Itinerary feedback

The pace seems reasonable to me, given your constraints.

I am one of several (many?) folks here who are flummoxed by Rick's continuing to highlight a walk along Las Ramblas as a major thing to do. You may well find yourself on that street as you travel around the city, but I see absolutely no reason to make a special effort to go there or waste any of your limited daily step allotment on a relatively ordinary commercial street that's extremely crowded and awash in pickpockets. With your husband's interest in architecture, I highly recommend that you do an Eixample walk instead to see some of the funky modernista buildings in that area.

I have not been to Montserrat and do not know how well that will work for someone who prefers to limit his walking.

I adore Girona, but there's a bit of a walk between the train ststion and the medieval area. You might prefer to take a taxi so you can see more of that historic zone on foot.

In addition to the expected paintings and sculptures MNAC has two special things of note: a super-impressive collection of large, early frescoes rescued from churches in the Pyrenees and a modernista collection heavy on furniture, decorative arts and jewelry.

The Picasso Museum was wall-to-wall people during my 2016 visit. Unless he is a special interest of yours, I'd recommend substituting the Miro or a second visit to the large MNAC. Girona also has a very nice art museum, but there's enough outside the museum to keep you busy for a day.

Incidentally, there's a 20th century building in Girona (located right on the river) that offers guided visits. I haven't managed to see it yet, but it might be of interest to your husband. It's something you need to buy tickets for ahead of time, but I don't know how far in advance.

The Sant Pau modernista site was still a place you could simply walk up to and buy tickets as recently as June of this year.

Thanks for all the recommendations. I will eliminate the Los Ramblas walk (we spent 1.5 days in Barcelona in 1997 and walked Los Ramblas then (and it had the birds and flower stalls then which I believe it does not now)). In its place we will add a Eixample walk and I will visit Museu Nactional d'Art de Catalunya. This frees up Monday for the day trip to Girona. I am not passionate about Picasso so I will drop that entirely.

Wednesday October 30 Disembark cruise at 10 and travel to Barri Gotic. Check in or drop bags at hotel if room is not ready. We would then do Rick Steves Walking tour of Barri Gotic. We plan to eat at St.Catherine's food market, visit Basilica of Santa Maria of PI and make any other stops that interest us.

Thursday October 31 Sagrada Familia in morning, lunch in Garcia, visit Sant Pau Centre Moderniste and Park Guell in afternoon; DIY tapas tour in Barri Gotic for dinner.

Friday November 1 As this is All Saints Day in Spain and many local people will be traveling our plan is to stay in Barcelona. Museu Nactional d'Art de Catalunya in the morning. Eixample walking tour in afternoon. In the evening drinks at Hotel Espana, (designed by Montaner) and then thinking about attending the Gran Gala flamenco show at Palau de la Música Catalana as much to see the concert hall as to see the flamenco.

Saturday November 2 - Travel to Sant Sadurní d'Anoia taking the R4 train from Barcelona. Visit Freixert and Caves Codorniu cellars. I am hoping there are taxis available to go from Freixert to Caves Cordiniu (can anyone confirm?). Considering going to Tarragona afterward.

Sunday November 3 Montserrat. Take the train to visit Montserrat. In Montserrat we will visit the monastery; the viewpoints you can reach by funicular; and take an easy hike;. We would time our return to see a performance of the Magic Fountain.

Monday November 4 Girona day trip to see Cathedral, Pont de les Peixateries Velles, Arab baths and wander the old city

Tuesday Nov 5 – Board cruise at 1 p.m.; Perhaps visit the Miro museum in the morning. My husband has no interest in this and would sleep in.

Gosh, you make it difficult you technophiles!.... "I love to walk in a city averaging 15000 steps per day"... can't you make it easier for everybody and tell in classical distance measurements? LOL! (ah, yes, do so in kilometres please, this is a civilised country, hahaha!)

To me, it seems quite well balanced, not too rushed.

TUE:
You mean "Gràcia" of course. But in any case, it's not a good idea as you'd be backtracking as Sant Pau is a 15' walk northbound from SFamilia and Gràcia is a tad farther westbound from the later. Might I suggest the same sites on a different itinerary?... check my post here, look for WED16 and the map mentioned is this one.

FRI:
It's also All Saints Day here in Catalonia, and furthermore a Friday, so there'll be lots of people escaping for a long weekend, but these days it's no the sort of exodus that used to be and a lot of people stay in the city. Also, many tourists fly over from every corner in Europe so don't expect the city to be "empty".

SAT:
Caves Freixenet is close to the train station, where there is a taxi rank. You "could" walk to Caves Codorniú though, it's just a pleasant 1.5km stroll (sorry, don't know how many steps!)

MON:
You can't visit MNAC on a Monday, it's a public museum and Monday is their day off. Picasso Museum is private and opens every day, but on Mondays has reduced opening hours. Check their websites. I would recommend the escapade to Girona although you'll have the same problem there if you planned any museum visit: the public museums are closed on Monday, only some private ones open every day.

TUE:
If you decide to visit the Picasso Museum, don't forget you also need to prebook this one in advance.

TO KEEP IN MIND:

Autumn is sweet here in Catalonia. This season brings with it All Saints festivities --known in Catalonia and Aragon as “la castanyada” (kas-ta-nee-ah-da, in Catalan, the local language) or chestnut festival-- which locals celebrate by eating typical Catalan traditional pastries called panellets (pah-nah-lee-ets) as well as boniatos (sweet potatoes), moscatell (sweet wine) and, castanyes (chesnuts) of course

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrkmkRZyta4
http://elprincipaleixample.com/en/blog-en-2/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-traditions-of-the-castanyada-festival/

Panellets date back to the 18th century and have strong religious connotations. History tells that panellets were originally considered a sacred food that could be shared with friends and family after religious events. On 31 October and 1 November, panellets are the most traditional dessert. Panellets are classified under the European Union quality classification scheme as a traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG). They are a high-calorie product, as are chestnuts, sweet potatoes and candied fruit, which are also traditionally eaten on the same night.

But why was it important to eat high-calorie foods for All Saints? The legend says the custom of eating this type of foods, which obviously give you loads of energy, comes from the tradition of watching over the dead all night, until the break of dawn. This type of high-calorie foods made it possible for the whole town to stay awake and not pass out. Given their composition, mainly almonds, these sweets are suspected to be of Arab origin.

Although the ingredients may vary, the base of any panellet is always the same: sugar, raw almond meal and egg whites. Some confectioners also add potato or sweet potato to the dough. The panellets later get a fourth ingredient to give them their flavour (chocolate, coconut, pine nuts, candied fruit, etc.).

Also, there are activities organised in some of the neighbourhoods in Barcelona. These tend to be family-oriented, especially for the young ones.

Unfortunately, this traditional festival, which has been celebrated since the end of the 18th century, has more recently been spoiled by the invasion of more commercially-oriented foreign traditions (such as "Halloween" parties and the lot). Yes, you can find Halloween parties, eat pumpkin or find the odd treat-or-trick kid's sweet scavenger hunt, but overall, it's not a wide-spread celebration like La Castanyada.

I figured 15,000 steps was a bit short of 6 miles (about 10 km), but I'm fairly short and the OP may have a somewhat longer stride than I do. Her husband almost certainly does, so his 6000 steps are probably over 2.5 miles (in the neighborhood of 4+ km).

It's about a 15 minute walk from SF to Sant Pau lined with cafes where you can have lunch.

Santa Caterina market closes at 3.30. Get there early for lunch. One of my favorite tapas places (well, not exactly tapas but the Basque version - pintxos) is across the street from the main entrance.

The Jewish Museum in the old city of Girona is excellent with lots of insights into daily life in the Middle Ages (for Jews and non-Jews). Do not skip the cloisters at the cathedral - the best part.

Allow plenty of time for MNAC. I had 2 hours on my first visit and it was not enought. They have a good, reasonably priced cafe and decent wine. Hubby can opt to drop in and out of the galleries while you enjoy the art. The "magic" fountain is just below the museum and both it and the steps between them are good for people-watching.

Don't expect too much from Hotel Espana - only one room is still "Domènech i Montaner" (not sure if he even did more at the hotel). When I dropped in, they had a jazz/dinner night that sounded interesting. Otherwise, just have a drink . . . or skip it altogether. There is a ton of modernisme in Barcelona. You just have to know to look for it. I took the TI's moderisme walking tour and it was excellent. I bought the Modernisme Route Guide (Ruta del Modernisme) at one of the Ajuntament offices (the TI should be able to tell you where the office is if they don't sell it themselves). There is one very long walking route, easy to choose a piece of it. I used it recently for an afternoon walk along La Ramba.

I'm glad Chani mentioned the modernism book. It is a good reference and a great souvenir--but printed on quality paper, so heavy. The accompanying map is very helpful. A quick glance will tell you whether there are modernist buildings on or near any walking route you are contemplating.

There are some discounts that would theoretically save you more than the cost of the materials, but it's not really viable to try to claim them at the most popular sites, because you'd have to stand in the interminable ticket lines. On a short visit to Barcelona, you're unlikely to have time to go inside the less famous buildings.

Thanks acraven, chaini and enric for the recommendations and information. Enric, thanks also for the info on the All Saints festivities.

A few questions –

Any other must sees in Girona? Is it worth staying the night? We could go there first for one or two nights and then return to Barcelona. Possibly add in a trip to Figueres to see the Dali musueum. I am on the fence on this as I am not a huge fan of surreal art. Is the Dali museum in terribly crowded? I would like to get to some of the small towns on the coast such as Cadaques but realize we would have to rent a car. Not sure we want to do that.

Regarding Barcelona - With all the recent news and well as some posts on this forum and on Trip Advisor about the dramatic increase in muggings including in daylight in what were thought to be safe areas what are your thoughts about staying in Barcelona. I am beginning to wonder if we should go elsewhere in the area such as a few nights in Girona and a few nights elsewhere – perhaps Sitges or Tarragona.

Have any of your done the evening entertainment at Casa Mila? If so, your thoughts? It appears to allow one hour for visiting the building and one hour for entertainment on the rooftop.

Hello, some answers to your questions:

• I like Girona, with its narrowing streets, medieval walls, Arabic baths. It's also a hub for Game of Thrones tours too, as many scenes from GOT were filmed there. That being said, with 6 nights available, I'm not sure if it merits an overnight by itself, unless you plan to do some daytrips around northern Catalonia from there, like the medieval mountain villages like Besalú and Rupit, or the Ancient Greek Ruins of Empúries.

• The Dali museum in Figures is one of the most popular day trips from Barcelona, you can definitely count on many people being there, terribly crowded, maybe not in late Oct/Nov.

• Instead of Cadaques, consider the Costa Brava towns of Tossa de Mar or Calella de Palafrugell, which are both accessible via public buses from Girona.

• It's true that Barcelona is currently experiencing some security issues these past few months, especially in the old town area (Ciutat Vella). The city gov. has finally recognised the security crisis and have stepped up measures to combat the rise in violence, hopefully it may be resolved by October, or may not, it's a complex issue stemming from years of city mismanagement and mass tourism. Although, I personally would not stay within the Ciutat Vella district, consider areas further out, like Gracia or Eixample, Barcelona is a big city after all.

Check the times of the Dali Museum. If they open early enough, you can take the train to Figueres and get to the museum when they open - before it gets crowded, then see the next-door Jewel collection, and back on the train for the rest of the day in Girona. To save time, take taxis to/from the train station in Figueres, maybe in Girona too.

I visited in winter and the museum opened too late to make it possible to do both in one day.

Carlos and Chani - Thanks for the additional information.

• Tossa del Mar looks wonderful. I am considering how to add it to our plans.
  
• We are currently booked at a hotel in the Barri Gotic so it looks like I should consider other options.
• Good to know that an early arrival at the Dali Museum may avoid the crowds.

I would not skip spending several nights in Barcelona due to security concerns. There's too much of interest there, most especially for an architecture fan.

If you want to see the Dali Museum, Girona and one of the nearby coastal towns, I think there's a lot to be said for spending a few nights in Girona, which has a very large medieval district, two good museums, a walkable wall and two historic churches. The trade-off is that your time in Barcelona will be too short. Tough decision.

Someone on the forum took and very much enjoyed a one-day bus tour to medieval villages, so that's another option for a different sort of experience, and one you could not duplicate via public trandsortation in a single day. There's never enough time to do everything.

Edited to add: I booked the first time-slot at the Dali Museum in early May this year. It was blissfully uncrowded for a short time before the tour groups arrived. When the area I was standing in got very crowded, I headed upstairs, and the situation had improved by the time I returned downstairs. The really funky stuff is downstairs; many visitors don't go upstairs at all. Much of the jewelry collection is sort of like miniature sculptures. It had few visitors. It can be visited before your timed entry to the art museum if you arrive unexpectedly early.

My trip to Figueres was in March on a Saturday (3 yrs ago). I got there just after they opened, started at the bottom and worked my way up, leisurely without many crowds, but after about 1-1/2 hours, it was fairly crowded and there at least 2 or 3 school groups of teens.