Gaudi sights in Barcelona

La Sagrada Familia is open in September but the tickets are not available yet. Actually on the official website under the FAQ it says "Tickets can currently be purchased roughly two months before the visit."
https://sagradafamilia.org/en/faqs

We went from place to place on our own which was pretty easy on public transportation.
Actually the Sagrada Familia to La Pedrara (formally known as Casa Milà) is only about a mile away. We walked that since we were staying in that area.
Also Casa Batlló (another Gaudi site) is a short walk from Casa Milà.
You could just buy a tour for each place instead of a tour that takes you to each place.

Parc Guell is further out from the center than the other Gaudi sites.
https://parkguell.barcelona/en/planning-your-visit/faqs

There are many Gaudi sites in Barcelona. We went on a free walking tour with the Gaudi theme. Learned a lot. The tour did not go inside Sagrada Familia. But the guide gave us the low down. We got separate tickets to visit inside.
If you are interested in Gaudi, this tour will give you some places maybe you did not know about. Various private houses or apartments. Even lampposts. All Gaudi.

As of 2017 the tourist office also had a modernisme walking tour. It didn't go inside any of the Gaudi sights. They are time-consuming and expensive, so I much preferred to see them on my own when I could spend all the time I wanted at each one. I don't remember whether there's an audio guide available for Parc Guell, but there is for La Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila/La Pedrera and Casa Batllo. I was happy with the audio guides.

If you have extra time, you might also enjoy seeing the Palau de la Musica Catalana and the Sant Pau modernista site. They were designed by a different architect, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, but are lovely. There are English-language tours a the PdlMC which are best booked a bit ahead of time, or you can attend a performance there and see part of the lovely building that way. I've been to the Sant Pau complex (a former hospital) twice and haven't needed to buy a ticket in advance; it hasn't had any line at all.

And taxis are easy.

We’ve hired Jose Soler
Tours recommended by Rick Steves
www.pepitotours.com
[email protected]
+34 615 059 326

Thanks, everyone. Your replies have been really helpful.

Chris

Hi Chris,

1.) There are many companies that no longer offer group tours because, frankly, demand is slowing for these sorts of tours. Nowadays, with the major attractions in Barcelona offering audio guides in a bunch of languages, a large chunk of visitors prefer -as Anne points out earlier in this thread- to DIY these tours, at their own pace. Many companies have turned to one-to-one tours instead but that, obviously, increases the price substantially. This is not to say there are no group tours, but of course there are, but there is a decreasing demand for them.

2.) Pre-bookings don't go that far in time. Most sites allow pre-booking two to three months in advance only.

The only place in Barcelona that I've heard sells out well in advance is the Camp Nou tour/experience. I imagine Barcelona is even busier now, but in 2015 the tourist office told me I could wait till the day before my planned visit to get tickets, but that the first time slot of the day was popular, so I should book a bit earlier to be sure of getting that one. I followed that advice (buying the early ticket for La Sagrada Familia about 48 hours ahead of time) and had no problems, but I had ten days in Barcelona and was mixing and matching indoor visits to high-traffic sights, visits to less-popular museums/sights and a lot of wandering-around time. I wasn't trying to snag entry times that made for the most efficient possible use of only two or three days in the city; that might call for more careful planning.

We got the Sagrada Familia guided tour on their website and did the "Gold" Casa Batllo tour from their web site and enjoyed them immensely! Walked to each from our hotel as we were only 5 minutes from Casa Battlo. Our ebike tour passed Casa Mila but we did not go in. Taxis are easy to hail, all accepted credit cards. Not Gaudi but 15 minute walk from Sagrada Familia is Recinto Modernista de Sant Pau which was very cool (self directed tour).

And the Sant Pau site has not, so far, become so popular that you have to buy a ticket in advance. It's great to have a place you can go to on the spur of the moment and not get hung up in a significant ticket line.

We used Runner Bean Tours in 2018. Did their 2 free walking Tours and the night time group tour. All were excellent.

Here’s another vote for Hospital San Pau - not Gaudi but super cool Modernista architecture. We paired it with Sagrada Familia - it’s just a ten minute walk down the street from there. Not crowded and super cool. We did another, less popular, Gaudi house too. It’s Palau Guell. Absolutely worth a stop. https://www.palauguell.cat/en/palace-history