Week in Barcelona - recommendations please!

[applesauce1]

Got to Barcelona today. Other than the taxi strike and an ongoing fiasco with payment with the hotel, I'd love some recommendations for things to do.

We have a week here, and I'd like two days at the beach (which beach would you recommend?) as well as seeing the sights.

I'm 21 pregnant so can walk a fair amount but need rests. My husband and I usually march round on city breaks all day long but we both accept that we can't do the same this time!

It seems like entry to most tourist attractions are around €20 each, so I'm interested to find out what is good from the outside, and what we simply must see from the inside.

Any top tips and itinerary advice would be gratefully received.

Bump!

La Sagrada Familia is definitely worth going inside. Buy tickets online before you go. One of the most beautiful features of the Sagrada Familia is Gaudi’s use of light. The church has large stained-glass windows which bathe the naves with colour. The effect is most striking mid-morning and mid to late-afternoon when sunlight strikes the windows directly. If you don't mind heights, the views from the towers are amazing, but there's no elevator on the way down from the towers, so you’ll have to descend a very long, very narrow series of corkscrew stairs. If you don’t like being confined to small spaces, this may not be the best thing for you. If you go up the towers, you’ll have the opportunity to choose between the Passion Towers and the Nativity Towers. The Passion Towers give you a better view of the ocean. The Nativity Towers give you better views of the mountain range behind Barcelona.
Definitely go to Park Guell and explore every nook and cranny. Get there as soon as it opens in the morning and take your time. Also take water and a snack.
Casa Battllo is worth going inside. Book in advance otherwise you'll have to wait in two queues! Try and go early in the day and not bother waiting in line for the ridiculously over priced gift shop.
Watch the Magic Fountain after dark at 21:30 Wednesday-Sunday. It's free and even if it wasn't, I'd probably pay to see it!
About two thirds of the way up the Ramblas, on the left, you will see one of Europe's largest and most famous food markets, La Boqueria. This is a place where I love to spend an hour or so feasting the senses. Visit at least twice, once for lunch and once before you go home for souvenirs! The fruit stalls throughout the market sell freshly squeezed fruit juices of many different varieties - a healthy and refreshing treat in the middle of the mayhem.
Personally I don't think Casa Mila is worth going inside, but defiantly walk past.

There is a museum among the hills above Barcelona called Poble Espanyol which I loved. Lots of different regions of Spain represented with food and drinks from Each region plus goodsand produce from each region. Went there whilst on a cruise and is a place I will definitely visit if I ever go to Barcelona again.

@Ricekrispie22 thank you so much for spending the time to reply such detail - fantastic advice. We were trying to choose between Battlo and Milá so you've made that much easier!

@tinytemper66 we love good food and drink so that sounds ideal!

Any opinions on the following possible options:
Gaudí exhibition centre
Montjuïc castle
National Museum of Art
Recinte Modernista
The aquarium

Thank you again so much!

Whilst doing the Gaudi bits, definitely get the audio tours. We were disappointed in La Sagrada Familia as we didn't book with the audio tour and it felt like we missed out on the history and small details although it's breathtaking.

Agree that La Sagrada Familia is definitely worth going inside + the few extra euros for the audio guide or a guided tour.

I much preferred some of the other local markets to La Boqueria, which I found way too packed (mainly with tourists), my favourites were Mercat del Ninot and Mercat de la Llibertat.

DelaCrem ice cream shop near Universitat metro for Gelato.
Can Sardi bar/restaurant near the city beach/aquarium was a very nice fish restaurant with friendly staff.

Some good day trips by train:
Monistrol de Montserrat
Girona (there is a high speed train (more expensive) or a slower, cheaper one
Sitges (for beaches)

I agree with pp about getting an audio tour at La Sagrada.
Sadly, the castle isn't worth shelling out the asking price to visit. Once you enter the castle practically nothing about the history of this wonderful building is explained. The website says there is "general guidance" provided, however it isn't apparent exactly where that is or in what form it comes in. Perhaps it means the helpers in red jackets lurking around the site, but they're just there to give you a hand, not a fully guided tour. Without the history, the only attraction for tourists is the views... But there are other more impressive and free to access locations in the city to snap landscape photos or share a romantic moment with someone. You could even just walk around the castle without entering for some equally good views and shots of the castle.
The aquarium is great. It's open until 9:30, so have an early dinner on the waterfront and then go at 7:30 when all of the families with young children have gone. It's a good activity to do after a day of sunbathing on the beach!
Leave the possibility of the Gaudi exhibition until the end of your stay, after you've done Casa Batllo, La Sagrada and Guell. You might feel you've had too much Gaudi, but on the other hand you might be really inspired by him and want to see more. It's not a 'must see'.