Sagrada Família 3-day itinerary

Book the first entry slot (9am) to enter the Sagrada Família before crowds peak. Begin on the Nativity facade facing east — Gaudí's only completed facade, encrusted with stone flora, fauna, and nativity figures carved in exquisite naturalistic detail. Then take the lift up the Nativity towers for views over the Eixample grid and down into the basilica's nave from above. The narrow spiral staircases descend through the tower interiors — genuinely vertiginous and unlike anything else in European architecture.

The Passion facade (west-facing) is Gaudí's counterpoint to the Nativity — angular, skeletal, deliberately harrowing. The sculptures by Josep Maria Subirachs depict the crucifixion in a stark cubist style that divides opinion. Descend to the crypt to see Gaudí's tomb — he is buried beneath the basilica he devoted the last 43 years of his life to. The basement museum displays original plaster models, drawings, and the catenary arch models Gaudí used to calculate structural loads upside-down using hanging chains.

Gaudí's basilica sits at the centre of the Eixample district — Barcelona's 19th-century grid neighbourhood with chamfered corners at every block intersection. Walk the Manzana de la Discordia on Passeig de Gràcia to see three rival Modernista buildings: Gaudí's Casa Batlló, Domènech i Montaner's Casa Lleó Morera, and Puig i Cadafalch's Casa Amatller. End the evening at a vermouth bar on Carrer del Consell de Cent — vermouth with anchovies and olives is Barcelona's classic pre-dinner ritual.

Book the earliest available slot at Park Güell — the Monumental Zone (with the famous mosaic terrace and dragon staircase) has timed entry. Arrive at 8am when the park is quietest and morning light is warm. The terrace's broken-tile mosaic bench, designed to fit the human body, curves around the entire esplanade. Below it, the Doric colonnade of the Sala Hipostila (Hypostyle Hall) has 86 columns and a mosaic ceiling of recycled ceramic. The rest of the park is free to walk and has better city views.

Walk or take the metro down Passeig de Gràcia to Casa Milà — nicknamed La Pedrera (the quarry) for its undulating stone facade. The rooftop is Gaudí's most surreal creation: warrior-like chimneys in twisted tile, spiralling ventilation towers, and a stairwell exit shaped like a medieval helmet. The apartment interior shows the original Modernista furnishings, and the attic below the roof has an exhibition on Gaudí's structural methods. The rooftop is the highlight — spend the most time there.

Head east to the El Born neighbourhood — medieval Barcelona at its most intact. The Santa Maria del Mar basilica, built by the people of the Ribera quarter between 1329 and 1383, is widely considered the finest Gothic church in Spain: pure, austere, and perfectly proportioned. Visit at dusk when evening light falls through the stained glass onto the stone interior. The streets surrounding El Born have Barcelona's best pintxos bars — line up small plates of jamón, gildas, and croquetas washed down with cava.

Barcelona's Gothic Quarter preserves the Roman city of Barcino beneath its medieval streets. Follow the signage through the Plaça del Rei to the Museu d'Història de Barcelona (MUHBA), where an underground walkway passes through 2,000-year-old Roman laundries, wine stores, and a salted fish factory. Above ground, the Barcelona Cathedral has a 14th-century cloister with 13 white geese (one for each year of Saint Eulàlia's life) — the courtyard is free to visit. Morning light makes the cloister garden exceptionally peaceful.

Take the cable car or Funicular de Montjuïc up to the hill overlooking the port. The Fundació Joan Miró holds the world's finest collection of Miró's paintings, sculptures, and tapestries in a building designed by his friend Josep Lluís Sert — the white walls, skylights, and Mediterranean terraces are as good as the art. Walk further up to the Montjuïc Castle for panoramic views from the ramparts across the city, port, and out to the sea. The views back to the Sagrada Família towers from here are exceptional.

Walk down from Montjuïc through the old port to La Barceloneta — the fishermen's neighbourhood with a sandy beach and the city's best seafood restaurants. Eat a final dinner of fideuà (vermicelli paella with seafood), grilled gambas al ajillo, and pan con tomate at a restaurant on Carrer de la Maquinista rather than the tourist-priced beachfront terrace. Walk the beach path at dusk watching locals playing paddle tennis, then stroll back along the Rambla del Mar for a final look at the illuminated old port.