cc_rider

In April we had an apartment a half block from the Sagrada Familia. We were on the top floor (fifth), street side. Separate bedroom with big comfortable bed, well equipped kitchen with washer/dryer. Step onto the balcony, look right and there is the Passion facade of the S.F. Great location. Metro is on the corner.

The street could be busy, but the windows are well insulated and we were high enough that we had no noise problem. The owner/manager also runs the restaurant on the ground floor (Singular), so he is easy to contact.

Recommend it highly. There is an excellent pinxos style tapas bar across the street, Aitor.

SF Apartments - Carrer de Sardenya, 321 +34 620.235.769 info@privaobcn.com

We booked through hotels.com at a very good rate.

Barcelona's subway is modern, easy to use, and seems perfectly safe at night.

P. de Catalunya and P. d'Espagna are only a few stops apart on the same line. Makes no sense not to use the metro.

We did exactly that on our second last night in B'lona, around 10 and 11 pm. One thing to watch for. We had been to the fountain during the day and saw it running, but the night we went the fountain was off. No light show. Don't know if it was because it was early May on a Wednesday night, or if the fountain had been on earlier in the evening and we missed it. You should check on line to see if there is a schedule.

If you tell the taxi driver "Parc Guell", they will take you to the main entrance of the monumental area. If you want a different park entrance, you'll have to specify.

....I have very mixed feelings about Naples. There is so much so see in the area, and it's an interesting city, but it certainly isn't easy on the eye. I always think that just a small amount of effort and a bit of litter picking would make so much difference....

Naples turned out to be to favorite port stop of the entire cruise. We were more interested in Baroque churches than Roman ruins, so we spent the day in the city. Loved it. Reminded me of Lower East Side New York, so I felt at home. Visited 7 churches and the Santa Chiara convent, and just wandered between the spaccanapoli and the Tribunali. Saw the laundry hanging from the balconies of the Spanish quarter Bought fresh babas and ate them in an anonymous courtyard while listening to "Ode to Joy" being played as part of a piano lesson from a room above. Saw the waiters dash about the streets, delivering food and drinks, putting it in buckets lowered from apartments above, then collecting their fee when the bucket is lowered again. Watched the military drilling on a piazza in front Baroque plague column, and children playing in one of the only treed spaces in the old city at the other end of the same piazza. Even manage to discretely crash a funeral at one of the churches.

Wanted to go up to St Elmo, but by the time we got to the

Piazza Dante an unexpected thunderstorm was rolling in. Heavy rain started as we were in the line to get back on board.

Thanks. Thinking of going over there one evening, have dinner, and see the Magic Fountain. Only two days and so much to see.

We saw the fountain during the day. When we went again at night on May 4, a Wednesday, it wasn't lit and wasn't running. Waste of a trip when we could have done something else. You might want to confirm their schedule.

The Arenas has restaurants with nice views from the top level. We had a very good lunch at Quinto Quinta.

on the first day, just walk around as Barcelona is a walkable city.

head to Las Ramblas and stroll down that road with everyone else.

drop in to the La Boqueria market which is there (pick up some fruit salad or snack on some jamon/ham).

you could visit the Barcelona Cathedral - free entry and very beautiful.

Walking along Las Ramblas was one of the least favorite things we did. Too many walkers and gawkers and “tourists.” I was wanting a set of big bolt cutters to snip off all of the selfie sticks blocking our way.

Every chance we had we slipped into the side streets of El Raval and the Bario. Even when these streets were busy is was a much nicer place to be than on las Ramblas

The Boqueria was interesting, but too crowded going up the middle. The rear and sides were less crowded, but had many closed stalls.

The cathedral is a good place to. It is free at some times and charges a fee at others. I also visited Santa Anna which is one of the older churches in the Bario Gotic.

Does the T-10 work for the funicular at Montjuic?

It's good for the funicular, but not the teleferic (sky car) that gets you to the top of the mountain. That was 12 euro r/t but I thought that the views and experience were mostly worth it. Paying to get into the castle was questionable, since there is not much in there. However the views from the top are very good.

One of the public buses, the 150, is supposed to go to the top. You could use the funicular and bus to go up to the castle and walk down through the gardens.

The above link gets you to the “official” way of getting into town. The cruse companies want you to pay for their shuttles. The city want you to take public transit (tricky to get to) or a taxi (someone on another post said it cost them over 40 euros). They don’t tell you about free shuttle provided by the port.

Follow the green line on the paved walk to the white tent. Shuttle takes 10 to 15 minutes since it uses the port’s internal roads instead of the highway. In April when we were there only one bus was running, so it was 30+ minutes for the loop. The in-town stop is a ways from the Old Port. 15 to 20 minutes walk, but flat unless you go up through the Panier. The Panier is worth a visit, as are Cathédrale La Major (you’ll see it as you walk to the port) and Notre Dame de la Garde (highest point in town, recommend the public bus and that you catch it before it goes through the old port since it fills up.)

Here’s a CC post that goes into detail. Skip to the end to get the latest info from last month.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1861134&page=5

We were in Barcelona a few days before the cruise last month. Got the unlimited transit pass. Seemed simpler. Soon realized that the system is so easy to use, we would have come out ahead if we had just bought T-10's. One person goes through, then passes it back to the next person. Works on subway, tram or bus.

For the couple days after the cruise we used a T-10. On our last day we had a four trips left over. At breakfast, we struck up a conversation with a couple from Canada who had arrived the day before and gave them the T-10 to use.

.... A final question -- is this your first visit to Barcelona. If so, do you really want to spend half of your only full day there visiting Montserrat? Because you won't be doing justice to Barcelona in four hours... Just a thought....

Agree. A half day for each Barcelona and Montserrat, is not enough for either. Last month we spent 4 full days pre-cruise and 2 days post-cruise in Barcelona, and is was not nearly enough time.

We normally don't do hop-on-hop-off buses, but we did use it in B'lona post-cruise to save our feet. Saw Casa Batllo in the morning, then did both loops of the gray line hoho (the all red buses) with a long stop at Montjuic to see the castle and Miro Museum.

For S.F., definitely get tickets in advance, and the earlier in the day the better. Our pre-cruise apartment was a half block from the S.F. We could see the lines everyday and they were crazy long from late morning on. Go with the self-guided with audio so you have flexibility. You can see the interior without the towers in an hour, another half hour for the outside. A morning visit on the day you board should work if you can store your luggage at the hotel. We did something similar visiting Parc Guell. Taxi to the park, 2 hours visit, taxi back to pick up luggage, taxi to the ship and we were on board by 1:00.

I take it that you've never been to Barcelona before. Where is the walking tour that you plan to take, and where are you staying? What kind of things are you interested in?

If your walking tour is in the Bario, I'd probably visit the Eixample on the other day, and vice versa. I've got walk suggestions for both.

If you like museums, there are some good ones. Catalan Art is impressive for both the collection and the view.

Most people go to the Sagrada Familia. Barcelona's metro system is very good and easy to use.

Also the hop-on-hop-off buses are a good way to see a lot of the city. We don't normally do hoho's but when we were there a few weeks ago we decided to save our feet, parked ourselves on the upper deck and just enjoyed the view. Did both of the gray line loops (the red buses, not the light blue sides) in half a day, with a long stop on Montjuic for the castle and Joan Miro museum.

And no service fee if you are a customer, which I am.

I exchanged pounds from our last trip to GB to dollars, then those dollars and more to euros at a good rate and no fee.

Wells Fargo has a pretty decent rate and you pay a very small service fee for not being a customer. You must bring cash. I usually get most of my euros there beforehand. Most banks have a daily limit on ATM withdrawals, mine is $500. I have a couple of big payments right off the bat. I also am afraid of some issue with my bank so I would rather pay a little more and have some in hand. Wells was the best rate I found.

Didn't visit La Pedrera. For the Parc Guell monumental area (the part you need tickets for), you can do a lighting quick run in under an hour, but to enjoy it you'll need 1 1/2 to 2 hours. More if you want to see the upper park or the Gaudi house museum.

Unless you visiting P.G. at opening time, you'll need tickets. The website shows how many tickets are available for each time slot. We bought ours the night before because the 9 am slot was starting to fill up. We were there late April and morning seemed to be a good time. The light was very good. We visited the park on Sunday morning before boarding our ship, so we took a taxi each way to save time. After seeing the climb to the park I'm glad we did the taxi.

Instead of La Pedrera, we went to Casa Batllo. An amazing place. Outside is richly detailed. Most of the building is available to wander through. They give you a smartphone audio guide, and if you hold it up around the room it shows you how it looked with the original intended furnishing. The rest of the block is also interesting. We had 9:30 am tickets, so the crowds weren't bad. Spent over an hour there. The building faces east, so it is best to see the outside in the morning.

Our pre-cruise apartment was a half block from the S.F. Our balcony looked out at the Passion facade. Spent a lot of time taking pictures of the outside, in all kinds of weather and all hours of the day (and night). Sat and ate our breakfast in the park in front of it twice. We had 9 am tickets to go inside, which was good since we avoided the big crowds that start around 10:30 or so. It was also the only really rainy day of our whole trip, so the towers were closed. Inside was beautiful. We did the self-guided visit with the audio guide (well worth the extra). The crypt is worth a visit, but has limited hours.

http://www.spainisculture.com/en/monumentos/barcelona/cripta_de_la_basilica_de_la_sagrada_familia.html

Other Gaudi, attractions

Casa Vicens

Casa Calvet

Palau Guell

Bellesgarde

How much time would you say you need at La Pedrera and Park Guell?

Should we be buying tickets in advance and is there a good time of day or night to go?

 

Would love to hear your experiences at each.

We already have tickets for Sagrada Familia as well as the tower.

 

Are there other Gaudi attractions that are a must see?

We were in Barcelona mid-April and early May. For a week pre-cruise we had an apartment a half block from the Sagrada. Loved the neighborhood and the apartment was great. SF Apartments, booked through Hotels.com.

Post-cruise we stayed at the Hotel Lleo for 3 nights. Don't think it is as fancy as the Hotel Jazz, but it worked out well, and the price we good at around 110,00 (booked early, non-refundable)

Only issue was that the Carrer de Pelai and Ronda de la Unversitat, like that Ramblas, are very busy and very touristy. Now that I know the area, I wouldn't want to stay on the main streets, and especially not on the Ramblas. I'd rather stay a couple block into El Raval, which we had great fun exploring. Would probably consider Hotel Ciutat Vella or Hotel Reding. Saw them both from the outside and I liked the look of them. That part of El Raval felt safe, even very early in the morning (after midnight)

We flew out of BNC to JFK on Delta, May 6, midday. Check-in was quick and we went though security/passport control with just a short wait.

One caution about El Prat. While T1 has some very good services, they are mostly on the land side. We arrived more than two hour early, and made the mistake of going through security and then looking for a place to eat and to spend leftover euros. Air side only had two mostly identical duty free shops, two mostly identical quick-food sandwich shops, and a McDonald's. We could look down on all of the shops and eateries on the lower level, but they were on the other side of passport control so we cold not get to them.

Last month (April 2016) we were staying at an apartment near the Sagrada. Taxi, four pieces of luggage, from BCN to the apartment was around 38 euros with tip. From the apartment to the cruise port, directly to the ship, was 20 with tip. I expect it will be a bit less to/from the Placa de Cat.

Instead of the Ramblas (west edge of the Bario Gotic) the Hoho buses go down the Via Laietana, (east edge). Good for visiting both the Bario and for El Born.

Can't comment on the ones on your list, but four weeks ago we stayed at the Hotel Lleo for 3 nights post-cruise. Worked out well.

Only issue was that the Carrer de Pelai and Ronda de la Unversitat, like that Ramblas, are very busy and very touristy. Now that I know the neighborhood, I'd rather stay a couple block into El Raval. Would probably consider Hotel Ciutat Vella or Hotel Reding. Saw them both from the outside and I liked the look of them.

Last month we took a taxi from BCN to our apartment near the Sagrada Familia. Two people, with two large and two medium bags. Cost was around 36 euros. We just took the first on in the cue.

We were there last month. Passion towers were closed (construction work, maybe) so only Nativity towers were available. The morning of out tickets there was rain and high wind, so the towers were closed.

If you don't mind the walk down, I'd pick the Nativity towers. They're the one that Gaudi supervised, and I think it has the skybridge between the towers.

When we disembarked from the Epic (May 1) there were plenty of taxis. We had no wait.

Did you recall if taxi's were readily available at the port in Barcelona? Since we embark in Rome, Barcelona is just stop for us and we will be heading to Sagrada Familia in the AM. We are hoping to take a taxi from the port.

We were in Naples on April 26. Loved it. Walked off the ship and just wandered around the town. First we went to the Duomo and things around it, then wandered along the Spaccanapoli and the side streets of the old city. Stopped in at several churches, but the best were San Gregorio Armeno, San Domenic Maggiore and Jesu Nuovo. Also visited Santa Chiara: church, cloister and museum. Wandered the Spanish quarter and returned to the port by the Via Toledo. With a little more time and less sore feet, I would have taken the funicular up to San Martino for the views across the bay.

Loved watching the street life, being in it and part of it for a while. The bustle of the Via Vecchia and Via Tribunali, the quiet of Santa Chiara, the smell of the laundry on the balconies of the Spanish quarter, eating fresh sfogliatella in a courtyard while listening to a piano lesson coming from the windows above. I want to go back to Naples someday.

Note - the churches seem to close at 2:00, so I planned to see them early in the day.

We just got back from Barcelona last week. Stayed 5 nights pre-cruise in an apartment near the Sagada Familia. Three nights post-cruise at the Hotel Lleo on Carrer de Pelai. Busy street, but not as busy as Las Ramblas. Hotel is close to Pl. de Catalunya, Las Ramblas, Universitat metro, and El Raval. We generally avoided Las Ramblas and would slip into El Raval to get anywhere. Easy taxi trip to/from the cruise port, or if you don't have much luggage you can take the metro.

edit - Also the airport bus stop is at the Pl. de Catalunya, two blocks away.

You might also want to look at places in El Raval. Quieter and more interesting than being on Las Ramblas.

I suppose if you're carrying a gun, you could shoot anyone wearing 1 glove. Bit rough on people with a skin complaint ...

Or lost a glove.

We don't drink much, don't plan to use the spa, will be doing our own excursions. Already have the SDP, might pick up premium coffee, might order room service and might gamble a (very) little bit. I expect that the amount I deposit in the on board account will cover all or most expenses.

Is there any advantage to purchasing on board credit to apply to the account? Or is it better to just leave the on board expense to the credit card?