jerseysusan

I am visiting Barcelona in June and plan on spending one day visiting some Gaudi sites. We would head out early in the morning and see how it goes. Logistically it makes sense to visit them in this order:

Casa Batllo
La Pedrera
La Sagrada Familia
Park Guell

However is it worth going to Sagrada Familia first to avoid the line?
I know you can get advance tickets for both Sagrada Familia and Casa Batllo. Has this proved to be a time saver for anyone?

Any advice would be appreciated.

alexislovesspain

Don't know about the combination tickets, but I can tell you that when you go to the Sagrada Familia, if there is a line at the elevators to go up into the church .... walk right on by .. if you continue through the building, right before you exit on the back side, there is another elevator .. we found it .. and had NO line .. also, there were very few people in our pictures because everyone was on the more modern side of the building. In truth, I preferred the older side better.

Just a thought.

danon

your logistic is perfect. The line ups can be there for the first three any time. Hard to tell. You may wish to
spread the visits to two days ( a bit too much Gaudi if you "pack it" all in one day!)

tejana

Unless you want to go up the elevator at Sagrada Familia, I wouldn't worry about timing (and while the interior is interesting (mainly for the small museum), the biggest impact is the exterior anyway, so if you find yourself short on time you COULD skip the interior rather than cut one of the other sites). But if you want to go up the elevator, I think doing it first thing in the morning would probably be a decent idea. It is an easy $5 cab ride between Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, btw (there is NO easy way to get between the two by public transportation). La Pedrera and Casa Batllo (my favorite) will probably be the most structured of the sites in terms of tours, and both will have long lines. If you can get Casa Battlo tickets in advance it would be worth it.

jerseysusan

alexislovesspain - thanks for the elevator tip. I know I read about this a few times - funny how most people are unaware of this situation. I will be very happy to save this time.

danon - unfortunately we don't have alot of time to work with. Otherwise I agree breaking up the Gaudi vists would make sense.

tejana - your suggestion of taking a cab to Park Guell makes sense. There will be 3 of us and I had thought we would take a bus. Thanks

danon

I also second a taxi to and from Guell!

yk

Just to be clear: The 2 elevators at Sagrada Familia take you up to the 2 respective facades. They DO NOT GO TO THE SAME AREA.

The "first" elevator (closer to entrance point) takes you up the Gaudi facade. The "second elevator" takes you up the newer facade. The 2 facades are not connected. So, while the newer facade elevator has a shorter line, if your main goal is to go up the Gaudi facade, you need to take the first elevator.

Doh

You can also use the hop-on bus to get around-- it was surprisingly (to me at least) worthwhile.

jerseysusan

yk - point taken about the elevators. Did you buy tickets in advance for Sagrada Familia?

Doh - I have considered the hop- on bus. Actually so so many things to consider for such a short trip, one week only.

alexislovesspain

we were in Bacelona for only 2 days ... we did the 2 day pass on the hop on hop off bus .. it was perfect for us. To go to Parc Guell .. we just hopped off at that stop and walked up the hill .. my 83 year old mother and my 2 kids under the age of 6 .. did it with no problem.

alexislovesspain

we were in Bacelona for only 2 days ... we did the 2 day pass on the hop on hop off bus .. it was perfect for us. To go to Parc Guell .. we just hopped off at that stop and walked up the hill .. my 83 year old mother and my 2 kids under the age of 6 .. did it with no problem.

alexislovesspain

note .. since there were 5 of us .. we never did take a taxi ... we used the hop on bus .. solely

Echnaton

Be aware taht La Sagrada Familia is primarily a construction site, with a strong smell of fresh cement. As others have said, it is most attractive from the outside and it can seriously be questioned if it is worth getting inside.

IMO, Parc Guell is the best Gaudi site in Barcelona, so put it at the end (the best at last). Parc Guell also deserves good weather. I also second the recommendation to take a taxi.

danon

agree about Ech. about just seeing SF from the outside...why go up? You have a great view of the city from Parc Guell. Also, the view from La Pedrera is not bad.

danon

sorry, "agree with.."

Doh

Personally, I think if you go to Sagrada Familia then it's worth seeing it from the inside. I agree it is half cathedral half construction site but I thought it was interesting to see it as a work in progress, and the museum was worth a quick visit too. We did not stand on line to go up.

isabel

The first time I was in Barcelona we didn't go inside Sagrada Familia. I was there for a second visit in March and we did and I'm glad, it really is quite interesting. However, the elevator to the top could easily skipped. That was actually pretty boring. And that's where the longest lines are.

I think doing it all in one day would be fine. As interesting as Sagrada Familia is, it does not take all that much time. I have not been inside Casa Batllo but La Pedrera was very interesting. And Parc Guell is wonderful.

Here's a shot of the interior of Sagrada Familia, there are alot of others in the same gallery - www.pbase.com/annforcier/image/123197606

yk

jerseysusan, no, I did not buy tickets in advance. I got there fairly early, and though the line looked long, it moved quickly. The rate-limiting step was actually the line for the elevators; as each elevator can only take 5 or 6 people up.

While I agree the main attraction of Sagrada Familia is the facade, I really enjoyed going INSIDE to see the ongoing construction. And if you take the elevator up on the facade, you are at a close proximity to some of the sculptural elements on the facade - something you can't get by cranking your neck up from the park across the street.

Of course, it all depends on how much time you have and whether the time investment at Sagrada Familia is "worth it" to you.

Egbert

That's a lot of Gaudi for one day.

Aduchamp1

It is too much Gaudi for one day. There is great detail in his work and that should be appreciated.

As someone who seen the "progress" of Sagrada Familia for almost forty years, I have a very different view. There are many aspects to the construction. The view from outside is impressive but to watch the workers who are both doing fine finishing and poured concrete gives it different perspectives.

As you know the blue prints were destroyed during the Civil War, and everyone is creating this from a ghost.

It depends on what the OP wants from Gaudi. There is the purely imaginative aspect, the religious aspect, the design aspect, and the overall perspective.