In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Day 1: the Sagrada Família at 9:00, then Casa Batlló or La Pedrera on Passeig de Gràcia, and a tapas walk in the evening. Day 2: Park Güell in the morning, then the Gothic Quarter: the cathedral, the Picasso Museum and the Palau de la Música. Day 3: Montjuïc by funicular and cable car, the beach at Barceloneta and a sunset catamaran. Book two things before you fly: the Sagrada Família (€26, on sale roughly two months ahead, in your name, and late arrivals are refused) and Park Güell (€18, up to three months ahead, enter within 30 minutes of your slot). The Picasso Museum is closed on Mondays. Or book tours: the Park Güell guided tour with entryad is from £21.43, less than the park’s own ticket and tour together (€35), and a tapas walkad from £48.08 takes care of the first evening. For the metro, a T-casual gives one person 10 journeys for €13.
Before you go: what to book
Prices from each operator’s own page, 29 and 30 September 2026.
| Booking | When to book | Price | Days closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sagrada Família | Roughly two months ahead, for a set time, in your name | €26; €36 with a tower | Open daily; 10:30 start on Sundays |
| Park Güell | Up to three months ahead, for a time slot | €18 | Open daily |
| Casa Batlló | Early: the price rises closer to the date | From €29 | Open daily |
| La Pedrera (Casa Milà) | Once your dates are fixed | From €29 | Open daily except 25 December 2026 and 11 to 17 January 2027 |
| Picasso Museum | Once your dates are fixed | €12 online, €13 at the desk | Mondays |
| Palau de la Música | Advance booking recommended | €20 self-guided, €24 guided | — |
The cathedral, the Gothic Quarter’s lanes and the beach need no booking.
What changes on a Sunday, a Monday or in winter
- If your three days include a Monday, make it Day 1 or Day 3; the Picasso Museum is closed.
- If they include a Sunday, make it Day 3. The Sagrada Família opens at 10:30 on Sundays and the cathedral’s tourist visit runs only from 14:00 to 17:00.
- The Picasso Museum is free on the first Sunday of the month and, from 29 September 2026 to 29 March 2027, on Thursdays from 16:00 to 19:00, with a booking made from four days before (museupicassobcn.cat).
- In winter the Sagrada Família closes at 18:00 from November to February; the morning slot keeps Day 1 on track.
Day 1: the Sagrada Família and the Eixample
The Sagrada Família
Opens 9:00, 10:30 on Sundays · €26 with the audio-guide app · entry only at the time on your ticket
Book the 9:00 slot. The first hour is the quietest. Bring earphones for the audio guide, which is in the official app: download it before you come. Bring photo ID matching the name on the ticket, cover shoulders for the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament, wear shorts and skirts no shorter than mid-thigh, and leave the rucksack at the hotel: bags are searched and there are no lockers for luggage. A tower adds €10. The Sagrada Família tickets guide compares the towers and the tours.
Casa Batlló or La Pedrera
Passeig de Gràcia, 43 and 92 · both from €29 · Metro L2, L3, L4 Passeig de Gràcia
Two of Gaudí’s apartment buildings on the same avenue, about 1.4 to 1.6 km from the basilica. Pick one; Casa Batlló or La Pedrera compares them ticket by ticket:
- Casa Batlló: the house Gaudí remodelled from 1904 to 1906 for Josep Batlló. The general visit takes 1 hour 15, with an audio guide in 15 languages, first entry 9:00 and last 19:45. Booking ahead saves up to €15 a person, and under-13s go free (casabatllo.es).
- La Pedrera (Casa Milà): the block of flats round two courtyards, with a rooftop of 29 chimneys. The daytime visit runs 9:00 to 17:30 from €29, and the Sunset visit, 17:30 to 20:30, from €25; the guided night visit, 20:40 to 22:20, is from €39.50 (lapedrera.com). Under-12s go free.
GetYourGuide resells both at the official “from” price: Casa Batllóad from £24.86, against €29 (about £24.85), and La Pedreraad from £21.43, the same as the €25 Sunset price. Casa Batlló’s own site is cheaper the earlier you book.
A tapas walk
Evening · 3 hours · from £48.08
The tapas walking tour with food, wine and historyad (from £48.08, 4.8 stars from 5,400 reviews) is led by a guide, and the food and wine are included. Food tours and paella classes compares it with the other walks and the cooking classes, and flamenco shows compared covers an evening show instead. To pick your own bar or restaurant for any of the three evenings, see where to eat in Barcelona.
Day 2: Park Güell and the old town
Park Güell
Visitor slots 9:30 to 19:30 · €18 · enter within 30 minutes of your slot · no re-entry
Take a morning slot. The Bus Güell shuttle from Alfons X metro (L4), included in the ticket, takes 15 minutes; otherwise it is a 20-minute uphill walk from Lesseps (L3). Once you leave you cannot go back in. For a guided visit, the guided tour with skip-the-line entryad (from £21.43, 4.7 stars from 22,743 reviews, 1 hour) costs less than the park’s own ticket plus its own guided tour, €35. The Park Güell tickets guide has the details.
The serpentine bench on the main terrace of Park Güell. Photo: Joe Mabel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Barcelona Cathedral
Weekdays 9:30 to 18:30, last entry 17:45 · Saturdays to 17:15 · Sundays 14:00 to 17:00 · Metro L4 Jaume I
Inside the Gothic cathedral, the cloister keeps 13 white geese round its pond, and a lift from the chapel of the Holy Innocents goes up to the roof, with the bell towers and the view over the old town (catedralbcn.org). Buy tickets for the tourist visit at tickets.catedralbcn.org.
The Picasso Museum
Carrer de Montcada 15–23, El Born · Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 19:00 until 29 March 2027 · €12 online · closed Mondays
The museum is on Carrer de Montcada in El Born, about 400 m east of the cathedral, and holds more than 4,000 works. The ticket office closes 30 minutes before the museum and capacity is limited, so book online.
The Palau de la Música Catalana
50-minute visit · €20 self-guided, €24 guided · Sant Pere
The Art Nouveau concert hall about 400 m north of the cathedral and 550 m from the Picasso Museum. The visit covers the concert hall, the grand staircase, the foyer and the Sala Lluís Millet, with a guide or an audio guide (palaumusica.cat). Palau de la Música tickets has the languages, the combined tickets and the refund rules. GetYourGuide sells the same visits at the same price: the entry ticketad from £17.14 and the guided tourad from £20.57.
The upper façade of the Palau de la Música Catalana. Photo: bep, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Day 3: Montjuïc and the sea
Up Montjuïc
Funicular from Paral·lel, on a metro ticket · cable car €19.00 return, €17.10 online
The Montjuïc funicular leaves from Paral·lel metro station and takes any metro ticket; it runs from 7:30 on weekdays and 9:00 at weekends, to 22:00 until 25 October 2026 and to 20:00 from 26 October. At the top, the cable car covers 750 m up to Montjuïc Castle, with views across the city. Buy the cable car at holabarcelona.com for €17.10 (€19.00 at the station); GetYourGuide resells it from £16.28. The Montjuïc cable car guide has the three stations and what is on the hill.
Barceloneta and a sunset sail
Beach: Metro L4 Barceloneta · catamaran 1½ hours, from £24.00
Come down to Barceloneta and its city beach. In the evening, the sunset catamaran cruise with live musicad (from £24.00, 4.7 stars from 3,546 reviews) sails from the port for an hour and a half. Boat tours compared covers the other catamarans and Las Golondrinas’ harbour boats. If it rains, L’Aquàrium de Barcelona on the Moll d’Espanya at Port Vell is the indoor fallback: it is open every day of the year from 10:00 and an adult ticket is €30 (aquariumbcn.com, 30 September 2026). The Barcelona Aquarium entry ticketad is from £25.71 on GetYourGuide (4.4 stars from 19,694 reviews), the same as the €30 price.
The beach and promenade at Barceloneta. Photo: DimiTalen, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
If you have more time
A fourth day is a day trip. Montserrat is about 1½ hours by FGC train and rack railway, and a coach tour costs little more than the train; Girona and Figueres are on the R11 from Sants, and the Dalí Theatre-Museum is closed on Mondays outside July and August. Monday, when the Picasso Museum is closed, suits Montserrat. Day trips from Barcelona compares them all. With less time, one day in Barcelona keeps the Sagrada Família and one of Gaudí’s houses. For football fans, the Camp Nou tour is the club’s museum beside the stadium, which is being rebuilt. It is open every day except 1 January and 25 December.
For tickets on the metro and buses, see Barcelona metro tickets; for a base within walking distance of Day 2, where to stay in Barcelona; for the weather and holidays month by month, best time to visit Barcelona; for everything else to book, what to book before you go.
Common questions
Is 3 days enough for Barcelona?
Enough for the Sagrada Família, Park Güell, one of Gaudí's houses on Passeig de Gràcia, the Gothic Quarter with the cathedral and the Picasso Museum, and Montjuïc. A fourth day buys a day trip, such as Montserrat or Girona.
What should I book for 3 days in Barcelona?
The Sagrada Família (on sale roughly two months ahead, for a set time, in your name) and Park Güell (timed slots up to three months ahead). Book Casa Batlló or La Pedrera early too: Casa Batlló's price rises closer to the date. The Picasso Museum and the Palau de la Música can be booked once your dates are fixed.
Which days should I avoid in Barcelona?
The Picasso Museum is closed on Mondays. On Sundays the Sagrada Família opens at 10:30 rather than 9:00, and the cathedral's tourist visit runs only from 14:00 to 17:00.
