A short stay in Barcelona - The not-so-happy things you should know before you go! Barcelona is a small city with so many beautiful sights on offer that if you are only staying for a couple of nights, there is no way you will fit in the top 10 you will read about in travel guides and blogs, because the queues for everything are so long.

Bus Turistic - this guided bus tour operates around the city and is described by many as the best way of seeing the city's sights. It is recommended to book online before going in order to avoid queuing on the day. BUT people will queue for 2 hours just to catch the bus.  If it rains, the top decks will be all closed so only half the usual number of passengers can board. If you don't have time for this and decide instead to make your own way to each place beware the bus company may refuse to refund your tickets.

Try getting around by taxi which is quick, easy and during the day when the tariff is cheaper than the evening, you may not pay much more than €5 to get from one place to another. The queues at all the major sights are really long with hours of waiting around, especially La Pradrera and the Picasso Museum, where the queues went for miles. When it rains and rains, it is impossible to see anything much except the Park Guell which still looks beautiful despite terrible weather! Tourist go with such high hopes of seeing all things Gaudi and Picasso but unfortunately may come home disappointed. Nowhere offers fast track tickets (like Thorpe Park), pre-booked entrance times (like The London Eye) or any other way of speeding up the entry process, unless you are travelling in a group (10 or more usually). Perhaps teaming up with some others in the queue to make a group could be the answer! The food markets at Las Ramblas and the Barri Gotic are both amazing and no queues! The Flamenco which lasts an hour in the evening is enjoyable. It is fun and not tacky.