Barcelona Travel Forum

Hi there - we disembark from our cruise early in the morning and will fly out the following morning so we have one full day in Barcelona...

What are the must-sees???
Any suggestions for a clean, safe, budget accomm close to the cruise docks and convenient for the airport transfer in the morning??

There is tons on here but some of it is dated!!
Any help appreciated!!

Cheers!
Walshauna

Hi. In September we cruised from Barcelona around the Med and returned there for the flight home. Given the choice again I would stay longer at the beginning or end of the cruise as there is so much to see in Barcelona. We took the option of a city tour/airport transfer offered by our cruise line. It was not very satisfactory as we were not given the time to properly enjoy the attractive and interesting highlights of the tour. On the night before our cruise departed we stayed in Hotel Hesperia del Port which is on the Ave Parallel. This road actually runs parallel to Las Rambla right down to the port area - although as it really is too far to walk all the way to the cruise terminal with all your baggage you will probably need a cab.

As for the transfer from Barcelona to the airport you can take a cab which is about 30 Euros I think, or you could get the airport shuttle from Place Catalunya which is much more economical.

Whilst at the airport there are plenty of shopping opportunities as you would expect. If you want food, give the ground floor eateries a miss and head down to the far left of the ground floor (Terminal A) there you will find stairs and a small lift to go to a couple of restaurants upstairs. One is a proper restaurant with waiter service etc - the other which is mainly used by airport crew offers an all you can eat buffet for just under 21 euros. The food is freshly cooked, great choice and excellent value.

Hope this is of help - and enjoy your cruise.

Kind Regards
Helen

must sees...
I think that Sagrada Familia is number 1
then other Gaudi's works (Casa Batllo, Casa Mila) inEixample district
and Old Town ...
pls see tourist routes suggested by the city transport website.
http://www.tmb.cat/en_US/turistes/rutesinteres/rutesinteres.jsp
and Bus Turistic
http://tiny.pl/6bgc
http://bcnshop.barcelonaturisme.com/Barcelona-Bus-Turistic/_vf-SMlY1yItM-U_l9RgLJoJPG-BcW4K5Nh9zolHzbfE_3bIBi9uXxeYypqHsbbrdY1KXVZYhHgXWn9kx1dacDfIGDfdnPOon

HiH
:)

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/6b44c/430de/1/ - Read my tip

Must-sees? As always, my first response is: "what are you interested in?" In general, a half-day pass on the Bus Turistic might be your best bet (Google it). Look up these other things to see if they interest you: Parc Guell, El Palau de la Musica, Barri Gotic, the Cathedral, Bascilica Santa Maria del Mar. You might also include a stroll through the Gracia neighborhood or a walk down Rambla Catalunya or Passeig de Gracia. It's true; there is a lot to see there. I wouldn't spend my precious available meal times on airport food, though. Lot's of good options in town.

Yes I do think the same about "must sees".... it depends on your likes and interests. I've been living in Barcelona during nearly 7 years by now, and I've not seen some places that are "must sees" for many (and I have no intention to visit, at last on purpose)... and I love some places others may find boring or indifferent.

If you want to do a quick overview of the city, you can have a look at my tip
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/42b95/430de/4/
(sorry for the shameless plug!)

WOW thank you all for your great tips - lots of reading and research.

As you have all pointed out - It looks like such a beautiful city, so much so that we have added a day there before our cruise!!

Now, Where to stay? We want to be in the central area, convenient to the port but within our budget. Can you guys recommend a reasonably priced accomm? A lot of what I have found is super expensive. We will be traveling a bit through the south of Spain & Morocco beforehand so we need to conserve our funds for the cruise too :)

Lots on here and out there.. much of it is dated.

Any help/suggestions appreciated.
Thanks!
Walshaun

When asking about "reasonably-priced accommodations" it is good to give a price range you are interested in, in euros.

I suppose so huh? We ended up booking into the Praktik Hotel down by the sea... under 100 euro... so that is reasonable! Hopefully it's nice! I have written many of your points of interest down in my journal... the bus might be a good idea for the first day... thanks!

The hotel we booked in Algeciras Spain however looks rather questionable... haha

Thank you guys for all the tips.
4 more sleeps to Madrid!

Best,
Walshaun