BerniceS

My husband and I had also planned to purchase the Articket rather than the Barcelona card. However, now that it no longer covers La Pedrera, we are not sure. We do plan to go to the Picasso museum, Catalan art museum and Joan Miro. Is it still worth it? Since we are also seniors, we wonder if any of these museums have senior discounts? Since we also want to go to many of the Gaudi sites, we are wondering if there is any discount card that we should purchase (that might also help avoid lines). We do plan on getting the T10 card for transportation. We will be in Barcelona five full days in mid-September.

adrienne

I bought the Articket and went to those three museums and saved a couple of Euros. You can look up the admission prices on the web sites and figure out exactly how much. There was no line to get into any of these museums so you can buy the Articket at the first museum you go to.

Most sights, especially the Gaudi places, did not give senior rates to non-EU people (check the web sites). We booked the Gaudi tickets on line and did not try for the senior rate since at least one web site said that you had to give proof of age at the venue and we did not want to risk being told that our tickets were not valid, especially when we saw the lines of people waiting to get in and we walked right in as ticket holders.

Sometimes it's not worth trying to save a few pennies at the risk of losing your tickets.

Since you're going to Montjuic, stop and see the Mies van der Rohe Pavillion, created for the 1929 Expo. There is one English tour on Saturdays at 10:00, free with admission. If you're not interested in the 45 minute tour you can see the entire building from the outside (it's only 1 room).

adrienne

Really important...when you buy an on line ticket for Sagrada Familia each person has a bar code. Every other site that sold on line tickets always printed 1 ticket for the party except Sagrada Familia. I'm so glad I grabbed both pieces of paper, not realizing they were two tickets, before we left for the church!

BerniceS

Thank you Adrienne

LayaMonte

At first glance I´d say go for the T10 and buy tickets separately. Purchasing the tickets in advance is a good idea for Gaudí´s buildings and the Picasso Museum.

Note that the first Sunday of the month you can visit all public museums in Barcelona for free (not the Gaudí monuments).

The Picasso Museum is free to visit every Sunday after 3pm.

In general, I´d schedule my museum visits in the early morning and late afternoon. Use the middle of the day to have lunch (lunch is the main meal in Spain) and maybe refresh at your hotel.

You could consider the Barcelona Bus Turistíc, it comes with a coupon guide with discounts. The Barcelona Card is probably not worth it, but have a look at what´s included: http://www.barcelonacard.org/

And a quick warning: Barcelona is a safe city and I´m sure you´ll love it. But please take care of your belongings. There are many pickpockets at touristic areas and they´re very, very fast. I always advice friends and family to leave everything they don´t need in their hotel room. Just in case.

Have a great trip!

aliced

We recall that senior discounts were only available to Spanish citizens; we did not pre-purchase tix in Barcelona as we only had 3 full days and were not sure where we'd be when. However, the Joan Miro, Picasso, Casa Batllo and Sagrada Familia were outstanding. We were not as taken w/ Casa Mila and almost wished we passed on that and got up to Parc Guell which we were sad to miss. No line at Sagrada Familia or Joan Miro and very reasonable at the two Casas, the Picasso was probably 30-40 minutes, but it was raining. I would avoid the 'free' hours because everyone wants free and therefore the lines will be the very longest. Time is money in our minds. We opted for Mont Juic on a clear day and would recommend doing that for the views of entire city. Yes, hold on to all ticket stubs until you're gone-- (friend tossed his Alhambra ticket in Granada after first 'check' near entrance and therefore was denied entrance to the 'Main Event', the Nazrid Palace because he saw a handy trashcan!). Do have lunch or dinner at the legendary 4 Gats-- Picasso's Menestre (menu) makes up the nicest framed souvenir ever; and the interior is so memorable, food is good if overpriced.

tedgale

Bookmarking for late April visit

NGail

Bookmarking for September