Barcelona City Highlights - May 2023, semi-private half day tour pictorial summary sharing large # of photos

[mking8288]

As part of our post NCL Epic TA 15 nights NY to Barcelona cruise, we did a half day tour to Montserrat and next morning, City Highlights for 1/2 day - visiting Park Guell (skip a line), Sagrada Família (outside - option for tour operator to reserve & obtain tickets in advance for us, optionally with small group discount) and other Gaudi structures.  Free pickup at cruise port and/or hotel and also dropoff at the end of the tour (we "concluded" our tour at La Ramblas) which was walking distance to our hotel nearby - after we did a nice & inexpensive Tapas lunch on the way back and with a shopping stop.  

 

Typically, a driver/guide is provided for a small group (7 or less) and for a larger group of up to 12, a driver plus a bilingual guide will be along - there're just 7 of us but we still had the full services of the guide that came with us, and in a very nice, comfortable & air-conditioned mini bus with seating capacity for ~ 20 passengers.  First batch of pictures here taken mainly on the morning of our half day tour, as we're stop #1 on the pick-up route ... and getting a bonus views of the city's various neighborhoods or quarters, with the city designed & laid out in geometric grids.  

 

Unless noted otherwise, these digital photos or pix were taken with my Google Pixel 7 Pro, using assorted default & zoom settings, including 2x, 5x, 10x and sometimes 20x and 30x to reach out for those close-up images, and largely un-retouched and posted as is.  

 

This is our hotel, the H10 Casanova as seen from across the street, with a taxi stand on the street corner and multiple bus routes.  The Aerobus or Airport Bus's nearest stop is about 3 city blocks from here.  

 

 

 

Interior Courtyard view from our 3/F hotel window - it's quiet vs. the street-facing balcony views with rooms in the opposite side.

 

 

Hotel's lobby/reception area required making 3 or 4 steps to go down or come up to exit the building, there is a ramp on the side of the main entrance - usually locked but the staff on duty will open it for you.  

 

 

We came out early for our scheduled 8:30 am pickup in front of our hotel and saw this bus idling & waiting outside - wait, this isn't what they consider a semi-private tour ??  The driver was on his mobile phone chatting ... well, let's wait and see.  Oops, not our van or mini-bus, he apparently got in and drove off.  

 

Minutes later and past 8:30 am, still nothing in sight ... my WhatsApp had no messages or calls, so they must be okay & perhaps running late - patience !!! 

 

 

YAY !! Woohoo !!!  I think this is ours - nice and it looks very comfortable, as good as yesterday's Benz van.  Good, let's get on and see Barcelona ! 

 

 

 

 

Our BDT guide for this half day tour, she's native born, raised, studied, working and live here in Spain her whole life - fun, easy-going and very knowledgeable, with a passion for the city and her work, made us felt at ease and at home. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

2nd batch of pictures - where our "official" semi-private half day BCN City Highlights tour began:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the Sagarada Familia, the largest unfinished Roman Catholic Church in the world, an iconic structure in the city of Barcelona, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Spain for visitors from around the world.  Construction began in 1882 and has been incomplete for over 140 years - latest completion date has been pushed back, partially due to Covid-19 closure delays - to 2026 (hopefully)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

More Barcelona City Highlights - Park Guell with skip the line / tickets purchased ahead on our behalf by the tour.  Tickets were all sold out on a Monday when we visited, still - there were long lines including queues for the restrooms, especially W.C. for women/ladies ... 

 

The Park is beautiful but it is not accessible friendly or easy, wear comfortable walking shoes and anyone with mobility issues should re-consider planning a visit.  Using NCL's shorex scoring/rating scale or system, this would be score either a definite "4" if not a 5 ... typical NCL tours are 1 or 2, some are graded a "3"

 

 

 

 

 

McDonald's, Burger King's, Pizza Huts - all checked ... available in Barcelona.  How about Five Guys ??   Looked, right there by the unfinished church 😁

But, no thanks - not our idea of comfort food.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Park Guell - more pix

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by mking8288

[KY Deb]

Wow!  Great pics!  Looks like you had a wonderful time.  Thanks for posting.  

[alibabacruisers]

Great pictures and thank you very much for sharing!

 

What was the tour group you used please?

[mking8288]

18 hours ago, alibabacruisers said:

Great pictures and thank you very much for sharing!

What was the tour group you used please?

Glad that this is useful & helpful, just paying back and sharing the gifts by others on CC's roll call / forum.  Tour was recommended to us and arranged by Barcelona Day Tours, they have branches & affiliates in other cities - very detailed oriented, responsive and thorough with confirmations, instructions and payment options, etc. - including specifics for pickup location at BCN's cruise ports with 7 ships scheduled on our day of disembarkation ... and it is a huge & busy port, operations that rival a medium sized airports with arrivals & departures (embarkation & disembarkation and port of call visits)   Very reasonable prices, less than what the cruislines would charge for - minus the middle person or agent - personalized & comfortable vehicles, safe drivers, just all around - excellent services & values.  Impossible for us to see all that in 3 to 4 hours, just running around & getting tickets or standing in lines without a reservations, etc. made this 150% worthy of paying for pro services.  

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2634731-barcelona-day-tours-new-thread/?do=getNewComment

 

We just booked the same H10 Casanova hotel for a return visit ahead, 2 rooms at a very good off-season rate, without breakfast as it is inexpensive to eat like locals, around the corners & across the traffic light by the hotel, everywhere plus 24/7 mini markets for water, juice, milk, fruits, snacks, beer & wine, essentials and personal care items, etc.  

[scubamommy!]

Great Pictures! Thanks for sharing! We just booked with Barcelona Day Tour for November. Great to hear you would use them again! TY!