Tour guide in Barcelona

[richmar]

I will be cruising out of Barcelona on 6/7/15 on the Norwegian Epic. There will be 4 of us...me, my husband, 12 yr old daughter & 5 yr old son. We will be arriving in Barcelona on 6/5, so we will have 2 days to discover Barcelona. We're interested in hiring a tour guide, possibly with another family. Any suggestions for a good tour guide?

[RollieUK]

You do not need a tour guide in Barcelona. It is very easy to see everything by yourself. In fact, I would say it is better to DIY as you can set your own itinerary and pace.

 

Just a little research before you go - just reading these boards on CC will probably be enough. You will not see everything in 2 days but if you make a list of your preferences you will then see that transport from one place to another is very easy and relatively cheap.

 

CC member English_in_Spain, who no longer posts here, has an excellent web page that would help you but we are not allowed to post the details here.

 

Edited October 20, 2014 by RollieUK

[Pet Nit Noy]

I will be cruising out of Barcelona on 6/7/15 on the Norwegian Epic. There will be 4 of us...me, my husband, 12 yr old daughter & 5 yr old son. We will be arriving in Barcelona on 6/5, so we will have 2 days to discover Barcelona. We're interested in hiring a tour guide, possibly with another family. Any suggestions for a good tour guide?

 

In Barcelona, my husband and I used the services of Context Travel for two in-depth walking tours. Our first one focused on the architecture of Gaudi. (Our tour did not include Parc Guell, perhaps the most appealing Gaudi destination for your youngest.) Our second tour focused on the Gothic Quarter. Context has a very academic approach and may not be the best choice for a family group. The Rome branch of Context Travel offers family tours, but that doesn't seem to be the case in Barcelona.

 

That said, Spain Day Tours is a very well regarded for company that offers excursions at multiple port calls in Spain and Portugal. If you go to their web site, you'll see they offer lots of tour options for Barcelona. I don't have any specific experience with Spain Day Tours in Barcelona but my husband and I had a very positive experience with them visiting Seville from our port call in Cadiz.

 

In Barcelona, we also worked with Spanish Trails to take their Gourmet Food Experience, one of the highlights of our post-cruise visit. The company offers 4- and 6-hour options that combine both walking and transportation between the more distant places. (The web site says the vans can hold up to seven passengers.)

 

In your situation, I'd begin by making contact with Spanish Trails. Looking at their list of guides, I notice a reasonably high percentage of native English speakers, although not all are American English speakers. Although there's no indication that Spanish Trails has experience working with children, when you combine the accent information with their routine use of van transportation, I think you have the starting point for a successful visit.

[4774Papa]

I recommend Barcelona Day Tours.

 

BarcelonaDayTours.com

[Loonbeam]

We used Barcelona day tours as well and were quite happy with them. I do agree it can be done very easily on your own if you are so inclined, but for a short time I prefer having someone who knows the lay of the land and the local language to assist me.

 

I would also highly suggest the Barcelona Taste walking tour if you are into such things. They are a 3 hour walking tour focusing on different kind of tapas while checking out the area, tons of fun and great food from places you would probably never find and things you would probably never try otherwise...

 

http://thebarcelonataste.com/