lstamu

We will arrive at about 9am in Barcelona in May and will have 3 nights and (almost 3 days). Here's the plan but I'd love some input on this. Drop off luggage at hotel and do the Ramblas walk(various ones in books) and we are staying on the Ramblas. Possibly a Hop on/Hop off bus to see some of the sights that I know we won't be able to go to. Take a nap in late afternoon and then go have tapas and walk around that night.
Day 2 - Sagrada Familia in the morning. Should we do the towers and get a guide? I'm up for both but would love to hear about people's experiences with this. It looks like on the website you can't buy tickets for the tower and the guide. Do you just get the guide inside the church. Is the audio guide sufficient?
At 3:30 that afternoon we are signed up for a Guadi Context tour which will take us to Casa Mila/La Pedrera. I'm not sure what we will do before that or after that. Eating will be involved at different points but it looks like we have lots of time to explore.
Day 3 - Morning Picasso Museum, Eglesia de Santa de Mar, Mercat de Santa Caterina, and the Palau de la Musica Catalana
3:30 Context tour of the Barri Gothic.
Suggestions?

Ackislander

Parc Guell, absolutely. It is a knockout, and the views from it are fantastic.

I assume one of your tours will take you to the Palau, the opera house, and to the cathedral. If not, you should visit on your own.

The Boqueria Market and the beach.

There is an enormous Dunkin Donuts in or near the Placa Mayor, but a better place for a coffee or whatever Is the top floor cafe in the Corte Ingles department store. Fantastic roof top views.

adrienne

Sagrada Familia - I took the guided tour and thought it was good. I prefer a person to an audio. Someone on this board recently emailed the Sagrada Familia about the tickets and was told to book the entrance and guide and then get the tower tickets when you arrive. The guided tours are small groups so you should book ahead to ensure the time slot you want. I didn't do the towers so can't comment on that

Day 2 - The 3 sights you have scheduled are more than enough for a day. Just walk around and have some lunch in between SF and the Context tour.

Day 3 - You need to book the Palau de la Musica tour ahead.

lstamu

Thanks for the feedback. Will do about the tower tickets and the Palau Musica. Maybe we can do Parc Guell on the first day. Wish we were going to have more time. Barcelona looks like it is a fantastic city.

SeeDee

Re Day 1.
Doing a circuit on the hop-on hop-off bus, without availing of the hop option, doesn't sound the best of plans.
Perhaps a taxi direct to Parc Guell might be a better use of time.

jamikins

It was me that emailed Sagrada familia and it is the opposite, book the towers and entrance online and book the guided tour on arrival...

adrienne

Sorry, jamikins. My old brain misremembered! I should have checked that post.

kimhe

Very much recommend the guided tour of La Sagrada Familia. Added immensely to a great experience last year. The there and then details, comments etc don't come with the audioguide.

Three suggestions for excellent, medium priced and no fuss traditional Catalan food quite close to Las Ramblas. Have had excellent meals in all these places during the past two years:

Small and family owned Ca l'Estevet is one of those timeless places: http://www.restaurantestevet.com/wpre/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Catalonia.html

Can Culleretes from 1786 is the second oldest restaurant in the country. Still popular with locals. Just off Las Ramblas in one of the most narrow streets in town: http://www.culleretes.com/en/home
http://11870.com/pro/can-culleretes

Set Portes from 1836 is an institution in town. Perhaps my favourite restaurant in town considering both atmosphere and food. A bit more expensive than the other two, mains at 15-25€: http://www.7portes.com/angles/index.php
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujDIsGzDO38

And even though flamenco comes from Andalucía in the South of Spain, one of the consistently best flamenco tablaos in the country is right on Las Ramblas. Always top of the shelf artists at Tablao Cordobés: http://www.tablaocordobes.es/en/

Here are some of the dancers that perform through April and probably into May.
Karime Amaya, grand-niese of the greatest flamenco dancer in history, Carmen Amaya (1913/17-1963) from Barcelona:
Belén López: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hbhkIWSX-Q
José Maya: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3_40SHMgOI

Trailer to a recent documentary about flamenco culture in Barcelona (with Karime Amaya who dances in Tablao Cordobés): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BibV3tYo0U

jamikins

No worries Adrienne!

Christina

I don't do guided tours much, so can't comment on that. But for other thigns to do, you don't have any museums listed except Picasso. Now I'm not crazy about Picasso, that's true, but I didn't think that was that great a Picasso museum (and I've seen his works in a lots of places). But I've seen his works so much in so many places, maybe I'm jaded. Of course it's in an area easy to see and close to the cathedral, anyway.

But to me, I like to visit museums that are special to a city, and in Barcelona there are several that I rank far above that one, such as the Catalonia art museum. I also liked Miro and the naval museun, and the one down on the pier, the Catalonia history museum. I also rank those above Parc Guell which I was not wowed by myself. It just eats up a lot of time and I didn't find it as memorable as many other things in the city.

kimhe

... and here's the Karime Amaya clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CklXLAvSIyc

1hughes

Here's the best advice you will ever get:

1. Ignore the Ramblas. It's nothing but a ticky tack tourist trap filled with junk. An utter waste of time. There is nothing to see there.

2.Forget Context. Take a Runnerbean tour.

3. For museums, the clear winner is Frederic Mares.

4. Tour of Sagrada Familia superfluous. If anything ever spoke for itself, this is it.

5. Whoever said take a taxi to Park Guell was right. Don't miss it. It is #2 in Barcelona to Sagrada Familia.

kimhe

Las Rabmlas <nothing but a ticky tack tourist trap filled with junk>. Well, La Rambla has its ups and clear downs, but it's the most famous boulevard in Spain with lots of history:
http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/Engl...AMrjSiF_oOcerR
http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.c...s-ramblas.html

Here you find the plain fantastic Boquería food market: http://www.gardenista.com/posts/la-boqueria-market

The famous Liceu theater: http://www.liceubarcelona.cat/en.html

One of the best reputed flamenco tablaos in the country: http://www.tablaocordobes.es/es

And perhaps a relaxing sit down at Cafe de l'Opera just opposite the Liceu: http://www.cafeoperabcn.com/ http://www.spottedbylocals.com/barce...afe-de-lopera/

And when it comes to the tour of La Sagrada Familia. I thought a knew much about both Gaudí and the church before visiting last year, but the guide added immensely with details and richness to the experience.

suec1

I would suggest you skip the HO HO bus and use the time and money to taxi to Parc Guell. Even tho you have quite a few Gaudi sights on your schedule, I think Parc Guell is a must-see, it is amazing. Las Ramblas, I think it is both raucous and tacky but still part of what makes Barcelona the city it is so yes, stroll down it but afterwards head over to the old part of the city and El Born for eating.

Sassafrass

Agree - skip the HOHO bus and go to Parc Guell.