The Barcelona travel guide

Barcelona is Gaudí's city. The Sagrada Família dominates the skyline and dominates the booking calendar: peak slots sell out 1 to 2 weeks ahead from April through October, and same-day tickets are rare. Park Güell on Carmel hill is a separate timed-entry ticket with a 400-visitor cap on the Monumental Zone. Casa Batlló on Passeig de Gràcia and Casa Milà / La Pedrera nearby are both interior visits with augmented-reality tours and rooftop access. Cathedral and basilica tickets cover the Sagrada Família plus the Gothic Santa Maria del Mar in El Born and the Cathedral of Barcelona in the Gothic Quarter.

The Gothic Quarter and El Born are the medieval city. Cobbled lanes, the 14th-century Cathedral, the Palau de la Música Catalana (modernist concert hall, separate guided-tour ticket), the Picasso Museum (the largest collection of his early work) and the Roman wall sections at the Plaça Nova and Plaça del Rei. Walking tours of the Gothic Quarter take in the cathedral, the Jewish Quarter (Call) and the Roman foundations in 90 minutes. El Born adds the Mercat de Santa Caterina, the Picasso Museum and the Born Centre Cultural Roman archaeology site.