Barcelona: 10 Must-See Sights and Ticket Tips

Sagrada Familia has been under construction since 1882 and is still not finished, Park Güell is free from a distance and definitely not free from the inside. Barcelona has so many sights that you could spend a whole week just sightseeing - here is a selection of the ones where a ticket really pays off, in what order to see them and when to book, so you don't end up standing outside.

How do you buy tickets for Sagrada Familia so you don't end up outside?

Book online at least a few days ahead - entry is by time slot and capacity is limited, tickets are rarely sold on the spot and the queues are long.

Sagrada Familia is Gaudí's unfinished basilica, a combination of Gothic and Art Nouveau, and it is still being built to this day - that is part of the experience too. It is a sacred space, so no tank tops or shorts. It is worth paying extra for the towers (Nativity or Passion Facade) - the view over the city and over the roofs of the church itself is in a different league from the interior alone.

Tickets (including a combo with Park Güell) are on GetYourGuide.

You can find a short video of Sagrada Familia on Instagram - it works as an accompanying clip for this section.

Park Güell, or both of Gaudí's houses straight away?

Park Güell is a paid zone (the Monumental Zone) with the mosaic bench and the famous dragon at the entrance - the rest of the park around it is freely accessible and also worth a walk. A reservation for a specific time is compulsory here too.

• Casa Batlló (the House of Bones) - a colourful facade, balconies like skulls, a staircase shaped like a spine. A more expensive ticket, but of Gaudí's houses this is the one I like best.
• Casa Milà / La Pedrera - a wavy stone facade and rooftop chimneys that look like faceless sculptures. The cheaper option if you have to pick just one.
• Both are on Passeig de Gràcia - you can walk between them in a few minutes, and you can see the facades for free even without a ticket to go inside.

Tickets for Casa Batlló and Casa Milà are also on GetYourGuide.

What to see in the Gothic Quarter and around La Rambla?

The Gothic Quarter (Barri Gòtic) is the only part of Barcelona where you can wander without a goal and still find something - narrow lanes, the Gothic cathedral, remains of the Roman walls. Unlike Gaudí's buildings, you don't need to buy anything in advance here.

• Barcelona Cathedral - entry to the nave is free outside services, only access to the roof and the museum is paid.
• Plaça Reial - arcades, palm trees, bars full in the evening; right next to La Rambla, but calmer.
• La Rambla - the main boulevard to the port; you should walk it, but for food and a seat, head instead for the side streets of the Gothic Quarter or El Born.

In neighbouring El Born it is also worth stopping at the Museu Picasso (one of the biggest collections of his early work) and the basilica of Santa Maria del Mar - a Gothic church without needless decoration, which locals like more than the cathedral.

Is the climb up Montjuïc worth it?

Yes, mainly for the view - and it is the only "sight" on this list that needs no ticket at all, if you skip the castle and the museums.

• Montjuïc Castle - a fortress above the city, reached by cable car (Telefèric de Montjuïc) or by bus.
• Magic Fountain (Font Màgica) - an evening show of lights and music beneath the National Palace, free, held only on some days of the week.
• National Palace (MNAC) - Catalan art inside, but even without a paid ticket it is worth climbing the steps in front of it for the view of the city.

Don't want to go on your own? A guided walk with the Montjuïc cable car covers the castle, the views and the way there and back for you.

Is Tibidabo worth a trip too?

Yes, and it is the only place on this list that you don't reach by metro. Tibidabo is the highest hill above Barcelona (512 m), with the neo-Gothic Sagrat Cor church on top and one of the oldest amusement parks in the world.

You get up by the FGC train (line L7) to the Av. Tibidabo stop, then the Tramvia Blau tram and finally a funicular (Funicular del Tibidabo). A ticket to the amusement park only makes sense if you also want to ride the attractions - you can reach the viewpoint and the church itself without it.

In what order should you plan the sights?

Don't throw everything into one day - Sagrada Familia and Gaudí's houses ask for time, not just ticking off.

Buy tickets for Sagrada Familia, Park Güell and both of Gaudí's houses in advance - in peak season (June to September) specific time slots sell out even a week ahead.