I will be in Barcelona in June and am starting to research sight tickets and put together my itinerary. In looking at Casa Batllo, it seems that you can buy a time-specific ticket - that is, for Monday at 9AM or whatever time you need, very specific time blocks. But then you also have the option of adding a 5Euro "Fast-Pass" on to skip the line? In the RS book I have it seems to say that buying a timed ticket ahead gets you past the line. So what's the difference? What does this FastPass allow that the regular advance purchase ticket does not?
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
I don't know about the Fast Pass. When I went in September 2015, there was a long ticket-buyer's line, which I got to skip with my pre-paid ticket. I went around 9:30 AM and was able to go right in (no ticket-holder's line). Even at that hour, the house was already starting to fill up. It was not too crowded to enjoy, but I imagine it would really get full later (the ticket-buyer's line was quite long when I left, about 2 hours later).
I guess that even the ticket-holder's line could get long at peak times, and the Fast Pass would put you at the front of the ticket-holder's line. But that's just a guess. If you're going early in the day, you don't need to pay extra for Fast Pass.
By the way, I worried that the house wouldn't be worth the high admission fee. My fears were groundless - I had a great time. The included audio-video guide made the whole place come to life (sometimes literally), and really enhanced my appreciation for Gaudi's quest to make everything in the house both beautiful and functional.
Posted by
Carmel, CA, USA
2456 posts
And Harold, going early in the day, how long do you think one should allow to have an enjoyable, and not rushed, visit to Casa Batllo, from the time you get past the entry? Thanks.
Posted by
Pacific Northwest
2681 posts
I found this confusing too. But it does seem to me that the pre-bought ticket saves you the time in line with other ticket purchasers and that you take your online ticket straight to the entry line. And I get that the entry line can be long as it can be made up of everyone who bought a timed-entry ticket during that 30 minute period PLUS the people who are arriving as walk-ins. But I couldn't get a sense of whether or not that number of people could create a line worth surpassing with the Fast Pass.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15784 posts
What about going toward the end of the day? Would it be less crowded? I also want to visit Casa Amatller next door and would like to do that first so that I have an open-ended visit at Casa Batllo. Sunset's around 7 p.m., would that affect the visit (better, worse?).
Posted by
Pacific Northwest
2681 posts
On the advice of people of this website and other sites I searched, I did indeed book my Casa Batllo for the evening.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
I was really enthralled with the Casa Batllo, so I think my visit was about 2 hours. You could easily see it fully in 90 minutes, or in an hour if you were in a hurry (still not "missing" anything - just not lingering).