A Sunday, because two good museums turn free at 15:00. Everything is within walking distance, so you do not need a transit ticket. The only money you need is for transit and food.
Start with the four Roman columns on Carrer del Paradís, open from 10:00. Then walk 10 minutes east through the Gothic lanes and across Via Laietana to El Born.
Look down on the streets of 1714 from the free walkways. Parc de la Ciutadella is 5 minutes away down Passeig de Picasso.
See the Cascada fountain and rest on the grass. Leave by the south gate and walk 20 minutes to the sea.
Eat a picnic bought the day before, since the markets are shut on Sunday. Then follow the port promenade west for 25 minutes to the Columbus column.
Free from 15:00. Give the shipyard arches and the royal galley an hour, then walk 15 minutes up La Rambla and right into the Gothic Quarter.
Free on Sunday afternoon. Take the lift down to the Roman streets. Afterwards walk 15 minutes north to Plaça de Catalunya.
Finish with Casa Batlló and La Pedrera lit up from the pavement. Metro L3 runs from Diagonal at the top of the avenue.
No free slot exists for visitors and nothing else in the city looks like the inside: a forest of branching columns washed blue in the morning and orange in the late afternoon. Book a timed ticket weeks ahead and skip the tower add-on if money is tight.
Everything above is free. This is the only paid pick on the page, chosen because no free option replaces it.
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