If you only have one day in Barcelona Spain, you want to see the best in the city. I offer you the best solution for Barcelona in 24 hours. With the Gaudi Pass, you’ll see as much as possible, in the most efficient way and you’ll save some money. Who doesn’t want that? Read more to find out what the Gaudi Pass is and how to use it to explore the best of Barcelona in one day.
This post is meant for people who want to see the architectural works of Gaudi in a short amount of time. Of course, if you spend more than 1 day in Barcelona, you can also use the Gaudi Pass for your visits.
I paid for everything in full myself. I was not paid or sponsored. All my opinions and experiences are my own.
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Barcelona in one day
Is it even possible to see a city as rich and diverse as Barcelona in a day? It took me 3 multiple trips to skim the surface of the city. But if you’re on a serious time constraint, for example on a cruise stop or layover in Europe, and 1 day in Barcelona is all you have: then this guide is for you.
Gaudi Pass Barcelona
With the Gaudi Pass, you can explore the highlights of Barcelona in one day. You can use the Bus Turistic, which is a hop-on-hop-off bus around Barcelona to see as much of the city as possible.
The Gaudi pass included entrance to the top attractions of Barcelona, like the famous Sagrada Familia and one of the Gaudi houses. No waiting in line when you want to see Barcelona in a day.
Entrance to the Sagrada Familia
A visit to Barcelona is not complete without a visit to the famous Gaudi Cathedral: The Sagrada Familia. Still a work in progress, this is the most unusual cathedral you’ll ever see in Europe. Unconventional for sure, this landmark and icon of Barcelona is a must-see on your day in Barcelona.
Because the Sagrada Familia is so popular, waiting for lines to visit the cathedral add up and eat away precious time. When you purchase the Gaudi Pass, you don’t have to wait in line. After purchase, a member of the Barcelona Tourist office contacts you to allocate a time slot to see the cathedral. This way you’ll save time and money to see the Sagrada Familia.
Important: purchase of the Gaudi Pass and reservation must be done 48h in advance. You cannot buy additional tickets, like an audio guide or visit to the towers of the Sagrada Familia. But the visit is perfect if you have a good guide book and want to get a glimpse of the building.
Visit La Pedrera
The hand of Gaudi is clearly visible around Barcelona. Not only in the Sagrada Familia or the Park Guell, but also in the many houses (or casas) across the city. But which one to visit? Probably the one with the shortest queue when you only have one day in Barcelona.
La Pedrera is one of the last houses Gaudi built, before dedicating his time to the cathedral. La Pedrera is situated on Passeig de Gracia and shows the best work of Gaudi. With the Gaudi Pass, you’ll get fast track entrance to La Pedrera.
The visit comes with an audio guide in 10 languages. Enjoy the view of Barcelona from the rooftop terrace, imagine yourself living in the fancy apartment in modernist style or visit the exhibition at La Pedrera. A visit to La Pedrera shows the best of the Gaudi Houses in Barcelona.
One Day Barcelona Bus Turistic
The best way to explore Barcelona is by walking around the old town, along the Passeig de Gracia and to explore on foot. But this takes time. When you visit Barcelona in 24 hours, you don’t have that time. The Barcelona Bus Turistic offers you a quick and easy solution!
This hop-on-hop-off bus crosses Barcelona in 3 routes and has numerous stops as the highlights of Barcelona. Follow the blue route to stop at La Pedrera and the Sagrada Familia and continue to the Park Guell and back to the center. The red route offers you the best of downtown and Olympic hill.
The Gaudi pass offers you a one-day ticket to ride the Bus Turistic (this is one calendar day, not 24 hours). You can hop on and hop off as much as you like. The audio tour comes in 16 languages, and the bus offers free Wi-Fi as well as a discount booklet with vouchers for discounts in Barcelona.
The tourist bus offers you a way to see Barcelona in one day, without killing your feet and it saves time.
Drinks at the Columbus Statue
So the Gaudi Pass offers you entrance to two top attractions in Barcelona and a way to get around the city. Hop off the Bus Turistic at the Columbus Monument down by the harbor. This column is dedicated to Christopher Columbus. The giant column has an elevator inside which brings you to the viewing deck in no time.
Enjoy the views of the city and see where you’ve been on your one day in Barcelona. Once back, you can enjoy a free glass of wine.
For me, it was a nice end to my day in Barcelona with my mother. To be honest, the visit to the Columbus Monument is not a must-do in Barcelona. But it comes for free with the Gaudi Pass. Who declines a free drink and view? Not me! If you have time in your one-day itinerary in Barcelona, do it. If not, there is no loss.
Is the Gaudi Pass worth it to visit Barcelona in one day?
So let’s do the math. The Gaudi Pass includes the following:
- Visit Sagrada Familia Cathedral with fast track entrance. Normal price is €15 but you have to wait in line
- Visit La Pedrera without waiting and audio guide. Normal price is €22 but you have to queue up
- One Day Hop on Hop off at the Bus Turistic. Normal price is €29
- Free entrance and drink at the Columbus Monument. Normal price is €5,40
In total, for an adult without discount, you pay over €71 (84 USD). If you don’t want to wait in line and have fast track entrance to the best of Barcelona, then purchase the Gaudi Pass. At €65 (77 USD) this is almost 10% discount plus some serious time-saving. When you only have 1 day in Barcelona, this might be worth more than money can buy.
You can purchase the Gaudi Pass online in advance from the official Barcelona tourist office:
Will you visit Barcelona soon? But only have one day in the city? If you want to see the best of the Catalan capital in the most efficient way, buy the Gaudi Pass to explore Barcelona in one day.
Have you used the Gaudi Pass? What are your experiences with one day in Barcelona? Leave me a message in the comment section below, I’d love to read it.
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