Two days in Barcelona with teenage boys

My suggestion: Take the 10 minute walk from Sagrada Familia to Saint Pau. Personally, I preferred Saint Pau to SF - it seemed like a little Modernista town in the middle of Barcelona - I know, a big Modernista town!

https://www.santpaubarcelona.org/en/visits-sant-pau-art-nouveau-site

If you were to say what your (or their) preferences and likes are it'd be far easier... there are too many things to do and see in Barcelona. Also, their ages are important, it's not the same if they're 12 or 17 :) Lastly, the exact date is also key, in case there are events happening that can be of your/their interest.

PS: two full days only?... no, no, no... bad, very bad, planning, LOL!

We will be there June 13-16. My boys like active stuff. I think we will be "museumed" out. I think Park Guell might be of interest but not sure I want to commit enough to buy tickets in advance and that decision may shut us out if we decide to go as the tickets may be gone as we get closer. People watching and exploring the different areas is what we are planning to do. Street performances?

Science Museum is cool: https://obrasociallacaixa.org/en/ciencia/cosmocaixa/el-museo

Also I would research local events on Facebook, sometime you can find some real gems.

p.s. how about letting boys to decide ;-)

You can visit much of Park Guell without tickets. The park is separated into two parts: the "free" zone, which makes up most of the park, and the "monument zone" which is where most of Gaudi's buildings are located and for which tickets are required. The free zone is about 90% of the park. Plenty of space to walk, people watch and see how Gaudi sought to integrate nature with architecture. Maybe you set the boys loose in the free zone while you get a ticket for the monument zone.

Hi, not sure if your boys will be interested in football, but you could consider the FC Barcelona Experience Stadium Tour: https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/tickets/camp-nou-experience/the-experience/museum

It's a great opportunity to learn of the story of Barça and tour our famous pitch, the Camp Nou. It's a good alternate experience if one cant make it to a game.

One little food recommendation - my boys really liked the empanadas at La Fabrica (Carrer del Call, 19), which we discovered as we were wandering around. We went there twice in our three days there. Lots of different varieties of empanadas, and they were really good. It was a very casual place, but just right for us.

We, too, were at the end of a long trip and were museum-ed out. We were in France first, then San Sebastian, and Barcelona was our final stop for days 14-16. Our main goal was to see Sagrada Familia, and we spent the rest of the time just wandering, snacking, and exploring. We figured anything else was just a bonus, because we didn't want to reserve tickets for five and then find out we were too weary to really enjoy it. One thing I wish we'd done was see the Magic Fountain show, but that will have to be next time.

Also, we enjoyed a big lunch in the cafe in the big department store called El Corte Ingles. We visited La Boqueria market several times, and I'd recommend visiting that market early in the day or at the end of the day to avoid the crowds.

Have fun!
Laurie

I suggest you check out Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. No need to purchase tickets beforehand as there is not much of a crowd there. Just walk-in and purchase tickets if you feel like checking it out. Barcelona is such a beautiful city to explore. You'll definitely enjoy walking around and exploring even without following a strict itinerary. Just go with the flow and enjoy a spontaneous tour.

Thank you all for the suggestions!!

Spend half a day resting at the beach and swimming in the Med along with other Local families and teenagers.

We were just here a few weeks ago.
Park Guell is great second sight...more Guadi creations. This requires timed entry booked on-line. Tickets incl shuttle bus service to the park from a specified location. Note that there is a public city park designed in the Modernisme style attached to Park Guell. Finish off your visit inside the ticketed Park Guell (not that large, actually) with a stroll through the city park. You won't be sorry. Fabulous views, quirky hardscaping and lush lush heavily treed gardens and pathways. It's very non-touristy. What a city gem.
Arch of Triomf is not a frequently visited second sight, but worth a quick visit. It was built for a world exposition in 1900, If I remember correctly.
The beach at the Olympic park is always nice, or just a walk along the board walk (terminus of the Ramblas walk).
Strolling the Eixample district for more Modernisme is pleasant. People watching on Placa Catalunya and Placa Universitat.
Explore the narrow tangled lanes of the Gothic Quarter starting at Catedral de Barcelona (note remnants of old Barcelona Roman city walls) in this district. Non touristy, grittier Gothic Quarter walk, you can start from Mercado/Market Santa Caterina.
Picasso Museum is free on Thursday nights 6-9pm. Book online 4 days before to get timed entry tickets. This museum features early works of artist as a teen and some older pieces of the artist in his old age.

Catedral Barcelona has a square. There are lots of entertainment there, plus an art market.
For people watching, can't get more interesting that the Gothic Quarter, for sure.
Ramblas was a dissapointment, nobody there but us tourists.
Foodie market La Bouqeria (accessed from Ramblas) is cool for lunch for the boys, but again, very touristy and kinda expensive.
Bring some bread or buy some corn from a vendor at Placa Catalunya and play with the aggressive pigeons and mimes.
Hip shopping from the streets around Placa Universitat.
There's always Barcelona beach.