Barcelona on our own?

[Cruisin82009]

We have a full day in Barcelona and are hoping to fit in seeing all of the major attractions. Is this possible to do on our own? I know we specifically are interested in the Barcelona Stadium, Park Guell and La Sagrada Familia. And we'd like to explore Las Ramblas. Thank you in advance!

[as19111]

We have a full day in Barcelona and are hoping to fit in seeing all of the major attractions. Is this possible to do on our own? I know we specifically are interested in the Barcelona Stadium, Park Guell and La Sagrada Familia. And we'd like to explore Las Ramblas. Thank you in advance!

 

Yes, you can do this. At many locations, you can rent a headset and follow along the audio tour. Be aware that at Sagrada Familia, a 50 euro deposit was required to rent a headset. It was returned to you when you returned the headset.

[CoralReef]

Very possible, we did this in May 2009. We were advised to take a cab to the church of La Sagrada Familia first thing in the morning, in order to beat the crowds. This turned out to be good advice.

As we left the terminal building, there was a stall with free maps of Barcelona. We took one, and it was really helpful, with all the attractions and metro stops marked. (Also all the McDonald’s … three guesses who paid for the map.) We waited a few minutes to see if anyone wanted to share a cab, but it seemed that most people getting off the ship were going on tours or to other locations. So we took our own cab. It was metered and the ride to Sagrada Familia turned out to be 18 €.

 

We expected Sagrada Familia to be mildly interesting in a weird way. We were completely blown away by this incredible piece of art and architecture designed by Antonio Gaudì! We spent 2.5 hours there (and were glad we got there early, because the lines were very long when we finished). We especially loved the Passion façade by Josep Maria Subirachs—it was as timelessly weird as Gaudì’s vision, but at the same time completely unique. You can admire the exterior for free with no line, but if you want to go inside, it’s 11 € per person for admission & museum, plus 2.50 € if you want to ride the elevator to the top. The inside of the cathedral is pretty, but still very incomplete and not yet as interesting as the outside. However, the admission charge was worth it for the excellent museum, where we spent a lot of time. The elevator was also worthwhile for the great views and the ability to see the towers up close. There is another line inside for the elevator, but it is helpfully posted with signs to let you estimate how long the wait will be. We also saw this feature at Casa Milà, later than day. If only all tourist attractions had this!

 

Sagrada Familia stoked our appetite for Gaudì, so we entered the metro (the stop is right at the corner of the church) and traveled due west to Diagonal stop, then looked for Casa Milà (aka “La Pedrera” or “The Quarry” for its stony façade). We enjoyed the unique exterior; but alas, the line to get in was more than an hour long, a little before noon. We will have to come back to Barcelona for many reasons, this being one.

 

We got back on the metro and went north to Lesseps stop. From the metro, it was a walk of a bit less than a mile (some of it steeply uphill) to Gaudì’s Parc Güell. There are direction and distance signs to follow once you get a block or so from the metro. The walk was an interesting one, past the city’s shops. We saw some incredible shops filled with all kinds of cured meats, and nearly drooled on the sidewalk going past the pastry shops. Once you get into the park, the walk continues to be steeply uphill, so those with stamina problems might prefer to take a taxi from the metro area to the upper park entrance and work downwards.

 

Parc Güell was beautiful, but the entrance and main areas were a seething mass of humanity! I hadn’t expected so many tourists, since it’s so far north of the other tourist attractions, but it was incredibly crowded. Still well worth a visit. It’s free, and there are snack bars, restrooms (with the longest lines of our whole cruise!), vendors, and buskers. Great views of the city.

 

We metro’d back down south to Passeig de Gràcia, near the start of Las Ramblas, where we looked for Casa Batlló and its two famous neighbors on the “Block of Discord”. No line here, perhaps because all the guidebooks say the interior is not as interesting as Casa Milà’s. We admired the exterior, then switched our mission from architecture to tapas.

 

The first restaurant we saw was Costa Gallega, which was on my Google map ( http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=109587518410179936269.00045c61b654a3 d9c79db&ct=onebox&cd=2&cad=onebox,cid:181840792501 46400597 ) of Internet recommendations from travelers. I heartily second the recommendation! This was one of our best meals of the cruise. The tab was 61.75 € for: 2 Pan con Tomate (3.40 €), 2 waters (4.10 €), 1 pitcher sangria (14.95 €), 1 crab salad (4.80 €), 1 fried mixed seafood (10.35 €), 1 anchoas (5.50 €), 1 fried clams (13.05 €), 1 stuffed pepper (2.10 €), 1 plate txistorra sausages (2.10 €), 1 idiazabal cheese with preserves (1.40 €). All so delicious! Best sangria I’ve ever tasted, and I especially recommend the fried seafood plate. Another reason to come back to Barcelona: now I want to try all the restaurants on the list, and discover new ones!

 

We rambled down Las Ramblas in the general direction of the port, stopping to gawk at flower stalls, buskers, fancy stores, a sex shop with peepshow (yes, you read that right), and La Boquerìa market. At the market, we bought delicious fresh cherries to snack on. The market is a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach, well worth a visit.

We detoured briefly into the Barri Gotìc, where we admired the old buildings and I bought a lovely silk scarf from a sidewalk vendor for 3 € (would have been even cheaper if I’d wanted 3 or more). When we got to the Columbus statue at the bottom of the Ramblas, we knew we could take the port bus back to the ship, but it was a lovely evening, we were still full from our tapas, and we had hours before sailaway, so we walked. It was about two miles, and there were two girls ahead of us also walking to the ship, so it’s certainly not an impossible walk as I’d previously read. Maybe not for everyone, but we enjoyed it.

[mauimary]

Last Oct-we totally did Barcelona on our own--we had several days so we did the Hop on Hop off bus---we also used taxis and we took the train to Monsterrat on our own--all very easy to do. Just do your research so you know what you are interested in--:)

[janchor]

We used a two day HOHO bus pass and found it a great way to get around from place to place in Barcelona. Our hotel was a bit out of the way and there was a stop at the corner so we were always getting on an empty bus. And we bought our tickets on the bus from the young woman conductor.

[Cruisin82009]

Thank you all very much for the wonderful information!

[Got2Cruise]

Definitely get the headsets at Sagrada Familia. We did not need to leave a deposit, we left our I.D. (NYS drivers license), which they file away. We also loved the Picasso museum, we found it fasinating to discover how his style changed over the course, and the reason. We walked everywhere from our hotel on the Ramlas.

[grammy158]

We were in Barcelona in March. We first took the Hop On Hop Off bus with maps and pen in hand to tour the entire city, we stayed on the bus for the whole route, marking our maps with what we wanted to see more of. Then we made a plan and took the subway system to see everything we had marked.

 

It was a perfect way to do it. We were able to get anywhere we needed to go via subway within 15 minutes. My DH and I had never taken ANY kind of public transportation and were a bit leary, but mastered the easy metro system in no time. It was very very safe and immaculately clean. We learned to love it and by day 3 we felt like we lived in that beautiful city. Can't wait to go back.

 

:p

[spaver]

La Sagrada Familia could take all day if you wanted to do it that way. There's a lot to see and it's really amazing. Also Las Ramblas can take a few hours walking up and down it and also going into the marketplace. You can get on the hop on hop off bus and explore at your leisure. We were there in Nov. 2007--doing the Western Med and then Trans Atlantic back to Miami...a wonderful 27 day cruise. We loved Barcelona and are going back in April 2010 and taking a cruise on Royal Caribbean's Splendor of the Seas.

 

There don't seem to be very many postings on Splendor...This Feb we sailed Explorer and there was lots of cruise critic chatter long before the cruise.

 

Enjoy Barcelona.

 

Terry

[janoma]

With all the recommendations of sights to see in Barcelona, I've not seen much mention of the fountain show in the evenings, which I first read about on Trip Adviser. Has anyone incorporated this into their own-your-own tours of Barcelona?

[Sdd_mom]

Going on our first cruise in Sept. I like the idea of taking a hop on and hop off bus. So I am assuming you can take it around town one good time to see everything and then decide what you want to spend the most time at on the 2nd trip around. Justing on and off as you go...right?

 

Can some one explain where I would pick one up or do I need to pre-schedule that? Would they give you a map to help you make notes on for the 2nd time around? If not, how should I plan to get one.?

 

Thanks!! Cindy and Billy

[yooperwoody]

Hello from Michigan. We will be arriving in Barcelona in October via the Carnival Dream and will be there for 1 day. We have 3 things on our list to visit, Las Ramblas, Gothic Quarter and of course La Sagrada Familia. Our first plan was to take the HOHO bus, but now I am wondering if this is all walkable. Can we walk from the port to all of these sites then back to the port? How difficult would it be to find our way?

 

Thanks

[Got2Cruise]

Hello from Michigan. We will be arriving in Barcelona in October via the Carnival Dream and will be there for 1 day. We have 3 things on our list to visit, Las Ramblas, Gothic Quarter and of course La Sagrada Familia. Our first plan was to take the HOHO bus, but now I am wondering if this is all walkable. Can we walk from the port to all of these sites then back to the port? How difficult would it be to find our way?

 

Thanks

 

I would think it would be more cost-effective if you take a cab directly from the ship to La Sagrada Familia (time effective also;)). The line is quite long to enter. You can then take the subway, a cab or walk to the Gothic Quarter and then Las Ramblas. The cost of the HOHO bus is over 20 Euros pp.

[Sdd_mom]

This information is very helpful.. THANKS..

[euro cruiser]

We were there last week and if time is of the essence, don't waste your money on the HOHO bus. It was far too crowded (several buses would pass by full before one would stop and let people on) and the route is too long if you're simply trying to get from point A to point B in a timely fashion.

 

Good advice to cab directly to Sagrada Familia. We were on line before it opened last Wednesday and were about 30th in line. Once the ticket office opened the line moved quickly, but by then it had swelled to well over 100 people. It was very long when we left a couple of hours later.

 

From Sagrada Familia, you can take either the metro, public bus or taxi to Park Guell.

[globetrecker]

Yes, you can do this. At many locations, you can rent a headset and follow along the audio tour. Be aware that at Sagrada Familia, a 50 euro deposit was required to rent a headset. It was returned to you when you returned the headset.

 

I agree you can just use the headsets and buy a guide book for the City.

[lvs]

My husband and I will be in Barcelona on a cruise this month. We don't depart until 11:00 pm. Can anyone recommend a good restaurant near the port so that we can get back to our ship easily after dinner? I know the locals eat very late from a previous visit but I am assuming we could find a restaurant open for dinner around 8 pm.

 

Thanks,

Linda

[luvcdays]

We were there last week and if time is of the essence, don't waste your money on the HOHO bus. It was far too crowded (several buses would pass by full before one would stop and let people on) and the route is too long if you're simply trying to get from point A to point B in a timely fashion.

 

Good advice to cab directly to Sagrada Familia. We were on line before it opened last Wednesday and were about 30th in line. Once the ticket office opened the line moved quickly, but by then it had swelled to well over 100 people. It was very long when we left a couple of hours later.

 

From Sagrada Familia, you can take either the metro, public bus or taxi to Park Guell.

 

Hello,

 

Can you tell me how much the cab was from the ship to La Sagrada Familia? Others have told us 40 - 100 euros. I know this can't be right! Thank you so much.

[Hlitner]

Hello,

 

Can you tell me how much the cab was from the ship to La Sagrada Familia? Others have told us 40 - 100 euros. I know this can't be right! Thank you so much.

 

I suspect that some naive tourists have paid 40 - 100 Euros for that trip. Our experience in Barcelona (after more than a dozen trips) is that some taxis are very honest, will use the meter (this is the law) and will even set the meter to the proper code (#1 during the daytime). The base fare is about 2 Euros plus 1.1 Euro per kilometer plus they also add a 2.10 supplement for picking you up at the cruise port. It is about 6 kilometers (depending on the route) to Sagrada Familia which means the meter should read about 10 Euros for the trip. And this rate is the total for up to 4 people.

 

I might add that we have seen a few different methods used by taxi drivers in Barcelona to cheat tourists. Some will set the meter to the night rate (#2 setting). They also have a button on the meters that lets them add additional fees for luggage and its easy for a driver to push that button a few times without most passengers even noticing. So, when you get in the taxi at the port the meter should read 4.1 Euros (the 2 Euro base plus the 2.1 port supplement). If the supplement is not on the meter than the driver still is entitled to that extra 2.1.

 

If you get a dishonest taxi driver who refuses to use the meter, or will not reset their meter (some will try to leave the fare from the previous trip) simply get out of the taxi and get another one (there are plenty of taxis in Barcelona). Or, if you want to really be ornery you could get a policeman (we did this once when a driver tried to overcharge us on the trip from airport to port).

 

Hank

[luvcdays]

I suspect that some naive tourists have paid 40 - 100 Euros for that trip. Our experience in Barcelona (after more than a dozen trips) is that some taxis are very honest, will use the meter (this is the law) and will even set the meter to the proper code (#1 during the daytime). The base fare is about 2 Euros plus 1.1 Euro per kilometer plus they also add a 2.10 supplement for picking you up at the cruise port. It is about 6 kilometers (depending on the route) to Sagrada Familia which means the meter should read about 10 Euros for the trip. And this rate is the total for up to 4 people.

 

I might add that we have seen a few different methods used by taxi drivers in Barcelona to cheat tourists. Some will set the meter to the night rate (#2 setting). They also have a button on the meters that lets them add additional fees for luggage and its easy for a driver to push that button a few times without most passengers even noticing. So, when you get in the taxi at the port the meter should read 4.1 Euros (the 2 Euro base plus the 2.1 port supplement). If the supplement is not on the meter than the driver still is entitled to that extra 2.1.

 

If you get a dishonest taxi driver who refuses to use the meter, or will not reset their meter (some will try to leave the fare from the previous trip) simply get out of the taxi and get another one (there are plenty of taxis in Barcelona). Or, if you want to really be ornery you could get a policeman (we did this once when a driver tried to overcharge us on the trip from airport to port).

 

Hank

 

Hank,

 

I know everytime I see your name on a post, I need to get out my index cards and make notes. Thank you so much for providing these details. We would never feel pressured to pay more than the trip should cost. That is why we thought that $ amounts others were posting seemed outrageous. We have also heard the some drivers take you on a longer, scenic route, so we will be watching for that also. A taxi driver in Fort Lauderdale tried that one on us and we paid him according to what the fare should have been, since we had taken the direct route before.

 

Thank you for taking the time to help others make their vacations even better. We really appreciate it.

[Cxcelica]

Hi all.

 

I plan on doing Sagrada Familia on the first day that I arrive in Barcelona (for a variety of reasons). Unfortunately by the time I get into the hotel and situated and back out. I would probably not be getting to the Sagrada until 2-3pm. At this point will the lines be so long that it is not worth it? I wouldn't have a problem waiting 20-30 minutes, but I figure it would be time prohibitive to wait an hour plus just to get in?

 

Thanks