Casa Batllo ticketing

I agree that the website for Casa Batllo sells a timed entry. I just went ahead and planned out my day and bought a timed entry. However, it seems like the Barcelona turisme site will sell you a non-timed entry advance ticket. Here's the site:http://bcnshop.barcelonaturisme.com

This is the exact site. I checked because it looks like the best option for me too. It says "about 1 hour" but that may be the length of the audio guide and you can wander at your own pace.

Good question, Larry. I missed this one.

Edit: If you buy the timed entry from the Casa Batllo website, it includes the video guide If you buy from BCN is includes the audio guide.

I purchased the Fast Passes for Casa Batllo and the tickets indicate no date or time! Just says it is good for 3 months. According to several posters on Fodor's Forum, the Fast Pass allows entry any time/any day with no waiting in line. I can't speak from experience yet (not going until April), but I just followed the Fodor's posters' advice!!! Now Casa Mila (La Pedrera) DOES have a time/date entry on the ticket. Hope it all works the way I expect it to!!!!!

I just looked at my tickets and they have a time on them - 6:30 to 7:00 entry on a specific date in April. I bought them on the direct website.

The way I understand the process is that the "Fast Pass" allows entry at any time, any date, avoiding all lines. The "regular" tickets are time and date specific. We purchased the "Fast Pass" so as to not reschedule ourselves, and give us more flexibility in Barcelona. Hope it works that way!!!#

Donna, where did you see written the definition of "fast pass" that you just wrote here?

As far as I know:

• Some of the most popular attractions in Barcelona have two queues, one for purchasing the ticket and another for entering the premises. Even when you buy a time-sensitive ticket, you're going to find a queue of people that bought a ticket for the same time-band.
• When one purchases an online ticket (always recommended as the queues can be memorable at certain places and on certain dates!), one 'skips' the purchasing queue so when visiting the venue can go straight to the second queue -if existent at all as in many attractions the entrance is quite fluid and there's little or no waiting.
• A few of these attractions, due to the enormous influx of visitors, almost always have a second queue for entering the premises, and some (ie Casa Batlló) have created an 'optional' to the ticket -in case of Casa Batlló is called 'fast-track'- which allows immediate access to the premises within the day AND time-band chosen when you purchased the ticket thus skipping any queue of fellow visitors that are supposed to enter the premises within the same time-band. I believe this practice (pay a little more and jump ahead of the second queue) will gradually be implemented in many other attractions since it's becoming the norm to have second queues in many of them.
• Also, in Casa Batlló, the Customer Service accommodates if you "can't make it" on the day you chose to visit. You won't be able to access the premises and they won't exchange the ticket if you arrive late (time-bands are 30' long), but if you call/write in advance (say a couple of days before) they can accommodate for you to visit on a later date and will exchange the ticket readily -that's at least their current policy.
• During summer, Casa Batlló and Casa Milà (aka La Pedrera) offer a 'night service' -normally from 9pm onward- which is different from the 'day visit'. In case of Casa Batlló is called "Nits Màgiques" (Magical Nights) and it's centered around cultural activities (wine tasting, music and aperitifs, etc). For Casa Milà, the night option is across the year and offers a unique perspective of the building. Also during summer, a set of jazz concerts are scheduled on the rooftop. For those of you on work visits to the city you might like to know that both places can be hired for corporate events.
• Lastly, please... Casa Batlló is roughly pronounced "bat-lee-oh" (intonation on the last syllable) :)))

I had contacted Casa Batllo by e-mail, and just to confirm what Enric says, staff there explained that the Fast Pass simply gets you past the lines, and you still have to choose a specific 30-minute time window to enter when you buy your ticket/pass. They say that for more flexibility you can simply come and buy a ticket at Casa Batllo, but then you would have to deal with the ticket-buying line.

Appreciate the input, kja.

maitaitom on Jul 5, 15 at 4:19pm

We just bought an advanced Fast Pass Ticket for Casa Batllo. It didn't matter what time we showed up. We decided to go after seeing La Sagrada Familia, which we saw first thing in the morning. The line was long for Casa Batllo, but with the Fast Pass, we bypassed everyone by going in a separate line. FYI, we did not like it nearly as much as Casa Pedrera, but I still enjoyed it enough that the cost was worthwhile to me.

Larry, this is only one of the many comments regarding the "Fast Pass" and from where I got my information. Go on FodorsforumSpain and type in Fast Pass in the search bar. Several reports/questions/answers about the Fast Pass. When I purchased ours, the printed tickets show no day or time so maybe things have changed in the month since I printed them. It's a bit concerning that the response from Casa Batllo's email says that there IS a specific day/time, but double checking my tickets, none is shown....nor was I asked to choose either when purchasing. Guess we will find out in April!!!

I just went on the official website of Casa Batllo and there is now a direction to pick a "schedule". That was not available when I purchased our tickets....no time or date to choose. I'm thinking that they may have changed their rules since I purchased our tickets. I did email them for further infomation regarding our tickets and if we need to somehow now amend them or what do we do. I wouldn't have purchased the fast pass if the tickets had been time/date specific!!! Not sure what happens now........ It says on the tickets that there are "no returns or exchanges permitted", so ..............

Just a final update on the Fast Pass concern.....I received an email from the "official" website this morning. Our tickets (with no date or time listed on them) can "used whenever you want within our opening hours, from 9:00 to 21:00, last admission at 20:00, on any day". So I'm guessing that the purchase format for the tickets has changed since I purchased ours. Now it is necessary to put in a time/date before adding to cart and purchasing. But at least I am assured that ours will work as we wanted!!!!

I am still confused about the ticket options on the Batllo website, and here it is almost 2 mos since first post.
It seems that you have a choice of #1 : fast pass incl audio guide, a with specific day and time, no waiting in line. #2 : open pass good for 3 mos, with an additional fee to add fast pass entry, and videoguide. Not sure if my interpretation is correct.
If you get open pass and no supplement for fast entry, does that mean you wait in line?
If you get one or the other pass can you have a choice between audio and video guides?
Website calls it a Smart Guide. What is That ?
Help!