Overrated Sites, Barcelona

Poble Espanyol was built for the 1929 International Exhibition as an open air museum that was meant to showcase different Spanish architectural styles and crafts. Today, you pay an admission fee to get into this "village", and once you're there there's nothing to do other than visit expensive gift shops. As far as the different architectural styles, they pale in comparison to the things you can see outside of this artificial place. You're in Spain already so it doesn't make sense to come to this attraction when you're surrounded by the real deal. Like taking an American "Bavarian Village" shopping center and putting it in Germany.
And yes, I went to Poble Espanyol. ...sucker.

It's about la Sagrada Familia. it's really wonderful. But 8 Euros for entering the church (apart from the beautiful ceiling and some other architectural incomplete attractions it is just a building site) and for the relatively small museum is too much.

Unique Suggestions: MAke the most of your 8 euros trying to spot and admire the smallest details on the church's façade

Fun Alternatives: there is no alternative, because it is an unique site

I should start by saying I'm not a philistine or an 'all modern art is rubbish' sort of person. However: think carefully about going to the Picasso Museum. The work on display is not by any means his best, you will have to queue for quite a while, and in our experience, the place was packed with incomprehending groups on guided tours (with tour guides glowering at you if you tried to look at a picture at the same time) making it nigh-on impossible to neogtiate your way around. I'd say the only compelling reason to go (unless you're a total Picasso fan) is to persuade someone that Picasso really could draw and paint 'properly' before he went off into cubism. There's an extensive display of his very early work, and boy, could the old boy paint conventionally. However, I sort of knew that already, so it wasn't particularly revelatory.

Fun Alternatives: Try practically any of the other art museums - they are generally free of the slack-jawed variety of tourist and offer in the main a much higher quality of art.

This is supposed to be a recreation of traditional Spanish buildings from different eras, assembled together in a village. Ha! In reality, almost every building in the place is a shop selling overpriced tourist tat. And to think you've just paid to get in here...

Unique Suggestions: Take photographs. The one redeeming feature of the village is that many of the buildings are quite attractive looking from the outside.

Fun Alternatives: I'm sure there are villages in Spain which are the real deal

Too many tourists, too many machines around.

Od velicastne zgradbe, ki jo clovek pricakuje, dobis le nekaj dokoncanih in nekaj nedokoncanih stolpov, kup zerjavov in se vec turistov. Kriza. Poglej od zunaj, pojdi naprej in se vrni cez nekaj desetletij, ko bo stvar dokoncana :)

Fun Alternatives: If you still want to see Gaudi's work, go rather to Casa Batlló or Park Guell.

The 1992 Olympic Stadium. It was great at the time and on the TV, but now it just seems to be full of school parties. If you have however got an afternoon spare and you don't mind the kids then I suppose it is okay.

Unique Suggestions: Make sure you have a proper look around so you haven't totally wasted your time.

Fun Alternatives: Sit in a cafe and people watch.

Recommended by many in this site the old restaurant Les Quatre Gats was our first target restaurang. With help from a local guy we found the place. Outside the restaurant a gentleman praised their lamb which he had eaten twice in two days. Inside, we were told to wait in the "waiting area" but rather quickly and effectively we were directed to a table and this we thought first was really great. After observing this restaurant for awhile from upper deck we understood that this was part of effectiveness and profit. The 150 seats were effectively filled as soon as they were empty. The staff was non communicative, but correct. We guess there once was a soul in this place, probably nice personell that showed some humour or at least some humanity. The lamb was mediocre and expensive. (The gentleman outside must have an even more mediocre experience of lamb before) We recommend you choose somewhere else to eat.

Fun Alternatives: We suggest tapas at the Princessa 23 in Carrer Princessa. Great tapas!

Although Sagrada Familia itself is an absolute must, I regret paying the entrance fee to go inside (8 euro, 9 combined with entrance to Gaudi's house in park Guell).

The main hall is still a construction site, there is not much to see there. As for the stairs up, we spent about two hours reading the graffiti on the stone walls and waiting to go up - the staircase was so crammed that we were lucky if we could go 1 step up every 2 minutes.
Occasionally there were photo opportunities of the view and close-ups of parts of the exterior, but I really don't think it was worth the time and money.

Unique Suggestions: Stay outside the church, everything you need to see is here.

All very nice during the day, just lay at the pier and enjoy the sun. A few reasonably priced food stands and very good (and very expensive) frappe coffee at the juice stand at the ground floor.
BUT:
Don't go near the place during the night!
The nightclubs are at least horrible, the drinks unbelievably overpriced, the music disgusting. The best description of the atmosphere can be seen at late-night docusoaps with zero IQ drunk Brits abroad.
DON'T GO THERE!

Unique Suggestions: There is an irish pub at the top floor. Very expensive drinks and huge cockroaches running around freely (as in the rest of Maremagnum), but at least you won't be bothered by the stupid music and crowd from the downstairs clubs.

Fun Alternatives: There are many late bars and clubs around Barcelona. My favourite area is the Marina/Poblenou but it's a 30-minute walk or you need a taxi.
If you want to stay near the Ramblas, try London bar - not a very good choice either, but orders of magnitude better than Maremagnum.

At the ramblas , in all tourist books, but really stinking.
Bad food, unpolite staff, just no good value.
AVOID !!!!

Unique Suggestions: Go to ANY other place

Fun Alternatives: The places at the small streets from las Ramblas and around Placa Reial are SO much better