for the reply.

It did all sound a bit too much - looks like a I need to choose between park Guell and Segreda familia/Casa Batllo

When you've finished with the Sagrada Familia (mind the spelling), don't forget the old complex of the Sant Pau hospital. From the same »family« of architects as Gaudí. It's a 10 to 15 mins walk straight to the north.

One factor that complicates efforts to make a high-intensity visit to Barcelona is the fact that a number of the sights are subject to long ticket lines that can only be avoided by buying tickets in advance--often timed tickets. That's the situation with La Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell. (I don't know whether that's also an issue for Camp Nou.)

Casa Batllo also has timed tickets but I think someone mentioned recently that you pay a bit extra for a sort of wild-card ticket that allows you to enter at any time. Otherwise, you're looking at 3 sights with inflexible entry time and you only have two days, so you can only set up two of those sights as your first activity of the day. For the third, you'll sort of have a choice between building in a substantial safety buffer or facing the risk of having to rush away from something you're enjoying in order to use your pre-purchased, timed ticket.

On such an abbreviated visit, I'd consider dropping Parc Guell.

Thanks!
Looks like the Segreda Familia and Batllo are close enough to see in good time before having to travel out to Park Guell so I think you are right that it might need to be dropped.

Any idea how much time set as aside to do everything at Montjuic? I really want to see the Font Magica at night so maybe spend late afternoon there then some food before the evening.

I only went to Montjuic for the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya and the Fundaction Joan Miro, so I don't have any idea about the time required for other activities up there. Montjuic is hilly, though, so figure it will take a little more time to move around than you might expect. I vaguely recall seeing people sitting at tables in the vicinity of MNAC, so I believe there is at least snack food sold there. If you think you'll want a real meal, I suggest doing some research ahead of time, because I'm not sure what is available in terms of more serious food. And of course the local folks eat extremely late, probably after the light show rather than before it.

"Any idea how much time set as aside to do everything at Montjuic?"

That depends on what you mean by "everything."

For MNAC, your entry ticket is good for two days. That was my first clue as to how huge it was, and how much there was to see there (I only did the second floor, and missed the entire first floor for lack of time).

And that's just one museum; there's also the Miro museum, the Spanish Village, the Caixa Forum, and the cable car up to the castle (great views from both the cable car and the castle).

In a two day visit to Barcelona, as with any major city, you have to be brutally selective. You have to accept, going in, that you will only see a few things and miss everything else, and will have to return another time to see more.

If all you want to see on Montjuic is the fountains, those are only active at night, so you can easily splice those into your itinerary. If you want to see anything else, you will have to eliminate something else from your list.

I'd definitely cut out Parc Guell. Not only is it far from the other attractions (thus taking valuable time to reach, that you don't have), but I don't think it's in the same league as other Gaudi sights.

I'd definitely cut the Marina/Boardwalk. It's not different from any other marina/boardwalk anywhere else. With such limited time, focus on things you can't see outside Barcelona.

Thats really good advice thanks!

Im thinking about doing something like this

Day 1
Nou camp early morning
Montjuic afternoon and enjoy it all. Return for the Fountain at night

Day 2
Segreda familia and Casa Batllo early morning
Stroll around the Gothic Quarter, Las ramblas, the market rest of the day.

@xbirchy... without wanting to offend or sound condescendent... I believe you're very unaware of the distances and timings.

Distances: Barcelona isn't particularly big if compared to other major capitals of the world, but the city is by no means "small"... we're talking 40 sq miles. While many visitors won't necessarily visit certain areas of the city, note that the "typical" places you're bound to visit are not in one area but spread across several districts of the city. There's a great public transportation network (bus,metro,train,tramway... and taxis, of course) so, despite being one of the most condensed cities in Europe (some districts have a density of 41000 inhabitans/sq mi.), it's fairly easy and relatively fast to move about... but still...

Timings: aside of the reflection made above regarding lines at certain places (even if you get the ticket in advance), another reflection to take into account is what are your expectations when you're visiting "a site"... is it just to tick a list? or are you the type to enjoy the details and the stories of the site you're visiting?... Unfortunately some cities, and Barcelona is one of those, have too many sites worthwhile visiting for different reasons: architecture, art, history, entertainment, shopping, etc, etc. so it's always a nightmare to "choose". Some visitors opt for seeing "as much as possible"... your choice, of course, but sadly you're not really going to soak much.... My advise is always to limit your itinerary knowing that you're going to be leaving a lot out, this way, if you focus on a limited number of sites/places, you'll be able to really get to know a bit of the city. Just sayin'

Some notes:

Montjuïc is a whole district with over two dozen things to do/see spread over a large area: http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/en/page/396/parc-de-montjuic.html Btw, the name "park" --a marketing gimmick that only the Tourist Information Office uses!... don't use it if asking a resident cause no one calls it that, we use simply "Montjuïc" (mon-jew-eek)-- might cause confusion... neither it's an enclosed commercial premises (ie like an amusement park) nor it's a park in the flora and fauna sense. In truth, no one really understands why the TI has recently added the word "park"... other than to create a marketing package... regardless the reason, it's not a good idea because it complicates defining an itinerary when you don't know the sizes and distances :))

El Gòtic (Gothic Quarter) is one of the six neighbourhoods that form the old city (Ciutat Vella), again, it's a whole neighbourhood so not something you "see in a couple of hours" nor it has a "marked itinerary" --Ikea style-- to see it with a pre-determined entry and exit points. This 2 sq mi. area is full of sites and things to see as it's the oldest part of the city, founded in the year 215 BC, from Roman ruins to Medieval palaces, lots of old narrow streets, thousands of small shops and restaurants, several churches, markets, boulevards.... One could spend a whole day just strolling this area... without even visiting any specific site.

I don't want to seem difficult, lol!, nor to spoil anyone's plans.... I am just trying to convey what you're going to encounter in-the-field when you're here.

As a rule of thumb -because it depends on which sites one chooses and where are they in relation to each other- I recommend to plan not more than three sites per day noting that 99% of the visitors do also stroll and wander the streets.

Hi no offence taken at all, fully appreciate your reply and information as timings was something I was looking to get some help on.

Did you see my proposed plan in the post before yours? Does that sounds more doable? I tried to allow the afternoons/evenings to be able to fully stroll and explore Montjuic and then the Gothic Quarter.

Thanks again for the reply

Yep... that sounds more sensible to me. Again, it's a good idea always to have a site or two "in reserve", better if near the ones you're officially going to visit, just in case any unforeseen arises: say you've planned for a three hour visit for a place but then realize you only need half of the time for that particular site, or that the queues are too long and you decide to skip it, or that you don't feel like following your original plan (something much more common than you'd think!)....

Btw, you never said when exactly are you visiting.... and it does matter when planning :))

ah thats a great tip! Back up plans to ensure no time is wasted!

Not to ensure we have enough time to eat my bodyweight in tapas and paella!

March 25/26
We arrive friday night and leave Monday morning.

"night"... as in...??

Im hoping to be checked into the hotel by 7pm friday.
Leaving for the airport on the sunday about 9am.

Surely mean "monday", right?... otherwise is not two days, just one! :))

Ok then... this is "a" suggestion (one of the many different possibilities) for timing those time-sensitive sites... I've not developed the planning for the rest.

FRI25

Go out for dinner (anywhere BUT in Les Rambles please!)... and then walk to the area of El Born, have a drink in one of the many terraces... nightlife on Fri and Sat goes on until 2-3pm (and beyond). The (main) streets in the area are full of people and if you come from a different environment, soaking into the nightlife in any Mediterranean city is a hell of an experience. On your way back to your hotel, walk Carrer Argenteria, Plaça Sant Jaume, Carrer Ferràn and Plaça Reial... it's the most vibrant itinerary on your return walk :)) Walking at night is safe -yet avoid the dark alleys without people (duh!).

SAT26

• Early rise (8am!), head to La Boqueria and have breakfast in one of the bars "in" or "around" the market (ie. the famous Pinotxo, or Bar Central, or Bar Boqueria...). Then enjoy the visual feast of the food in the stalls in the market. At 9:30ish start walking to the next venue.
• 10:00am Casa Batlló (pre-book!). After that, just in front, catch the metro (L2, purple)... three or four stops to Sagrada Família station, the basilica is just in front of it (in all say 15-20' tops to the door of the basilica)
• 12:00pm Sagrada Família (pre-book!)
• Lunch (1-1:15ish??)... and assuming you're eating somewhere in the area (ie La Paradeta, for a no-frills, no-nonsense, simple seafood DIY-sort of place; or Chill Bar for a proper hamburger -not the crap from McD!- or Caldeni for a great proper-eating experience, etc. there are far too many in Barcelona to recommend!), by say 3:15ish or so you should be catching the #92 bus, see the route here, choose the "Bus" tab and tick #92) for a 4pm visit to Park Güell (pre-book!)
• 6ish... walk down to Gràcia!... see WED16 in this old post of mine in TA.. and this is "the map" I'm referring to. Follow it until you reach Diagonal avenue... then continue south in Passeig de Gràcia towards Plaça Catalunya and the area of your hotel. You'll be passing by La Pedrera and later Casa Batlló, the Casa Amatller and Casa Lleó i Morera among other.

SUN 27

• 10am Nou Camp Experience Tour (pre-book!). Get there by metro... in Les Rambles catch L3 (green) in Liceu station and get off in Palau Reial (30' or so from Liceu), then a short 15' walk to the stadium.
• 11:30am... walk east to Les Corts metro station, also in L3 (green), board the metro to Plaça Espanya (10' or so). Plaça Espanya (see post #4) is one of the "natural" entrances to the area of Montjuïc... you'll see from there the National Palace, which is now a museum, the MNAC museum, as well as the Magic Fountain -sorry, the light and music show is in the evening. Plan what you want to visit in Montjuïc... use the link I have you earlier to see what's available.

This itinerary is not rushed.... it's doable at a relatively relaxed path.

Enjoy!

PS: Metro Map... http://bit.ly/BCNmetromap2017

For info... there are NO restaurants or shops for that matter in Montjuïc once you start going up the hill. The only exceptions are a couple of upmarket places (ie El Xalet), an open-air grill and paella restaurant, Martínez, hidden in a corner of the mountain, and with a magnificent view over one of the city ports, and that's about it. Montjuïc is full of museums and parks... that's it.

@enric omg that's amazing and looks perfect! Thank you so much for the time and effort.

Heading straight away to look at pre booking stuff!

So excited now.

Of course you have the port cable car that connects Montjuic with the waterfront at Barceloneta.
http://www.telefericodebarcelona.com/en/
ps. In all the years and my many visits to Barcelona I am yet to do this.

Just to add a note. We found the taxis reasonable and get you to your destination quickly without dealing with the bus.
We also liked the hop on hop off bus. A quick tour of the city.
Don't forget about the pick pockets, especially on Las Ramblas. My husband was almost a victim
We are going back for a second time and will see the Sagrada Familia again. Too much to see in one visit.