5 hours in Barcelona - i want to do everything!

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Going to Portaventura and want to have a day in Barcelona. We cannot squeeze in more than one day.

I've worked out train times. The first one from Portaventura would get us to Passeig de Gracia for 11.37 and the last return train back to Portaventura leaves at 16.25 (unless anyone can recommend a later route back allowing us to stay in Barcelona til around 10pm?). Not looking to book a hotel in Barcelona for a night - maybe next time - so we do need to get back to Portaventura that day.

We've whittled down pretty much all of the attractions in Barcelona to our top 3: the zoo, aquarium and Familia Sagrada. We'd love to have stayed for the Magic fountains but we can't see any transport options that would get us back to Portaventura in the evenings.

Is it possible to do the zoo, aquarium and Famila Sagrada in 5 hours? We'd rather have a little time in each and experience all 3 than spend a long time and only get to see one or two.

The hop on and off tourist bus goes to all 3 attractions. Is it worth getting a ticket for this? I cannot work out the metro to see if that would be an option.

Thanks for any advice! Also, can anyone recommend somewhere nice (but quick!) to eat nearby any of these attractions for lunch?

Hmm have looked on another website which says last train route back to Portaventura is around 8.30. Much more time to spare now so feeling better. Still a bit sad well not get to see Magic Fountains this time though! Anything else nearby these 3 attractions you'd recommend we pop into? Nothing major that is need to book advance tickets for. Just something to wander into if we have spare time. Thanks.

Aquarium was a big disappointment to us. I would maybe get the funicular and cable car up Montjuic and then get the cable car across to the beach.

If you can get to salou there seems to be trains that go earlier and come back later to and from Barcelona. I don't think a taxi would be very much as we walked from salou to portaventura a few years ago

Not a lot of time, but.....but forget about Las Ramblas, just have a look at it from the top near the Plaza de Catalunya. It's rammed and nothing special IMV.

Have a wander through the old town by Via Laietana down to Barceloneta, and the beach.

If you want to see Parc Guell, my advice would be take a taxi up and walk back through Gracia District. There is a bit of a climb up to it.

Just choose two or three must sees and work around those.

Wouldn’t bother with the aquarium- the one in London is much better.

surely a zoo and aquarium are everywhere and you dont need to go to Barcelona to do that? I would save that for the UK and hit the main sites. Park guell is good and could be done in an hour or 2. That leaves a couple of hours for la sagrada familia. Then you could walk down la rambla- detour slightly down some side streets into the medieval quarter before finishing at the end at the statue of Christopher Columbus. Then catch the cable car across to barceloneta beach. Then head home.

I think the hop on and off buses were very expensive for what you would be wanting to use them for. The metro is very good tho once you work out where you want to go.

You can go to an aquarium and zoo anywhere and anytime in the UK. The ones in Barcelona are no different to the ones here.

Agree with PPs, give zoo and aquarium a miss, nothing 'Barcelona' about them. Parc Guell is awesome, and definitely do las rambles and the mont juice with the cable cars.

The Sagrada Familia was my favourite thing in Barcelona. Go there and nowhere else!

But you have to go in, not just past it.

Book tickets for Parc Güell and/or Sagrada Familia. Don't bother with aquarium! Montjuic cable car is good. If you must go to Las Ramblas be very careful of wallets/phones, and instead of stopping there cross the road through a side street onto Las Ramblas de Raval, a caña will be much cheaper and a fabulous cat sculpture to admire...lovely walk to the beach that way too. Go to El Xampanyet for cava if not in August (they are closed for that month). La Pedrera has to be seen but is heaving in summer. If you have only got 5 hours I'd go to Parc Güell and have a wonder from Plaza de Cataluñya. The tapas at Betlem is really good, it's a tiny place, and opposite is a lovely old bakery if you want early coffee and pastries for breakfast with locals. Also near to a Mango outlet which I find handy!

I must be the worst Philistine in the world. I never go inside anywhere with a Queue or faffing about online to get a prepaid ticket. Talking Cathedrals and such here, will make some exceptions though! Sagrada Familia is one of them.

Can see inside online. But seeing them from outside is great, and is more than enough for me. I get to see the scale and architecture from outside and so on. Each to their own!

Spent a while getting in to see the Scrovegni Frescoes in Padova. That HAS to be booked ahead. Was great, but I saw it all on the web anyway. God I don't know why I go anywhere!

Just being mischievous. But it is true really. Outside is often better than inside.

I would usually agree pp but I paid for a.tour of sagrada familia and it was really worth it. especially if you dont have a lot of time and are with DC's. it would have taken me.ages to find things that interested them and with the guide that was all.done. just got to.enjoy the beauty and it.moved me to.tears

Sagrada familia and parc guelll would be the only two I'd do. Zoo and aquariums can be done anywhere. The saggrada is like nothing else! I love Barcelona enjoy it.

The inside of the Sagrada Familia is stunning. If at all possible visit when the sun is setting, the stained glass windows are out of this world when the sun is low in the sky.

Another one here recommending avoiding the zoo, aquarium and Las ramblas.

I really liked the Salvador dali gallery and wish I'd avoided the Picasso gallery.

Looking at Google Maps, I can see that this morning (for example) there's a train to Barcelona-Sants at 8:44 arrives 10:11, and then it arrives at Passeig de Gracia at 10:15. So you should be able to have more of the morning in Barcelona.

I can see a 9:03pm back from Sants, arrives 10:21pm. I would confirm this with the Renfe website.

In terms of things to do, I agree that Parc Güell and the Sagrada Familia are the must-haves. Cable car up to Montjuïc and then you've got views + I do like the Poble Espanyol (also Miró museum).

The last trains back to salou or Reus will be later and a pretty cheap taxi ride away (you can walk from salou tbh, not a short walk, but that’s how close it is)

Following with interest as we are doing very similar this summer

Agree with others re zoo and aquarium - you can do that anywhere.

I would do La Sagrada Familia or Santa Maria del Mar (better imo), wander Las Ramblas and go to the fabulous La Boqueria or go to Barri Gotic.

Get tickets for the hop on hop off tourist bus, then you can stop at all the major sites as you wish. There are two routes the northern one goes to the most interesting places. Do a bit of google research first.
The most important thing is to be mindful of puck pockets and bag snatchers. Distribute your money in different pockets or money belts. Try not to carry a handbag or fall for any cons.