Our trip to Spain ends in Barcelona. We arrive on the morning of December 23 and leave on December 26th. We are staying at the Hotel Majestic. Obviously, most places will be closed on December 25th and probably the evening of the 24th. Will lunch and dinners be a problem? We'll probably try to hit the tourist spots on the 24th. Any suggestions on what to do with the rest of our time there.
Thanks

You'll find a number of stores will be open on Christmas Eve, but you should make lunch reservations now, as things will be closing down a little earlier. Talk to the hotel (the Majestic is one of the best) about making arrangements on the 25th for a late lunch as very little will be open the rest of the day.

For what to do with the rest of you time, you can check out the "Turisme de Barcelona web site (http://www.barcelonaturisme.com), About Barcelona (http://www.aboutbarcelona.com) and don't forget to download a copy of Maribel's Guide to Barcelona (http://maribelsguides.com/) which you may find very useful.

you will find that your better restaurants will have a VERY expensive xmas eve and xmas day dinner/lunch menu that probably is already sold out.

The hotels will be good option, but be prepared for some very steep prices and more food than you could expect.

there will be some other places that will not obligate you to a set festive , but they will be more like tapas, etc.

go early .. can be tricky.

NotMe,
The Drolma Restaurant at the Majestic is considered one of the city's best but also the very most expensive-and no doubt, as lincasanova says, they will offer a gala Xmas eve dinner with prices to match!

If you are considering a dinner at Drolma, I would email for a reservation ASAP, noting that you will be staying there. As a hotel guest, you should have priority.
But if they are booked, ask the concierge to find a table for you elsewhere.

If you choose not to dine at the Majestic, for Xmas day your options may be quite limited to restaurants in hotels, as lin says, but there should be several options in the Eixample, perhaps one of the following (the first 4 are gourmet and somewhat less exp. than Drolma):

Restaurant Moo of the Omm Hotel
Gaig in the Hotel Cramm
Lasarte in the Condes de Barcelona
Caelis in the Palace

Or the more moderate East 47 in the Claris, El Tribeca in the Hotel Rafael Casanova and Visit in the Hotel Pulitzer, all within walking distance of the Majestic in the Eixample.
But again, as lin has noted, they all may offer a fixed price, multi- course menu only. You will need to eat only once that day!

For casual dining, you may find that the Grup Cacheiro will have one or more of its handy and very popular brasserie-style restaurants open for visitors to the city: El Trobador, La Tramoia, Brasseria Tenorio, or their tapas place, Café Ba-Ba-Reeba, etc. They're conveniently located within walking distance of the Majestic. You can even make a reservation on line.
www.grupcacheiro.com

You folks are so helpful. I'll start working on lunch/dinner reservations right away. Any suggestions on what else we might do on the 24th and 25th, assuming most museums, etc. will be closed?

NotMe,
I've gone thru my Barcelona file and I see that the Picasso Museum will be closed Dec. 25-26
The fabulous National Museum of Catalan Art (MNAC) will be closed Dec. 25
The Miró Foundation wil be closed Dec. 25 because it's Mon.

But that leaves the Sagrada Familia, the Basilica of Santa María del Mar in El Born (and have a glass of wine across the street at La Vinya del Senyor), Gaudí's Casa Milà (la Pedrera), stroll through the Gothic Quarter with visit to the cathedral, a visit to the Boquería market on Xmas eve would be fun (and have a great tapa at the hole-in-the-wall Bar Pinotxo), the funicular up to Tibidabo at sunset, a morning guided visit to the Palau de la Música Catalana
or the Teatre Liceu may be available on the 24th.
www.liceubarcelona.com
There may be a performance at the Palau de la Música Catalana on Dec. 23, if that appeals, but check the schedule at
www.palaumusica.org

If you'd like a copy of my Barcelona file, you can download it from
www.maribelsguides.com

NotMe,
Forgot the obvious-Gaudís Parc Güell!

Maribel,
I tried the Drolma but they are closed on both the 24th and 25th. I'll be trying the other restaurants you mentioned. As a backup, I contacted the Hotels Guest Relations department to see what they could do.

NotMe,
The Majestic is a great hotel. The concierge staff should be able to find you a nice place to dine, even if the gourmet restaurants of the other hotels are closed, which may be the case.
If you contacted Hotel Guest Relations by email and don't get an immediate response, I'd follow up with a phone call.

NotMe,
If you strike out for Dec. 24-25, there's always the Grup Cacheiro brasseries mentioned above, particularly Brasseria Tenorio right on the Passeig de Gracia, or the Parisian brasserie style "Sets Portes" (the seven doors) down by the waterfront, recently well reviewed here by strass and others. Dozens of different paellas. Very, very popular with tourists, but also popular with local families. I don't think it ever closes and hrs. are continuous from 1 to 1.
www.7portes.com

Maribel
We were able to make reservations for Caelis in the Palace for Christmas Eve, but still haven't found many places open for dinner on the 25th. The hotel has recommended Botafumeiro. Are you familiar with it?