Short visit barcelona

[Slypurrs]

Has anyone taken cruise from Princess to Barcelona. I noticed we get in at 12 pm and depart at 8 pm. Can anyone recommend a tour for such a short time?

[Kinkacruiser]

Has anyone taken cruise from Princess to Barcelona. I noticed we get in at 12 pm and depart at 8 pm. Can anyone recommend a tour for such a short time?

 

I don't think we are allowed to mention names here....maybe try your roll call group.

Edited November 16, 2014 by Kinkacruiser

[waltd]

Many cities around the world have hop on hop off type of buses. I know Barcelona has one. Look them up on line. You travel at your own pace and stop when you want.

[cruisequeen4ever]

We did a B2B with Barcelona in the middle. We left the ship at 8:30 AM and returned at 5:30. We used the Barcelona City Tour HOHO bus. It was very comprehensive and gave us a great overview of the city in a short period of time. I highly recommend it. We didn't have time to tour Parc Guell and La Sagrada Familia, which was disappointing, but we at least "saw" pretty much all of the main sites. Make sure you allow plenty of time to get back to the ship.

 

 

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[Loonbeam]

There's lots of info in the port of call forum, and you CAN recommend tour guides here, just only on request..

 

We used Barcelona Day Tours for pre-cruise there and thought the guide we had was pretty good.

[patrickmoran]

We have been to Barcelona a couple of times. The 2 must see sites in my opinion are Las Ramblas and Sagrada Familia (the cathedral under construction for over 100 years). My recommendation, because of your limited time, would be (1) get a good map of Barcelona, (2) take the ship's transfer to town (very short) which will let you off at the foot of Las Ramblas, (3) walk up the street enjoying the sites and sounds, (4) have some tapas and a beer or wine at a place that looks interesting (sit in the front by the counter),(5) take a taxi to SF (order tix in advance, say for 4pm, from the website below, walk all the way around SF marveling at the sculptures, go inside (it really is worth it; the inside is so different from the outside), (6) take a taxi back to the port bus pick up spot.

 

PS, I enjoyed going up the tower at SF (elevator) and walking down (down elevator is also available) but it is not necessary to enjoy SF. Taxis are very easy to use and reasonable cost. The map helps to point to where you want to go because our taxi driver did not understand my butchered pronunciation of Parc Gruell(sp?)

 

http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/

Edited November 17, 2014 by patrickmoran

[azdmelani]

Has anyone taken cruise from Princess to Barcelona. I noticed we get in at 12 pm and depart at 8 pm. Can anyone recommend a tour for such a short time?

 

my advice would be to go to the Sagrada Familia with advanced tickets, and take the hop on hop off bus to get a "tour" of the city

[aquilegia]

I don't think we are allowed to mention names here....maybe try your roll call group.

 

You can mention tour guides/companies in reply to a request for information, like the OP's. What you are not allowed to do is start a thread for the purpose of recommending one.

[beanersts]

I would forget the Hop on hop off bus, since there can be very long lines and it takes a lot of time which you do not have. The lines at the bus stops after 12 can be extremely long and buses are always full.

 

Take taxis and the subway which are very easy to use. You take subway L5 to Lesseps to Park Guell but it is a 15 walk uphill. Walk around for a hour and have a bite to eat. Walk back downhill to Lesseps or catch a cab and get off of Sangrda Familla to see the church at 3 pm. Catch the green line to Catlunya and walk down Las Ramblas

 

Here are a couple of helpful links

 

http://www.parkguell.cat/en/how-to-get-here/

http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/maps/barcelona-metro-map.html

Edited November 17, 2014 by beanersts

[sunsetbeachgal]

I am also NOT a fan of the HOHO bus...we did it last year during our pre cruise stay and it felt like all we did was sit in traffic. My favorite thing to do in Barcelona is Walk...walk...walk! Walk up Las Ramblas, through the Plaza Catalunya, perhaps into the Gothic Quarter. Or with limited time take a taxi to the Sagrada, then walk back.

[Kinkacruiser]

There's lots of info in the port of call forum, and you CAN recommend tour guides here, just only on request..

 

We used Barcelona Day Tours for pre-cruise there and thought the guide we had was pretty good.

 

Looks like it's OK to name tour operators. Sylvia is the lady who escorted our group with the above mentioned company. The gardens are something special :)

[buchananglasgow]

Definitely do the hop on/off bus. Get off at the familia, not to be missed, get back on bus and go to Goudi's garden. If you do nothing but see those, it will be worth it. Be very very aware of pick pockets working in gangs. No bags or wallets in pockets.

[jpj39]

Definitely do the hop on/off bus. Get off at the familia, not to be missed, get back on bus and go to Goudi's garden. If you do nothing but see those, it will be worth it. Be very very aware of pick pockets working in gangs. No bags or wallets in pockets.

 

what ever you do, watch out for pickpockets , they are very clever.

barcelona is notarious for pickpockets, #1 on the list of cities for pickpockets

watch out for the bird dropping scam

[OhioDogLover]

We also used Barcelona Day Tours. They are very good. As we were there for a couple of days pre-cruise, we spent a lot of time walking and also used the subways. I agree that the subways are easy to use. Park Guell, the Picasso Museum, the Catalyuna (sp?) Art Museum, the unfinished church (get advanced tickets for that one if you go) are all good options, IMHO. It is a very fun city.

 

Ohiodoglover

[Belle]

Be sure to see the Church inside and out..

La Sagrada Familia

 

The Parc Guell so many works of art by

Guadi.

 

Saw these in the pouring rain but was

worth it. Also if just driving around you

will see buildings that he designed.

[TKS]

Barcelona is a wonderful city. If you can, fly in a day or two early to enjoy it more completely. Sagrada Familia is not to be missed; the interior is spectacular; definitely get your tickets before going so you don't have to stand in the often very long line for entry, otherwise you won't really get to do anything else. Las Ramblas is the heart of the tourist area of Barcelona, and is great fun. A tapas bar for Cava and lunch (remember many restaurants close from ~2-8 P.M. for "siesta") and La Boquerilla for amazing photos of all types of foods, both along Las Ramblas, would be my second must. Parc Guell is fascinating, but if you only have 8 hours (and it takes about 30 minutes to get from the airport downtown), I would forgo it for another trip.

 

Whatever you choose, enjoy! Barcelona is my favorite embarkation port because of the opportunity to relax, sightsee and eat great food for a few days prior to boarding.

Edited November 19, 2014 by TKS

[beanersts]

Barcelona is a wonderful city. If you can, fly in a day or two early to enjoy it more completely. Sagrada Familia is not to be missed; the interior is spectacular; definitely get your tickets before going so you don't have to stand in the often very long line for entry, otherwise you won't really get to do anything else. Las Ramblas is the heart of the tourist area of Barcelona, and is great fun. A tapas bar for Cava and lunch (remember many restaurants close from ~2-8 P.M. for "siesta") and La Boquerilla for amazing photos of all types of foods, both along Las Ramblas, would be my second must. Parc Guell is fascinating, but if you only have 8 hours (and it takes about 30 minutes to get from the airport downtown), I would forgo it for another trip.

 

Whatever you choose, enjoy! Barcelona is my favorite embarkation port because of the opportunity to relax, sightsee and eat great food for a few days prior to boarding.

 

 

You need to find way to by advanced tickets with for Sagrada Familia. The "Servicaixa" ATM are all located all over the city. This is the only way you will avoid the long lines and be able to see anything else.

 

http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/docs_serveis/infoTarifesInd.php

[philabos]

what ever you do, watch out for pickpockets , they are very clever.

barcelona is notarious for pickpockets, #1 on the list of cities for pickpockets

watch out for the bird dropping scam

 

I would strongly second this. If you have anything stolen do not look to the police or the US consulate for help either. Apparently all too common.