What to book ahead in Barcelona?
 

I haven't booked much for my upcoming trip to Barcelona beyond hotels and flights - this trip came up relatively suddenly, plus I'm trying to stop overplanning things in general. :) However, I don't want to miss out on anything or waste a ton of time in line by not booking something ahead. Is there anything in Barcelona which you all strongly suggest booking ahead of time? I wondered about the Sagrada Familia, but I'm not sure when we would want to do that and so hesitate to lock us into a time.

We *have* booked tickets to the Gran Gala Flamenco at the Palau de la Musica Catalana, so that's done. We'll get there (from San Sebastian) late on a Friday night, and will have all day Saturday - Tuesday before flying back to the US on Wednesday (the Palau is Sunday night). I'm hoping to go to Montserrat one of those days, depending on weather, hence the desire to keep things flexible if possible.

Thanks in advance for any tips! I can't believe how quickly it's coming up!

If you want to visit the Sagrada Familia, then yes, you should book ahead of time, otherwise you could end up standing in a long line. It's the same if you want to visit Casa Batlló.

http://bcnshop.barcelonaturisme.com

Park Güell has limited access, so you'll need to book ahead at some point if you wan to visit (www.parkguell.es/en/portada)

You save much time and long lines if you buy tickets in advance to the Gaudí sights, at least to Sagrada Familia, Casa Milà/La Pedrera and Casa Battló. Buy online and print yourself when you know when you're going, or you can also buy tickets when you are in Barcelona in most La Caixa ATMs. Once you have the tickets in hand, you walk right in and don't have to wait in the often very long lines.

I didn't book anything ahead myself the two times I was there, but the wait in line for Sagrada Familia was rather long (30-45 minutes), so I would book that ahead if you could. I didn't wait that long in line at any of the Gaudi places, Casa Batllo probably the longest, but that wasn't even that bad (maybe 15 minutes). But I wasn't going at prime time, I went around 6 pm, which was a good time to go. I was there during busy tourist months. I don't remember waiting long at the Pedrera, either, but I probably got there when it first opened.

Thanks, y'all - that is extremely helpful! It's good to know the ATMs are an option for some things in case we don't book before we leave the US. (I'd assume that since it's an ATM, it will work with a non-chip ATM card?)

I created an account here just to encourage you to go to Montserrat, since it sounded like you might be on the fence. My husband is Catholic but I am not and it was a highlight of our Spain trip for both of us. Have a great trip. :)

Wow, margotheangel - that is a strong recommendation! :) Thank you - I appreciate it! I would really love to; the only reasons we wouldn't, I think, are if the weather is bad the whole time we're there, or if we found so much to do in Barcelona itself that we didn't want to skip any of it. But I would really like to go - from everything I've read, it sounds right up my alley.

I would book a tour at the Palau de la Musica Catalan. The tour was interesting and you get to see the interior in the day time without the crowds.

I went to Montserrat and enjoyed it, but I didn't personally feel it was the highlight of my trip or that my trip would not be complete without it. It's an enjoyable thing to do if you have the time, though.

I think Caixa ATMs that sell tickets are special machines, and are only inside banks, they are called ServiCaixa ATMs. That's really just a ticket vending service that bank runs. YOu can buy them online and then pick them up at one of their ServiCaixa ATMs. In fact, I think if you buy them online on the Sagrada Familia website, you pick them up at the Servicaixa ATMs. It's a separate service from the regular ATM function, so I don't know how the card things works. here is some info
http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.c...barcelona.html
www.servicaixa.com

Thanks, adrienne and Christina, especially for those links!

<I think if you buy them online on the Sagrada Familia website, you pick them up at the Servicaixa ATMs.>

Yes, but you can also print the tickets yourself.

Our walking tour guide from the TI told us about the Caixa machines but we never found one. The machines at the Caixa Forum definitely don't work to buy Sagrada Familia tickets.

Don't use the Caixa ATMs as they charge a fee - I can't remember how much but it was about E2 or E3 per transaction.

Can anyone answer this question?
Is it possible, using Mastercard for example, to purchase next-day tickets for la Sagrada Familia by simply using a ServiCaixa machine?
Are you issued with a printed ticket immediately?
Sorry, that's two questions.

Or buy and print the tickets in any internet café/at the hotel the same day or before.

"using a ServiCaixa machine" Only if your MC is a chip and pin card.

Hi jent103, we posted a TR on Barcelona entitled "Bon Dia, Barcelona" which we neglected to tag as such. Our bad!

To your question about buying tix for Sagrada Familia and Casa Batilo, we waited until we arrived. We were able to use the hotel computer to book and print tickets. For these two, especially, we thought it was extremely important to book ahead. But waiting until we were there allowed us to determine weather, our others goals, etc.

Our thread, started right before you posted yours, describes a lot of what we enjoyed in Barcelona, plus what hope are helpful ideas for those planning their trip. We trust that whatever plans you work out, you'll have a wonderful time. Happy travels!

bookmarking for our upcoming trip-thanks

Thanks so much, tomarkot - I'll definitely look for your thread! We'll have wifi everywhere we're staying (Barcelona is our last stop), so we could keep an eye on the weather and buy tickets ahead of time, but the printing could be an issue. We're staying in an apartment in Barcelona, so no hotel printer. Looking forward to reading your report!

adrienne - thanks for the heads up on the Caixa ATMs!