Istanbul vs Barcelona????

[martyap]

Interested in any advice.

 

I had booked 4 days pre in Istanbul and 4 post days in Barcelona.

Because of a certain holiday and closures at the end of Ramadan next October I'm thinking of making it 5 days in Istanbul and 3 in Barcelona.

 

Is 5 too many in Istanbul? Any cons about spending too many land days before you actually board a cruise? Are 3 days too few in Barcelona? The ship disembarks early so the'd be three "full" days.

 

Hope that made sense.....just looking for thoughts from more seasoned cruisers/travelers.

 

Thanks

Marty :confused:

[Bruin Steve]

Is 5 too many in Istanbul? Any cons about spending too many land days before you actually board a cruise? Are 3 days too few in Barcelona?

 

In my book, there's really no such thing as "too many days" pre-cruise...

I prefer extra time pre-cruise to decompress...to catch up with jet lag (especially when travelling to Europe--I usually find myself taking long midday naps, falling asleep right after dinner and waking up at 3 in the morning for a couple of days...So, the extra day may be a luxury...

 

As far as shorting Barcelona with 3 days rather than four...though I love Barcelona, I've always found you can adjust your time and expectations based on how much time you have...Three days may be enough to get a good taste of Barcelona ...Must see: 1) Sagrada Familia 2) Parc Guell 3) Casa Mila 4) Casa Batllo 5) Las Ramblas ...With 3 full days, you should have time to add 6) Barri Gotic and old Cathedral 7) Montjuic 8) Picasso Museum

 

You can keep a busy schedule but still fit in all of the above plus, importantly, the restaurants, bars and nightlife...

 

What I would probably do with fourth day--that I'd advise not stretching for with only 3--is a side trip to Figueras/Girona (Home of Salvador Dali and Medeival city) or to the monasteries at Montserrat...Both are nice day trips if you're in Barcelona for an extended visit... But 3 days makes for a very full visit to just Barcelona itself...

 

Have fun...

[martyap]

Hi Steve,

 

I know your trip is in the summer and we are scheduled for late October.

We were in Spain for three week last May and loved it but I'm running out of

extra days for our October cruise.

 

Problem is we will be in Istanbul at the end of Ramadan and the start of Seker Bayrami. Means certain things will close so a 5th day will help. Have never been to Istanbul and the more I read the more fascinating it seems. Think I'll do the 5 and leave only 3 for Barcelona.

 

Thanks,

Marty

[7SeasLover]

We are staying 2 pre-cruise nights in Istanbul, then the Jewel remains in port for 2 more days--well a day and a half, so we'll get 3.5 days in Istanbul. The hotel we're booked (Armada Hotel) has a tips section that tells you what to see and do with 1, 2, 3 or 4 days in Istanbul. You may find that helpful.

 

It's been so long since I've been to Barcelona - I'm of no help in that regard. There's an excellent website on Turkey - in depth - but I can't find my link! I'll look and post it for you.

[Keith1010]

We have been to Barcelona twice (once just a couple of months ago) and to Istanbul once. I think three days will be suffiicient for you to see Barcelona and the five days in Istanbul sounds great. There is certainly much to see there and it is always nice to arrive early prior to the cruise so that you are fully adjusted to the time zone, relaxed for the cruise and so that you can see all there is to see in a new place. I think the way you've split the pre and post cruise sounds just fine.

 

Keith

[Wendy The Wanderer]

5 days is by no means too much for Istanbul. We spent 6 days there, and did a day trip to the Princes' Isles on one of them. You'll have the advantage of cooler weather, we were there in June and it was pretty hot and muggy.

[dbh62ark]

I've also visited both cities and agree with the advice the others have listed. No, 5 days in Istanbul would not be too much. My husband and I try to basically do a ground trip before and after our European cruises (often stay 24 days with only 10-14 days on the ship), so I agree with the others that it's not too much time pre- and post-cruise. We are glad to go home to our own bed and to reunite with family and friends after a long trip, but it's great to stay as long as possible when traveling that far from home, so I hope you enjoy it.

 

Donna