re: Casa Batllo

So are there lines/queues to buy tickets and then to enter? Buying tickets online just avoids the former but you need to Fast Pass to avoid the latter?

The online ticket I bought specified a particular entry time and let me skip the (LONG!!!) line for purchasing a ticket. There was a separate line to enter -- but that was nominal, just checking your ticket, answering questions, directing one to the audioguide desk (or maybe it was the place where I got the audioguide)? At least that's what I remember! Certainly quick and easy and on time!

Unlike the advance ticket I purchased, which DID have a specific entry time, I think the Fast Past to which maitaitom refers does NOT have a specific entry time ... I could be wrong!

Oh dear so you want to go back to the licensing issue? If they are not in the following list linked below they are not licensed. Please read what some of the the members of this forum wrote in the thread I linked to.
This is the list of offical guides.
http://empresaiocupacio.gencat.cat/w...41594479_1.pdf
All official guides wear badges. and are allowed into buildings and monuments, unofficial ones do not.

Related to unofficial guides strange occurrence happened recently:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/tr...ur-guides.html

kja -- from what I can tell, the Casa Batllo tickets do not have a specific time or even a specific day. I will likely purchase online but not spend the 20€ for the Fast Pass.

Heeding your other advice, I'll start that day at Parc Guell and then head to CB and go from there.

" I think the Fast Past to which maitaitom refers does NOT have a specific entry time ... I could be wrong!"

That's correct. No specific time or even day for fast pass, so we could go whenever our schedule was open yo go see it during our five days in Barcelona.

((H))

"what time for Parc Guell"

We bought entrance tickets for 8:30 AM. For most of our visit, there were only a handful of other people around. Had great photo ops everywhere. Shortly after 9:00, a couple of tourist buses started arriving but still plenty of space between us.

The rest of our day was spent at Hospital Sant Pau and Sagrada Familia, which we combined on one day because of their proximity to each other.

Oops -- I just realized that I've been misspelling Batllo --1 t, 2 ls, not the reverse. Sorry!

More to the point, I misread the copy of the ticket that I consulted yesterday -- I looked at a small copy, saw that it had a date (the date of purchase) and a time (last entry) and simply assumed they indicated date and time of visit. My apologies!

I'm glad to see that debinthepeg had a good experience at Park Guell at the start of the day. Are you planning to pre-book its monument zone?

<<<i>I'm glad to see that debinthepeg had a good experience at Park Guell at the start of the day. Are you planning to pre-book its monument zone?</i> >>

Yes. Mulling over the time options. We normally can get going pretty early, but we might shift a little to Barcelona time.

If we take Bus 92 and enter at "the top" (Carretera del Carmel-Park Güell), how much time to meander down through the free access area to the Monument Zone? (If I've understood things correctly regarding the layout).

I'm pretty sure that's the entrance I used to access the park, although I came on a different bus.... Assuming it is the same (and I do hope others jump in!), I think I spent about 10 or 15 minutes on that walk -- but I wasn't meandering, since I figured I could meander later and wanted to be sure to be at the Monumental zone in time. I wasn't trotting, either -- just moving at what seemed to me a normal pace.

I encourage you to ask the staff at your entry point -- I asked, but wasn't sure I understood the answer, :-( so I was a bit confused about which paths to take. As a result, I stopped at almost every place where paths intersected to consult my map. As I recall -- and please do take my recollection as easily mistaken! -- I kept to the left at each branch until I saw signs directing me to Monumental Zone.

I think you can assume that it will take less than 30 minutes (maybe much less!) from that bus stop to the entrance to the Monumental Zone, but BMH, we've already established that I am not a completely reliable source of information!

At least it is a pleasant place to stroll!

I would say much less. We exited out the Carretera del Carmel exit to walk to Sagrada Familia. I think it took us around 10 minutes to get there from the Monumental Zone, with a stop here an there to look at things. If you make more stops, might take you a little longer but not much.

(Google map shows less than a 5 minute walk, but that would be a walk with no stops)

Glad you're going in La Pedrera. The rooftop there is one of my favorite memories of Barcelona (a place I really liked).

As a general rule, reserve entry in the major sights in Barcelona. We arrived at Parc Guell in the late afternoon and all the entries were booked for the next 2 hours.

I want to add, I feel like I've watched your kids grow up through your excellent trip reports over the years. How did they respond to the return to the US?

Hi Mimar

I do plan to book quite a few things as I've heard it helps!

The kids were very adaptable, thanks for asking. That had a 2-4 week stretch of drinking through the fire hose at school (maybe a little longer for my oldest who was thrust into High School) but soon got back in stride.

Yum. Tapeo's was excellent tonight. Hard to pick a favorite. The bar has been set very high.

thanks, kimhe

And from tonight until Sunday, serious flamenco performance about Federico Garcia Lorca in the theater city at the foot of Montjuic. Multimedia performance, and fabulous young artists: http://lameva.barcelona.cat/grec/en/...ederico-garcia

Alba Carmona sings, she's one of my absolute favourites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIaxlpFQnDo

Rising star Jesús Carmona dances: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hErjWb7Ht9c

Jesús Guerrero on guitar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2EdSgiOfP4

The two first are from Barcelona.