Trip to Barcelona
Pack for Barcelona: Sagrada Família tickets in advance, pickpocket-proofing, transit passes, the Gothic Quarter and the beach. Answer one question and the list adapts.

[ ] Check passport validity and visa rules
    Spain is in Schengen: your passport must be valid 3+ months beyond departure. Check visa requirements for your nationality early.
[ ] Buy travel medical insurance
    Schengen visas require €30,000+ coverage, and an uninsured doctor visit hurts the wallet.
[ ] Book Sagrada Família and Park Güell ahead
    Tickets are online-only with timed slots and sell out 1–2 weeks ahead in season. There are no ticket offices to save you. Same for Casa Batlló and Casa Milà.
[ ] Sort out money: euro cash and cards
    Cards work everywhere; a bit of cash helps at La Boqueria market stalls. Skip airport exchange rates.
[ ] Make copies of your documents
    Photos of passport, visa and insurance in the cloud; paper copies separate from originals. If a bag is snatched, this saves the trip.
[ ] Pickpocket-proof yourself — risk #1
    La Rambla, the metro and the beach belong to Europe's best pickpockets. Zipped bag in front, nothing in back pockets, phone off the table, passport original in the hotel safe.
[ ] Never leave beach belongings unattended
    Barceloneta is beach thieves' office: one unattended minute in the water and the phone is gone. Swim in shifts or take a waterproof pouch into the sea.
[ ] Pick a transit pass: T-casual or Hola BCN
    T-casual gives 10 rides and suits a slower pace; Hola BCN is unlimited for 2–5 days. Single tickets are the priciest way around.
[ ] Broken-in walking shoes
    The Gothic Quarter, El Born and Gràcia are walking territory — 15–20k steps a day, plus Montjuïc and Tibidabo climbs.
[ ] Plan the Montjuïc funicular and cable car
    The funicular is included in a metro ticket; the cable car costs extra but delivers city-wide views. Up top: the castle, gardens and sunset.
[ ] Sync with the Spanish meal clock
    Lunch at 2 pm, dinner past 9 pm; before that it's counter tapas. Anywhere hawking paella at 6 pm is a tourist trap.
[ ] Know: tap water is safe but tastes odd
    It's safe, just chlorinated. A filter bottle or supermarket 5-liter jug fixes it for pennies.
[ ] Pack a compact first aid kit
    Painkiller, blister plasters, regular meds. Farmacias are everywhere, but much is prescription-only.
[ ] Sunscreen and sunglasses
    The sun is strong April to October, and sightseeing means hours outdoors.
[ ] Swimwear and a beach towel
    City beaches sit 15 minutes from the center; swim season runs June–September. Hotel towels can't leave the room — bring a light one.
[ ] A layer for the evening
    The sea breeze cools evenings even in summer; winter needs a proper jacket.
[ ] Chargers and a power bank
    Type C/F sockets — EU plugs fit; US/UK need an adapter. A power bank helps: navigation and photos kill the battery by lunch.
[ ] Set up an eSIM or local SIM
    An eSIM beats roaming; keep access to your bank's SMS codes from home.
[ ] Download offline maps
    GPS struggles in the Gothic Quarter's maze — an offline map with saved pins works even without signal.
[ ] Kids' documents
    Each child needs their own passport (and visa where required). Birth certificate if surnames differ; check single-parent travel rules.
[ ] Plan kid stops: Aquarium, Tibidabo, CosmoCaixa
    The port Aquarium, Tibidabo amusement park above the city and the CosmoCaixa science museum are the kid hits. Online tickets are cheaper and skip queues.
[ ] UV swim shirt and sun hat for the kid
    Kids' skin burns in 15 minutes; a UPF shirt beats sunscreen. Barceloneta has playgrounds right on the sand.
[ ] Kids' first aid kit
    Child-dose fever reducer, thermometer, plasters. Familiar meds beat explaining symptoms at a farmacia.
[ ] Snacks and entertainment for transit
    Offline cartoons and familiar snacks save the flight and museum lines. El Born gelato is the local bribe currency.

Checklist from Unload: https://unloads.me/c/barcelona