Barcelona recs

[Fuzz]

Headed to Barcelona towards the end of next month. Will be reading up on it in the coming weeks, but thought I'd pick the collective brain in the meanwhile.

Will be there for 3 full days, with wife and 5-year old. Staying in the Gothic Quarter, just off Las Ramblas, near Placa de Catalunya. Other than the obvious La Sagrada Familia church, what are some not-to-miss sights, restaurants, food, drinks, etc? Any great photography spots/viewpoints? We don't mind walking or taking public transportation. Not into shopping.

[HankScorpio]

I had the best meal of my life in a Catalan restaurant in Barcelona when I was there in 2007 with my family. The meal lasted several hours and there was at least 10 courses, it was amazing. My Dad will know the name, I'll ask him. Amazing food in Barcelona.

Edit: Restaurant is called Can Pineda, another great one is Passadis Del Pep.

[I Dunno]

Parc Guell, La Boqueria, La Champagneria is also a fun and cheap dining experience.
Don't carry anything you wouldn't mind losing, the pick pockets are very good.

[Tippster]

5yo + a "several hour" long meal = you're not enjoying life much.

Not much to add, Fuzz, but based on your nighttime pix from Krakow I'd say go check out the Carrer de Montcada which is where the Picasso Museum is.

[itsnowjoke]

Guel park has Gaudi-designed features. It's on the hill and has great city views.

Montjuic Castle looks over the harbor. It's a short ride by metro, funicular. And gondola. The funicular leaves from the metro station, which is very cool.

There's a ton of museums including the famous Picasso museum. But if you have a 5 year old, don't miss the zoo! It's the best zoo I've ever been to.

Eat paella, drink sangria. The calamari is cheap. Sadly, Barcelona is one of the top pickpocket locations on the planet. Be mildly paranoid about that fact while riding the metro.

It's a great city. Have a blast!

[hev]

The places that specialize in the Iberico ham are the best. Everything Gaudi is worth seeing as is Picasso. Gothic Quarter > Las Ramblas for exploring and finding places to eat. Lots of cool street art around too.

[Fuzz]

Thanks for all the tips and keep 'em coming. Have definitely heard about the pickpocket problem. There's no way I'm going without my camera gear though, so I'll just have to keep an extra careful eye on it.

Yes, several-hour-long meals are probably not on the cards. Although our 5-year old travels very well. He's fine walking/hiking 3-4 miles a day. Loves museums even if for only for a couple of hours (he actually spends time looking at each piece and asks me to explain/analyze them). We always eat the local food no matter where we go (no trying to find a place with chicken nuggets or pizza). So all in all, it actually works out pretty well.

[Fuzz]

Cool Europe pics btw, hev.

[goldenboy]

It's a great city to just walk around, especially in the Ramblas area. I liked all the gaudi stuff, especially sagrada and batllo. The palau de la musica catalana is pretty cool too if you can catch something there. I have some pictures of gaudi attractions here and everything else we did in Barcelona here.