Hello! My family and I (two adults and a 7 year old) will be traveling to Barcelona in early August. I know that Rick recommends purchasing the tickets in advance. I am still trying to figure out how difficult it is to walk up and get tickets the same day. I would prefer to not be stuck with a certain time, but am willing to purchase the tickets if the wait/line tends to be long.
Thank you!
Posted by
Washington DC
28085 posts
The ticket line can be quite long, and you might find no tickets available for the current day when you arrive at the ticket booth. On the early-August day when I visited in 2016 (taking a tourist-office-organized tour so I didn't have to deal with the ticket line myself), the museum itself was packed. It was not a good museum-going experience, and my standard advice now is that only people who are seriously interested should go to that museum. The other art museums in Barcelona are much easier to enjoy.
If the Picasso Museum is a must for you, you might try a late-afternoon or early-evening entry time. Someone reported here that conditions were not awful late in the day. Also check the museum's website to see whether you can pay a bit extra for tickets that are not time-specific. I know at least one of the Gaudi sites offers that option. Note, however, that no matter what kind of tickets you have at this or other highly popular sights, you may still wait in line before gaining entry. I think what's going on is that they let X people in after X people leave, for safety (fire code?) reasons. I'm just speculating, but some of the Barcelona venues are exceptionally popular, and they could sell so many tickets that you simply would not be able to move once inside.
Posted by
Barcelona (Catalonia)
3071 posts
"walk up and get tickets the same day" in Barcelona and in August?.... are you mad? :)))
Posted by
OP
16 posts
Thank you!
I’m not too crazy.. lol... I will be purchasing tickets soon!
Posted by
Barcelona (Catalonia)
3071 posts
LOL!..... Barcelona receives several times its population over in tourism. The city has 1.9 million residents (4.8 in the metro area) and receives over 18 million visitors every year. While visitors come every month of the year, the period Jun-Oct is particularly busy. To that, add that we also have lots of internal tourism here in Catalonia, especially in August -where most people take vacations. This results in the city being quite busy, especially around the "touristy stuff" (attractions and certain neighbourhoods, like those in Ciutat Vella, the Old City). Same goes for other businesses in that area: restaurants, shops, cinemas...