Parc Guell--Tickets?
 

I am confused as to the need for tickets to this park. What do you see with tickets that you wouldn't without them?

The ticket allows you to enter the monument area, which you can see from above from the free part. I didn't feel it offered much more, but it's not very expensive.

You need tickets to get in to the park. The only thing you can do without them is walk the garden paths around the entrance and try to peer over the wall. We were there in April. The first day we tried to go they were booked up for the whole day. We went to the ticket office and bought timed tickets for later in the week. You can do this on line. My advice is to buy tickets as soon as you know the weather will be nice for that day.

You can see some of the grounds without a ticket, but you can only see the "Monument Area" -- the place that most of us think about when we decide whether to include the Parc Guell in our itineraries -- with a ticket. Here's the website you should consult to decide what YOU want:
http://www.parkguell.cat/en/

Is this ticket a new thing? Or did I beat the system?

We took a taxi to the top of the Parc and walked down in order to avoid the steep slopes. We didn't buy a ticket and were not restricted from anywhere within the Parc.

I am not advocating beating the system. We were simply accommodating friends with mobility issues.

No ticket needed - just a good pair of walking shoes and a camera - Wonderful views of the City & the ocean. Skip the monument -so much else to see and enjoy!