This past spring we landed in the port of Barcelona for the third time. The first couple of times we flew into the airport and grabbed a cab directly to the cruise port. Taking an overnight flight meant no sleep thus is not conducive to sightseeing. We were disappointed of course but ever hopeful of our next opportunity.
The third time Barcelona was a stop on our itinerary. Finally we could get to know a city that others raved about. We wanted to visit Gaudi’s masterpiece Sagrada Familia and on the way take the time to see some of his other architectural wonders. We wanted to explore the historic core, the Picasso Museum and the Columbus Monument. We wanted to people watch as we strolled down Las Ramblas and perhaps enjoy a few stolen minutes on the beach. That’s what we wanted to do.
What we actually did was nothing of the sort and it was solely due to bad planning.
To start with Barcelona is a major hub for the cruise industry and on any given day there are numerous ships either embarking, disembarking or in port for the day. Numerous ships means thousands upon thousands of tourists, to say nothing of the thousands that come to Barcelona for an extended stay every year. That is not to say that the city is ill prepared, it is not. There are numerous transportation options to help you get around the city including taxis, municipal buses, Hop-On Hop-Off buses and guided tours.
We decided that a Hop-On Hop-Off suited us best and joined in from the cruise port. Once in the centre of town we waited in line with the 
hundreds of others that thought it was a good idea. Eventually we boarded, map in hand and ready to explore. That’s when our day went off the rails. A normal west loop of the city takes about two hours, but that does not account for traffic and an otherwise very congested city. It took much longer.
Secondly, we did not purchase tickets in advance to get into Sagrada Familia despite it being top of our list. You can pre-purchase various entry options from a Basic Ticket at €17.00 that just gets you in for a self guided tour, to an audio guide and a trip up one of the towers for €32.00. For more information or to purchase tickets go to the official site at https://sagradafamilia.org/en/tickets-individuals. I know all that and yet I didn’t get them myself. No reason, just bad planning. When we did arrive at the site the wait was over 2.5 hours just to buy a ticket. We didn’t wait.
Back on the bus we missed the stop to go to the historical old town because I fell asleep. A combination of jet lag and an allergy pill that was advertised as “non drowsy” but clearly wasn’t meant that we were disappointed yet again.
We would have stayed on the bus to see more of Barcelona but it was scorching hot that day and needless to say I was not in the best of moods. We returned to the town square and figured we could redeem our day strolling the shaded pedestrian landmark of Las Ramblas. We made it to the first gelato stand.
Deciding to make the best of a bad day we headed back to the ship on the next available shuttle. I told friends at dinner that night that I was not a fan of Barcelona, which in hindsight was unfair. Barcelona is a beautiful city with so much character and is deserving of our time and attention. So hopefully we will return again, the city will forgive me, and we can explore the true Barcelona.