Feedback on Barcelona Itinerary Please

You might want to consider taking a bike tour when you first get there. It's a great way to get a good overview of the city, its history and sights. Tours in general last about 2 hours, with stops and starts and may have 10-15 people. We've done bike tours in Barcelona, and regular bike tours in Paris, Amsterdam and London. You don't have to be an avid cyclist to do this.

Prior to our Rick Steves tour of Barcelona and Madrid we stumbled on a concert at the Palau de la Musica Catalana; Joan Baez happened to be playing that night. It was an awesome concert. Checkout their concerts and take in a show- Candlelight Orchestra- A Coldplay Tribute is there in April.

I think your ticket-acquisition strategies are sound with the possible exception of Palau Guell, where I observed a line in 2016. Not a very long line, but I wasn't sure whether the hang up was the ticket purchase itself (which wouldn't take long) or the metering in of people only as others left (as is done at some other Barcelona sights, something that can lead to unanticipated delays). I went back at some other point and got in easily. I don't remember whether I had purchased a ticket in the meantime.

I've been to nearly every Gaudi-designed building in Spain that can be visited, and quite a few other modernista buildings as well. Palau Guell and Casa Vicens will be a lot less crowded than Casa Mila and Casa Batllo, and I assume they're still (individually, at least) less expensive. Barcelona's a costly city, so I wouldn't tell anyone they have to visit every Gaudi building there. I will say, however, that of those four buildings, Casa Mila is my favorite and Casa Batllo my second favorite. I didn't regret dealing with the crowds, though they were annoying. As of 2019 I felt the interior of Casa Vicens didn't have a great deal to see, because not many of the rooms had been restored--a situation which may have changed in the meantime. I should also note that I didn't have to pay today's prices at Casa Mila and Casa Batllo.

Another building I'd definitely choose over Palau Guell or Casa Vicens is the Palau de la Musica Catalana. The English tours sometimes sell out.

Casa Amatller is pseudo-Gothic rather than modernist on the inside; I've been there and wouldn't make it a top priority for fans of modernisme.

I didn't realize Casa Lleo Morera had reopened to the public, but I see there's a website now--though it won't open for me. I'm glad you mentioned it; it definitely goes on my list for next time. The interior is said to be gorgeous.

• mosesna thank you for the suggestions. In particular, I am so glad you mentioned the candlelight orchestra shows as I did not know about them and it sounds like a wonderful way to spend an evening. I am hoping to get tickets to the 7pm Coldplay Tribute show on the 16th.
• acraven thank you for all of this information. I based my decision on which places to tour on Trip Advisor reviews but it is nice to hear from someone who has been to all of them. I am now hoping to go to a show at the Palau de la Musica Catalana so will get to see that one after all. It was helpful to hear what you encountered with Palau Guell as well. I may look at buying those the day of our visit rather than just showing up.

Since you obviously are really interested in the Barcelona's funky architecture, I'd recommend spending some time on the Ruta del Modernisme website at https://rutadelmodernisme.com/en/. They've documented lots of buildings you can manage to walk by as you move around the city, as well as the pay-to-enter buildings. They have a nice (paperbound but quite heavy) guidebook that makes a good souvenir if you don't mind adding to the weight of your suitcase. The book comes with discount coupons for most of the paid-entry buildings, but using those coupons means (or at least it used to) waiting to buy your tickets when you show up. Because of the ticket lines, that's not practical. But the guidebook (and there's a map, too, I think) is very useful.

In 2016 the Barcelona tourist office had a free map and a more detailed map of the city for 1 euro. I bought the better map and found it had a lot of unknown-to-me modernista buildings marked. Referring to that map frequently assure that I'd didn't miss something worthwhile nearby as I walked around. I think that map would be useful to you if it's still available and you don't have time to go over to the Ruta del Modernisme office to buy their guidebook/map package. I assume the tourist office still has a location beneath the Placa de Catalunya.

You have put a lot of excellent effort into sorting this out. I'm guessing you're a pretty big Gaudi fan. I have been to most - but not quite all - of the Modernista buildings in Barcelona. I absolutely love it there - heck I'm headed back to my third visit this year - just for the architecture!

I'm glad you're rethinking the Palau de la Musica Catalana. It's gorgeous in there - the stained glass is extraordinarily pretty.

And Casa Batllo is worth the cost. It's really whimsical and quite extensively decorated with fun architectural details. I know it's expensive and I know it's crowded but I tend to go in each time. It might be worth a second thought.

• acraven thank you for the introduction to the Ruta del Modernisme website. A quick peek shows it will be very informative!
• Valerie I appreciate you taking the time to send along your thoughts on my itinerary. I have been working on it a while and keep going back and forth on a number of decisions - Casa Batllo being a big one that I am consistently debating! Hearing from people such as yourself who have been to these places is always a big help in coming up with my final game plan.

@acraven "I've been to nearly every Gaudi-designed building in Spain…" Including this one? https://www.dosde.com/discover/en/the-teresian-college-of-barcelona/

Bill, I'm not sure why seeing the Teresian College would be unusual for a Gaudi or general architecture fan. It is one of Gaudi's buildings that is frequently discussed in books on his works. Did I miss something - or perhaps you just wanted to bring the building to the attention of the Gaudi fans reading this post. I don't mean to be rude or argumentative with my question, just a bit confused.

Again, without meaning to be rude or "dissing" Bill's above contribution, acraven - Thanks for your posts. I haven't had so much "on the ground" experience. It is helpful to see a comprehensive review of a traveler with an experience that includes more "Gaudi hot spots" than most.

@ORD traveler: "perhaps you just wanted to bring the building to the attention of the Gaudi fans reading this post".
Precisely.
Such as it is, I began studying the work of Gaudí (and at the same time, the work of Charles Rennie Mackntosh) in 1980. (43 years ago)
I first visited Casa Battló in 1981 (when it still housed the Turkish consulate and a branch of Barclays Bank) [As a serious student of architecture — with bona fides — I was allowed 30 minutes to view and draw, and take photos of the interior of the first floor] and La Pedrera — when curious visitors were allowed up onto the roof via the servants' lift four at at a time – at no cost.

Thanks for bringing this people's attention! Well worth exploring, even if off the "beaten path" for many!

That's mean, Bill. I went over there on my most recent trip to Barcelona (2019), and the guard at the gate wouldn't let me in--not even to take a quick peak! I'm too short to be able to see over the wall. I did consider buying a step stool...

You beat me to Casa Batllo by decades, but I saw La Sagrada Familia in 1972, so there!

In 1972? While the old bloody butcher Franco was still alive? Jeez.
If so, you were then there in breach of international sanctions, albeit unenforced by the United States and the U.K. and most every European country.
It's not a competition.

I'm afraid I was oblivious to any sanctions that may have existed in 1972. Spain was definitely open for business that year. As were Hungary, Czechoslovakia, the DDR and the USSR.

Advance tickets for tourist sites are usually a good idea. Sometimes there are slight savings and you can occasionally book a time slot for entry and skip the lines.

I would be wary of buying tickets to local concerts in advance. That's because things can happen and the concert "postponed." Why the emphasis on the word "postponed?" Because that's the loophole used to keep you from getting a refund. That concert could be rescheduled two years in the future and all you'll get is tickets for the new date when there's a slim chance you'll be there. If the concert is "cancelled" then you get in line for a refund.

Dick G. thanks for bringing the "postponing" of shows practice to my attention. I realize that it is not always the case, but I also know someone that happened to and it totally slipped my mind. Although attending the show sounds lovely, I have decided to buy tickets for the last self-guided slot of the day (3:30 pm) on April 15th instead so I can ensure I get to see the venue.

Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (buy tickets on site) where we will spend a few hours and have a quick lunch in the cafeteria

MNAC is incredible. As an art and architecture fan, I'm glad you know you'll need a few hours. As an alternative to the cafeteria, or maybe in addition to, there's a little snack bar along the terraces outside MNAC leading back down to the fountain and square. Nothing fancy, pretty basic in fact. But if you can snag a table, it is worth sitting outside for a bit and absorb the entire Barcelona Exposition site. Google has a marker for it called Bar Les Cascades.

Another little-known stop for the Gaudi fan -- look up the Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc. It was the artistic society space for the Modernista crowd. Not much to it -- just a couple rooms. But it is cool to imagine Gaudi, Jean Miro, and others hanging out in the same space you're standing in.

History Traveler thank you for recommending Bar Les Cascades and Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc. In particular, I had not noticed the little café when researching the area and think it would be a nice alternative to the cafeteria.

MNAC has a couple of cool collections beyond the usual art you'd expect to find: modernisme (mainly furniture, decorative art and jewelry) and medieval frescoes rescued from churches in the Pyrenees.

The Miro Museum is quite near MNAC. I know there are exceptions, but sometimes you can walk right up to the Miro and get in without waiting in a ticket line. But MNAC can be very time-consuming.

acraven, I am looking forward to the MNAC visit for sure! I am afraid that our schedule does not allow for a stop at Miro though, especially now that we will be visiting the Montjuic Castle rather than just walking around it (my husband thinks it looks interesting) and the Jardins de Mossèn Costa i Llobera which I had not originally planned on doing that day.

As well, you may find it interesting given your earlier notes to me regarding Cassa Batllo, I now plan on buying blue level tickets for the 9am slot on April 17th rather than just viewing it from the outside. In addition, I will book a self-guided tour of the Palau de la Musica rather than just viewing it from the outside. Adding these two, I have decided not to tour Cassa Vicens as I originally planned, but just view it from the outside.

I think you'll be very happy to see the interiors of Casa Batllo and the Palau de la Musica Catalana.

The exterior of Casa Vicens is quite striking. I don't remember how much you can see from the street; it might pay to walk around the block. I went by the location before it opened to the public, and I recall wandering around a bit to try to get a good view.

acraven, I think I may have regretted it if I missed viewing them. It means the schedule is more packed (and more costly) but I am happy with it. As for Cassa Vicens, from Google Maps it looks like I will get to see a lot of the exterior so that makes me happy also.