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Need Advice for Barcelona Itinerary

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We will be in a two week trip to Spain with last two and half days in Barcelona. We are with Gate 1 Tour and will have half day guided driving tour of the city. We still have two days at leisure on our own and need plan activities for these two days. Our hotel is Catalonia Barcelona Plaza in Montjuic area (not in the city center). Tentatively, I have the following rough ideas for our time in Barcelona.

Sept 25 (Tue)
Arrive at hotel around 2-3 PM. Take RS’s Ramblas walking tour starting at harbor (near our hotel) and walk towards the Placa de Catalunya.

Any recommendation for a dinner place (tapas bar) around the area or around our hotel?

Sept 26 (Wed).
This morning Gate 1 will provide half day driving tour for the city. The tour is described as following:
This morning's tour of Barcelona begins with a drive along the old Harbor to the Plaza de Catalunya, the city's bustling main square. Afterward, pass the famous works of Gaudi, the master architect, including the Casa Batllo, seemingly constructed from skulls and bones. Then, view the iconic symbol of Barcelona, La Sagrada Familia , a colossal church that is legendary and still unfinished. Ascend Montjuic Hill, home to a number of sports facilities built for the 1992 Olympics with the Olympic Stadium at its center.

I understand that Gaudi architectures are main attraction of Barcelona and there are many of them. Gate 1 tour is only viewing outside (not go inside). Tentatively I plan to visit 3-4 of them; Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, Casa Batlo, and maybe Casa Mila. If I can only visit either Casa Batlo or Casa Mila, which one would you recommend?

Our morning tour will end at Montjuic Hill around 1 PM. I plan to reserve ticket for Sagrada Familia around 15:00-16:00 for this afternoon. I read that it is best to visit the church either early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the crowd. Here are my questions:
1. I plan to reserve the top view ticket for the church. I try to decide which tower to pick. From RS book it mentions that sunlight strikes the Nativity Façade in the morning and the Passion Façade in the afternoon. Is it better to pick Passion Façade since our visit will be in the afternoon?
2. How long will it take to visit the church? What else to do in the vicinity after this (before dinner)?
3. Any recommendation for a dinner place (good tapas bar)?
I plan to see Magic Fountain show (near hotel) at 21:30-22:00

Sept 27 (Thurs)
We have whole day today. I would like to see Park Guell, Casa Batlo (or Casa Mila), Cathedral, Picasso Museum and maybe some other sites nearby. Most of these places need timed advance reservation. I want to minimize walking (traveling time) between sites. We can start the day early. We just need to get back to hotel by 7 PM for the 8 PM dinner.
1. What is the efficient sequence to visit these places?
2. Tentatively I would like to start the day for a 9:00 AM visit to Casa Batlo. I don’t know what time I should reserve the ticket for Park Guell and Picasson Museum.
3. What are other places in the vicinity that are worth visiting if we have time?

I would really appreciate your advice and input! Thank you in advance for your help!

Posted by
653 posts

Weds #1: We picked the Nativity Tower for our afternoon visit, figuring the photos would be more interesting with all the buildings we could see (facing east) lit by the setting sun. Of course it rained and the tower was closed, so I can't tell you how the plan worked out.

Weds #2: it depends on how thoroughly you explore it. We listened to most of the audio guide and saw most of the models downstairs, took lots of photos, made a brief stop in the gift shop, totaled about three hours. Most people would probably take about two hours, I guess.

Thurs #1: if you've searched the forum for "Barcelona" you've read that most experienced visitor recommend you pick two timed sites per day, one first thing in the morning and one in the afternoon. You can plot them on a map or use Rick's suggestions and edit to match your goals: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/spain/barcelona-itinerary.

My husband and I allowed a day and a half to sight-see before our cruise departed and decided next time we want to spend a week in Barcelona.

Posted by
40 posts

Marty,

Thank you so much for the very helpful info. I didn't know that tower will be closed when raining. Did you get some money back due to tower closing since the ticket including tower is more expensive? I have another question. What can you see when go up the tower? is it to get close view of the Facade or is it to get bird's eye view of the city? I am somewhat confused now and would really appreciate some help here. Can you still see both Facades (Passion and Nativity) even if you don't go up the tower?

Thanks again.

Posted by
4180 posts

I would recommend that for the Ramblas walk you start at the Plaça de Catalunya and end at the Columbus pillar, as most of the better dining options will be closer to the sea. While you are there, I would also check out the Barri Gòtic, which is right next door to the Ramblas, in my opinion the Barri Gòtic is more interesting with its narrow winding medieval streets.

For places to eat in the Barri Gòtic you can try Bar Celta Pulperia they specialize in Galician Octopus (Pulpo a la Gallega) and they also have some classic Spanish tapas that are good too. They have two locations, in the Barri Gòtic and one in El Born. Another tapas place in the Barri Gòtic is Bar El Tropezón their specialty is the Bomba, which is like a giant fried potato croquette with spicy sauce on top. I am a little iffy for Bar El Tropezón as I have not been there in a while and heard it has gotten a little touristy.

To complement your Sagrada Familia visit you could also visit the Hospital Sant Pau, which is just a short walk away. Hospital Sant Pau is a Gaudi-esque modernisme complex built in the early 20th century. It has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has significantly less tourists than the Sagrada Familia. My mom actually used to work there, before they closed down :)

Posted by
653 posts

About the Sagrada Familia tower tickets:
Yes, we had bought tickets on line probably a week before and they automatically refunded the tower portion of our admission - I didn't have to do anything!

Posted by
653 posts

Forgot to answer this:
" Can you still see both Facades (Passion and Nativity) even if you don't go up the tower?"

Yes, you see them from the ground level, outside, construction permitting. I think when we were there in April 2018 you couldn't get very close to the Passion facade.

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