WARNING - POLITICAL DEMONSTRATIONS AND MARCHES IN BARCELONA THIS WEEK!

[marazul]

Traffic closures update:

Edited October 26, 2019 by marazul

[Sawhock]

Have the Metro or Tram been interrupted as well during the demonstrations. 
 

thank you for the info. 

[marazul]

55 minutes ago, Sawhock said:

Have the Metro or Tram been interrupted as well during the demonstrations. 
 

thank you for the info. 

I haven't read anything about metro or tram closures.

 

They estimate 350,000 people are demonstrating today.  Scroll down this article for pictures:

https://www.lavanguardia.com/politica/20191026/471200504650/manifestacion-independentismo-barcelona-libertad-presos.html

[marazul]

22 hours ago, bbeerbower said:

Thanks for your imput.  will have to decide soon so I can cancel hotel @ Catalunya or Port Vell.

Tomorrow Sunday the protest march will be down the Passeig de Gracia.  Wherever you stay, don't forget that the marches have always been in the afternon and that you should be able to get a taxi to the ship. 

Look at the current (Saturday 9 pm, BCN time) road closings in Barcelona:

 

Edited October 26, 2019 by marazul

[marazul]

20 minutes ago, mapleleaves said:

From tripadvisor.com.    A post from a visitor who just left Barcelona after a 3 day visit. 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187497-i44-k13001706-Protest_info_from_a_visitors_perspective-Barcelona_Catalonia.html#103575543

I just read the post.  The poster went to Girona for the day.  Girona is the center of the separatist movement,.  They have also experienced large demonstrations. 

 

Yes, I agree you should be safe.  The best way to avoid running into the marches is to check the local media everyday while you are there and before you leave your hotel for the day.  The demonstrations also tend to be always in the same areas in front of government buildings, so use the maps above as a guideline.  For that matter, use the maps app in your phone to check for traffic and street closures as you go along.

Edited October 26, 2019 by marazul

[marazul]

Tonight's march turned violent. Several barricades have been set on fire and there were people wounded. 

All seems to be quiet by now.

[bbeerbower]

Thanks Marazul,  any idea where the demonstrations will be on Nov 1 All Saints Day.  I heard there is one being organized

for both Nov1 (holiday) and Nov 2.   which is the day we plan to tour.   

Have you ever taken a rickshaw in Barcelona.  I'll have several hours to kill before I can check into my hotel and though it would be a great way to see the Olympic Village area.    we are probably going to stay in hotel near Barceloneta metro just to be safe.

Bonnie

[marazul]

 

A huge pro-constitution march took place today.  It was peaceful.  I am posting the road closures this morning.  They were all on the Passeig de Gracia and the Via Laeitana.  Look at this link for a picture of the Passeig de Gracia this morning:

https://www.lavanguardia.com/politica/20191027/471225770488/manifestacion-constitucionalista-centro-barcelona.html

 

National elections will take place November 10.  Between now and then there are bound to be many more demonstrations, including those called for Nov 1 and 2.  So far, most demonstrations have taken place where shown in the screen shot below and the screen shot in post #58.  The 4 most common streets have been the Via Laeietana, Plaza d'Urquinaona, Carrer Marina and Passeig de Gracia.  

 

Most demonstrations are peaceful, but there can always be a few hotheads that will enter into confrontations with the police.  If I were going to BCN now, I would avoid booking a hotel directly on any of those streets or within a block or so because I would not want to have access to the hotel blocked by the crowd.  You might want to check the map for the location of any hotel you may be considering.  Still, wherever you are, check with your hotel desk for the latest info on whatever is happening that day.

 

Edited October 27, 2019 by marazul

[jean87510]

Unfortunately some of us are locked in and cant change our hotel. I realize youre trying to inform us but its really stressful reading your posts 6 days before i leave on my trip. Ive been following this story online. I have contacted my hotel Barcelona 1882 and my tour guide that day. They have all reassured me that they will keep me posted up to the day i arrive. Thats all any of us coming in can do. 

[marazul]

2 hours ago, jean87510 said:

Unfortunately some of us are locked in and cant change our hotel. I realize youre trying to inform us but its really stressful reading your posts 6 days before i leave on my trip. Ive been following this story online. I have contacted my hotel Barcelona 1882 and my tour guide that day. They have all reassured me that they will keep me posted up to the day i arrive. Thats all any of us coming in can do. 

Jean,

you seem to be in an area where no marches have occurred and are not likely to occur.  Look at the map in post #63.  Your hotel is 2 or 3 blocks from the Sagrada Familia well away from the closed streets.  That is why people should check their location on a map before making any changes.  If you stay out of the path of the demonstrations you should be ok.  There are plenty of nice restaurants in that area.  It is easy to get from there to anywhere without getting in the way of the marches.  Be informed.  Relax. 

 

I will keep posting from time to time because there is so little information on the details outside of Spain.  CC has been very useful to me over the years, so I am happy to contribute when I can. 

Edited October 27, 2019 by marazul

[midwestchick]

1 hour ago, marazul said:

Jean,

you seem to be in an area where no marches have occurred and are not likely to occur.  Look at the map in post #63.  Your hotel is 2 or 3 blocks from the Sagrada Familia well away from the closed streets.  That is why people should check their location on a map before making any changes.  If you stay out of the path of the demonstrations you should be ok.  There are plenty of nice restaurants in that area.  It is easy to get from there to anywhere without getting in the way of the marches.  Be informed.  Relax. 

 

I will keep posting from time to time because there is so little information on the details outside of Spain.  CC has been very useful to me over the years, so I am happy to contribute when I can. 

 

1 hour ago, marazul said:

Jean,

you seem to be in an area where no marches have occurred and are not likely to occur.  Look at the map in post #63.  Your hotel is 2 or 3 blocks from the Sagrada Familia well away from the closed streets.  That is why people should check their location on a map before making any changes.  If you stay out of the path of the demonstrations you should be ok.  There are plenty of nice restaurants in that area.  It is easy to get from there to anywhere without getting in the way of the marches.  Be informed.  Relax. 

 

I will keep posting from time to time because there is so little information on the details outside of Spain.  CC has been very useful to me over the years, so I am happy to contribute when I can. 

Have there been protests on LaRambla?  That’s where we’re staying.  Hopefully early in the week they won’t be protesting as much.  We’ll be arriving in a Monday and cruising in a Tuesday.

[marazul]

Not on Las Rambas itself, but nearby. 

[midwestchick]

1 hour ago, marazul said:

Not on Las Rambas itself, but nearby. 

Does that mean we will have a problem getting there by taxi?  We had hoped to walk to Barcelona Cathedral.  Will that be possible if they’re protesting?  
Are the protests affecting the cruise ports?  We sail from the one where the small ships sail from.

[marazul]

Protests have not affected the cruise ports.

 

Protests are not all over every street in the city. They are largely confined to the designated routes.  If there is one when you are there and there are 300,000 people standing in front of your hotel, the taxi cannot drop you off at the door.  If there is no protest there is no problem.  If the protest is not on your street or very near, there is no problem.  Most flights from the US arrive in BCN early in the morning and so far the earliest protest has been at noon.   Again, I don't have a crystal ball ...  There is no way of predicting ahead of time what might happen or the extent of the problem.

 

The streets between Las Ramblas and the Cathedral are narrow medieval streets not conducive to mass demonstrations.  Use your map directions on your phone to get there.  Again, ask at your hotel desk for updates on the closings if there happens to be a demonstration. 

[midwestchick]

Thank you.

[bbeerbower]

1 hour ago, marazul said:

Protests have not affected the cruise ports.

 

Protests are not all over every street in the city. They are largely confined to the designated routes.  If there is one when you are there and there are 300,000 people standing in front of your hotel, the taxi cannot drop you off at the door.  If there is no protest there is no problem.  If the protest is not on your street or very near, there is no problem.  Most flights from the US arrive in BCN early in the morning and so far the earliest protest has been at noon.   Again, I don't have a crystal ball ...  There is no way of predicting ahead of time what might happen or the extent of the problem.

 

The streets between Las Ramblas and the Cathedral are narrow medieval streets not conducive to mass demonstrations.  Use your map directions on your phone to get there.  Again, ask at your hotel desk for updates on the closings if there happens to be a demonstration. 

Thanks for your helpful information.  I've decided to change my hotel to one near Barceloneta metro and hopefully the protests will stop @ police station and not continue down to the sea.

[orimeep]

On 10/27/2019 at 7:35 PM, marazul said:

I will keep posting from time to time because there is so little information on the details outside of Spain.  CC has been very useful to me over the years, so I am happy to contribute when I can. 

Thank you so much for keeping us up to date - it’s been very helpful and I’m grateful!

[paradiselivin1]

@marazul I've looked at your map several times at the affected areas and can not clearly find where we will be staying on Rambla de Catalunya 103 with respect to the most active areas. We'll be one city block from Casa Mila and I thought I had read somewhere that there were problems in that area. Also, we'll be arriving into the Sants station on Friday and am hoping there won't be problems there. We've been in Madrid for almost a week and have been watching the news at night and in the last few days saw what looked to be some nasty demonstrations around the Sants station. Can you shed any light for me? Thanks!

[marazul]

This is your location:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Rambla+de+Catalunya,+103,+08008+Barcelona,+Spain/@41.3919344,2.1603075,15.83z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x12a4a2922c6f1b53:0x6f871cb87f6b991!8m2!3d41.393308!4d2.1601169?hl=en

You are one block from the Passeig de Gracia where a large demonstration took place this past Sunday.  

Last week there were some disturbances near where you are staying.  Generally, that is a very quiet area.

[marazul]

8 hours ago, orimeep said:

Thank you so much for keeping us up to date - it’s been very helpful and I’m grateful!

Thanks for your kind comments.

 

The Sants train station was surrounded by people yesterday and blocked access to the station.

Today, the university students in the area have gone on strike.  Some are asking for alternate methods of grading so they are free to demonstrate instead of going to class.

https://www.lavanguardia.com/politica/20191029/471270205193/huelga-indefinida-universidades-catalanas-sentencia-proces.html

Several "spontaneous" demostrations are expected to occur.  No details, but should be small.

 

Edited October 29, 2019 by marazul

[midwestchick]

I’m hoping things calm down.  I contacted my hotel and they tell me demonstrations are getting less and thing should settle down even more before we arrive.  I hope they’re correct.

[marazul]

Perhaps they are right, but the media suggests that they may increase in the run up for the elections on Nov. 10.  There may be another flare up of protests leading up towards Dec. 16 when Belgium decides on the extradition of a Catalan separatist leader back to Spain.  

 

I hope anyone going to Barcelona in the next few days will post their experiences.  Hopefully, you can say that "nothing happened."  

[paradiselivin1]

5 hours ago, marazul said:

The Sants train station was surrounded by people yesterday and blocked access to the station.

I expected something was happening there as I saw what appeared to be protests on the news and we were unable to buy train tickets from Figueres to the Santa station for the end of this week. We went to the train station and were finally able to purchase tickets from them last night.

[flrose]

Thank you for all the information presented on this forum.   We leave Miami Friday evening and arrive in Barcelona Saturday morning.   Over the past two weeks none of the daily evening departures have been canceled.   The local and visitor comments and observations have been very valuable to getting the accurate picture of what to expect.  

 

Safe travels to all...

[gwesq]

20 hours ago, flrose said:

Thank you for all the information presented on this forum.   We leave Miami Friday evening and arrive in Barcelona Saturday morning.   Over the past two weeks none of the daily evening departures have been canceled.   The local and visitor comments and observations have been very valuable to getting the accurate picture of what to expect.  

 

Safe travels to all...

I think we'll be on the flight with you - AA 112?   Going on Crystal.

 

We are staying at Placa Reial - will we have an issue getting there from airport, and then touring around there, GOthic quarter & Sagrada?

Sunday we plan a long day taking high speed train to & from Madrid.  Concerned about the train station.