Hello, my husband and I are traveling to Barcelona in April. We are in our mid-fifties and are okay with walking a lot. As well, when we travel, we book a hotel in a more central location so we can take a short mid-day break when possible.
I have created the following itinerary but would love to get feedback from those of you who know the City well:
1. April 14th- Landing at 10:30am and taking a cab from the airport so hope to arrive at our hotel in Eixample by 12:30ish. From there grab some lunch on our walk down to see the Arc de Triomf and Cascada del Parc de la Ciutadella. Our destination that day is the Barcelona Zoo. They close at 7pm in April so we should enjoy a couple of relaxed hours strolling around in there. Afterward take the bus back to our hotel and have supper somewhere between the bus stop and the hotel. Given that we do not know if there will be any travel delays, or if we will be too jetlagged (after our 17 hours of travel), I did not want to schedule any “must see” attractions that I will need reservations for. As well, we find spending time outside on arrival day helps us with jetlag.
2. April 15th – Planning on buying tickets in advance for 9:30am entry to Parc Guell which we would travel to by bus, afterwards walking down to Casa Vicens for a guided tour if available otherwise a self-guided tour. I plan on buying tickets on site rather than in advance. Afterwards picking up lunch to bring back to the hotel where we can put our feet up for an hour or so. Later we would walk down to La Rambla and visit La Boqueria Market. I understand we are better off visiting the market in the morning, but cannot seem to make that work with my schedule. Wander around Gothic Quarter (planning to view Catedral de Barcelona & Palau de la Musica Catalana from outside only). Eat supper in the Placa de Catalunya area then back to the hotel for the night.
3. April 16th – Walk to Sagrada Família (plan to purchase tickets in advance for a 9:15 slot of a guided tour without tower access), head to Sant Pau Recinte Modernista (was just going to buy tickets on site) then lunch on way back to hotel for a short respite. Later afternoon visit Palau Guell (going to buy tickets on site rather than in advance), followed by a trip to Corte Inglés to do some shopping and have a meal in the cafeteria on the top floor (for the view) before heading back to the hotel.
4. April 17th – Walk to area with Casa Mila, Casa Batlló, Casa Amatller, Casa Lleó Morera to view from the outside. After reading a lot of reviews, I decided not to tour Casa Batlló, putting that time and money to use elsewhere instead. I plan on buying tickets for a 10am self-guided slot at the Picasso Museum in advance. If we are up to visiting another museum, we will have lunch and head to MUHBA (Placa Del Rei) for a couple of hours. Although I fear this may be too ambitious. Afterward we will walk to La Barceloneta beach for a look around and supper. Afterwards take bus back to area of the hotel.
5. April 18th – Take bus to Plaça d'Espanya, then walk to the 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. Afterwards walk over to the Montjuic cable car ticket office to buy a round trip ticket. Based on reviews I have read, I don’t intend to buy tickets to enter the castle, just walk around the outside and take in the views. Afterwards, we will take public transport back to the hotel. It will be our last night so we will likely just eat at a restaurant in the area, walk around nearby neighborhoods a little and pack.
Thanks to everyone for helping first time visitors like myself.