Mini review of Barcelona with pictures

We recently sailed aboard the Legend of the Seas on a transatlantic cruise from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale. [Oct 30 to Nov 12] I learned a lot from reading Cruise Critic before we left.

However, it was hard to locate specific information about the various port cities. Most posts asked about hotels, Segrada Familia tickets and getting around the city. So I am doing a mini review [with lots of pictures] for each port to pay back. I will try to address those questions, too.

I have reviewed the entire voyage at this link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/newthread.php?do=postthread&f=83

[if you are interested]

Barcelona was not really a port off call, but, it felt like one to us.

We arrived in Barcelona aboard a United Airlines flight from Baltimore, MD via Newark, NJ around 7 am on Monday. It was sunny and warm. The weather report called for 79°. It seemed most of our fellow cruisers took overnight flights, too. You arrive tired, but, we were pretty excited to be in Europe for the first time and we were ready to start sight-seeing.

The customs/immigration check-in process was very easy. We stood in line for maybe 15 mins. [For citizens of an EU country they scanned their own passport on a machine and they were off—very efficient—like the self check out at the supermarket] One unusual thing was that we went through customs before we got our luggage. On past cruises [in other countries] we have collected our luggage at the airport before we went through customs.

Sorry no pics in this frame--but, they are coming up.:)

The customs/immigration check-in process was very easy. We were headed to the city by 8:10 am. We took a taxi from the airport to our Bed & Breakfast [Marina View] about a block from the Columbus statue at the foot of Las Ramblas. The taxi fare was 28 € + tip.

We had purchased 2 day-tickets online [10% discount] for the Barcelona City Tours Hop On/Hop Off Bus. It is a RED double-decker bus. The other HOHO bus is called the Bus Touristic. It is a BLUE bus and has a large eye as a logo. We picked the RED bus because some CC members said the BLUE bus had longer lines and some buses arrived full. We noticed this to be true at the Placa Catalunya and the Guadi sites.

We had decided we would ride the 2 routes [east and west] to get our bearings the first day and make stops the second. We were afraid we would be too tired for anything else. If I had this to do over I would have gotten off the bus to see Montjuic—just to be more efficient.

We headed to the city by 8:10 am. We took a taxi from the airport to our Bed & Breakfast [Marina View] about a block from the Columbus statue at the foot of Las Ramblas. I took about 25 mins. We loved the location, the view and the great continental breakfasts. This is a picture of a postcard of the port area and the Columbus statue. The proprietor, Paddy—an Irish expat, sent us a picture of a Picasso painting of the statue that is said to have been painted from the Marina View building. [but, not our room LOL]

Here is the link to the painting:

http://www.bcn.cat/museupicasso/en/collection/mpb110-028.html

The taxi fare was 28 € + tip. The taxi was small and we would not have been able to get any more luggage in than ours. I do not see how 2 couples could share. There may be a larger taxi but there were none at the stand when we were there. Make sure you have a written copy of your hotel/destination address to give the taxi driver; ours spoke little English. You can take the public Aerobus [6 € per person] from the airport to Placa Catalunya if your hotel is near there or you can handle your luggage on the metro. We did not want to do this and felt the cost of the taxi was well worth the convenience.

I will say a few things about taxi fares here. Note the poster below. Taxi fares are set by the city. There is a surcharge for entering/leaving the airport and the cruise port. [4.20€] So, a trip from the airport to the ship will be whatever is on the meter plus 8.2 €. [i would guess around 32-35 €] There is also a surcharge for pick-ups before 8 am and after 8pm.

We dropped off our luggage at the B & B and headed out to see the sights. [since our room was still occupied by the previous tenant.

We had purchased 2 day-tickets online [10% discount] for the Barcelona City Tours Hop On/Hop Off Bus. It is a RED double-decker bus. It is operated by a private company. The other HOHO bus is called the Bus Touristic and city owned. It is a BLUE bus and has a large eye as a logo. They run similar routes through the city. We picked the red bus because some CC members said the Blue bus had longer lines and some buses arrived full. [it is city owned and heavily advertised] We noticed this to be true at the Placa Catalunya and the Guadi sites.

We never had a problem getting onto a bus and would use the RED bus again. The price is the same for both bus companies and both have prerecorded commentary in a variety of language. You plug in headsets [which they provide]and select your language. I felt the commentary was pretty good.

We had decided we would ride the 2 routes [east and west] to get our bearings the first day and make stops the second. We were afraid we would be too tired for anything else. First we picked up the west route at the Columbus statue [stop 3] and rode around to the Placa Cataluyna where the 2 routes both begin.

[if I had this to do over I would have gotten off the bus to see Montjuic—just to be more efficient. It is the fifth stop on the west route. After we visited there, at the end of our second day, we had to ride around for over an hour to get back to Placa Catalunya—a boring ride in the dark]

Before we switched to the east route, we walked down 2 blocks on Las Ramblas to the La Boqueria (Saint Joseph Market). It is set back a little bit from the main street. Look for the Dunkin Doughnuts shop . . it is just beside there.  La Boqueria is the oldest and most famous of the city markets. It was crowded, loud, a little dirty and there were only a few tables. . . but, it was a fun place to visit.

We were hungry and looking for lunch. Spaniards do not eat lunch until mid-afternoon, so we found breakfast/brunch type foods for sale. We bought sliced watermelon, ham and cheese turnovers [think hot pockets] and a fresh squeezed strawberry kiwi juice. It was a great light lunch for 10 € for the 2 of us.

Before we re-boarded the bus we visited the Corte Ingles. It is a nice, very large department store on the Placa Catalunya. We saw these stores in all of our ports. It must be the Macy’s of Spain. — more importantly they had a public restroom.

We had made arrangements to meet the manager of our B & B to get our keys and we wanted to take a nap. We knew if we completed the entire second route we would be late. So, we exited the bus at the Segrada Familia stop and walked about 10 blocks to the La Pedrara stop to catch the other route back to the Columbus statue. [this shortened the trip by at least 30 minutes—including the walk] While we questioned the wisdom of our decision at the time [we were beyond exhausted] it gave us a good chance to walk through the Eixample area and see the city at the street level. We saw many small cafes and shops—and we got to see the modern are of Barcelona.

After a 3 hour nap we were ready to go again. We walked through the web of streets of the Gothic Quarter. The streets are very narrow and it is like walking down a tunnel. This is a real jumble. The streets go off at odd angles and some just stop. Occasionally you will come across a small square. There are many restaurants, markets and souvenir stores.

We decided to eat at the Pasta Bar. It was recommended by a fellow CC member in a previous review of Barcelona. The food was excellent and very reasonable. DH and I each had “the special.” [a salad, bread, choice of a pasta and a soft drink for 10 €]

Here is a small map of its location in the Gothic Quarter

After dinner we returned to our B & B to call it a night. The view was even better at night.

This is looking out to the Barceloneta beach area.

This is looking at the Maremagnum shopping and restaurant complex on the waterfront.

Day 2 of our Barcelona visit started off gray and gloomy and got worse. But hey, there was no time to waste. You cannot change the weather.

We had purchased Segrada Familia tickets online before we left home for 11am. [19.3€ each for the Cathedral and one tower visit]. So, we got on the RED bus at 9am at the first stop. It took us an hour and 20 minutes to get there. It was an interesting ride and it helped us to hear the commentary a second time. I felt like I knew what I was looking at. Once we arrived at the cathedral we saw the long line for tickets. A fellow cruiser asked a guard how long the wait would be. She was told at least 1.5 hours—so, they did not stay. We were able to go directly to the gate and enter the church. It was spectacular. I think Gaudi’s Nativity facade is the most beautiful. It is certainly the most ornate. The passion facade seems stark in comparison.

Nativity Façade:

Passion façade:

This is a shot from inside. I was not able to get very good pictures from inside.

We got in line to ride the elevator to the top of the tower. [the elevator only holds 6 people.]They are strict on the time. You can tell why when you get to the top. It is very close quarters. There are a few places to look out at the top. . . but, mostly you climb down the stone steps and look out at the window cut into the façade.

Gaudi used elements of nature to decorate the Segrada Familia. There is a small museum that gives good detail of this. You see these elements as you walk down the stairs. Note the spires are top by plants. [you can only see these close up if you go up the tower.]

I have read the question about which tower to see. The Nativity tower is the tallest—so we picked that one. Please note this tower does not allow you to ride down on the elevator. YOU MUST WALK THE STAIRS. The Passion tower had an elevator you could use both ways.

Here are some pictures of the view from the top of the Nativity Tower.

This is the park adjacent to the Segrada Familia

By this time we were hungry and noticed a Subway across the street. There were several fast food restaurants nearby [including McDonald’s]. We used a coupon provided by the RED bus. We had 2 foot longs, 2 cookies and 2 drinks for 15 €. We ate in the park adjacent to the cathedral. [picture above]. I know it seems crazy to eat at Subway in Spain—but, we did not want to waste time. By this time the gloomy sky had turned to drizzle.

We got back on the bus and went to Park Guell, another Gaudi site. It was planned housing development that was never built out. [only the 2 buildings at the entry] It is a brisk walk uphill from the bus drop off point. I took us about 15-20 minutes. We stopped off the see a church on the way. [really just to catch our breath before we continued climbing]

The city began selling timed tickets for the Park Guell on October 25. [we visited on Oct 28, arrg!] They are 7€ online and 8€ at the gates. I did not buy these in advance because I was not sure how long we would take to see the Segrada Familia and walk from the bus stop. This was a mistake. We waited in line 40 mins to get tickets and it was raining pretty hard by this time. I think on a better day it would have been longer. My advise [for what it is worth] would be buy tickets for Park Guell for 2 hrs or 2.5 hours after your Segrada Familia tickets. The tickets provide a half hour window—so they give you some wiggle room.

This is part of the mosaic bench that goes all around the top of the park

These rainy day pictures do not do the Park justice.

Pics of Park Guell

Another Park Guell

This is an overview of the main park entrance.

Enjoying your review and the photos.

Keith

Great info, enjoying your review. We will be in Barcelona on Nov 24 before a TA on Serenade. I pre-purchased our tickets for Sagrada Familia (10am-11am)and Park Gruell (2:30pm). We planned on catching the Red HOHO at 9am at the Columbus Monument for our ride to Sagrada Familia. If it takes 1hr and 20 min do you think we will be cutting it too close and should take the Metro? Our tickets are to go inside but not the towers.(I have bad knees and get a bit claustrophobic in tight places) We were going to get a taxi to Park Guell. I hope I chose times that will work , don't want to miss either place !:confused:

Great info, enjoying your review. We will be in Barcelona on Nov 24 before a TA on Serenade. I pre-purchased our tickets for Sagrada Familia (10am-11am)and Park Gruell (2:30pm). We planned on catching the Red HOHO at 9am at the Columbus Monument for our ride to Sagrada Familia. If it takes 1hr and 20 min do you think we will be cutting it too close and should take the Metro? Our tickets are to go inside but not the towers.(I have bad knees and get a bit claustrophobic in tight places) We were going to get a taxi to Park Guell. I hope I chose times that will work , don't want to miss either place !:confused:

No--your plan is perfect. The HOHO bus that leaves at 9am will get you there in plenty of time. You can look at the inside of the church before and after the tower. Depending on how quickly you explore the church you may have time to burn before you are able to get into Parlk Guell.

You will finish with the Segrada Familia at lunch time. If you walk a block or so there are many restaurants nearby. There is much less near the park.

Have a great trip.

Thank you for these mini reviews. My wife and I are thinking about a Spanish cruise on the NCL Spirit, and your reviews are very helpful.

Do you think it would be a good idea to bring kids (8 & 5) to the Sagrada Familia? Do you know the ticket price for kids? Thanks.

"Dragon of the Seas"...I've planned a day and 1/2 stay in Barcelona prior to a Med. trip on the Epic. We will be on our own in this city. I've been looking into every tour company's itinerary however, your review has basically planned our sight seeing excursion for us. ( taxi costs from airport, prior ticket purchases, travel times, even in distinguishing the different HOHO busses. That is were I was uncertain if being on our own was going to work). I cannot thank you enough for this valuable post!! :D

Can't waite for more :)

Thank you for these mini reviews. My wife and I are thinking about a Spanish cruise on the NCL Spirit, and your reviews are very helpful.

 

Do you think it would be a good idea to bring kids (8 & 5) to the Sagrada Familia? Do you know the ticket price for kids? Thanks.

Both of your children would be free. But, the 5 year old could not go up in the tower. The large park across the street is a good place to run off some energy. The main floor of the basilica is one large open area. They ask for you to be quiet. [but, I did not feel it was particularly quiet in the church]

This is from the Segrada Familia website. Here is their guidance. [translated so the spelling is a little off]

“Tickets for children under 11 years old are free but must be purchased at the same time as the adults ones. Childs must hold and access with their own tickets.

Climbing the Towers

• You can visit either the towers of the Nativity Façade (55 m height) or those of the Passion Façade (75 m height).

• The climb is by lift and descent on foot. The height is the equivalent of a building of between 20 and 25 storeys, almost 400 steps. The stairways are spiral and narrow.

• The visit to the towers is made in the time period reserved, which appears at the entrance. Not turning up at the selected time will meaning losing the right to the visit.

• The towers will remain closed for reasons of safety, when the weather conditions are adverse due to rain or wind.

• For safety reasons, wheelchairs, prams, elderly people with reduced mobility, pregnant women or people with vertigo, anaemia, a tendency to faint, claustrophobia, heart problems, respiratory problems, etc. cannot climb the towers.

• Children aged under 6 cannot visit the towers and until the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult."

Here is the link for more information:

http://www.ticketmaster.es/nav/en/mucho_mas/barcelona/basilica_de_la_sagrada_familia_08su/visita_torres/entradas.html?canalMB=SGF

"Dragon of the Seas"...I've planned a day and 1/2 stay in Barcelona prior to a Med. trip on the Epic. We will be on our own in this city. I've been looking into every tour company's itinerary however, your review has basically planned our sight seeing excursion for us. ( taxi costs from airport, prior ticket purchases, travel times, even in distinguishing the different HOHO busses. That is were I was uncertain if being on our own was going to work). I cannot thank you enough for this valuable post!! :D

I am glad to help. I included these things because they were the items I needed to know. I could not find out all of them and had to go on faith a couple of times. I think the city is very easy to do on your own. We did not use the metro or tram. but, they are both very reliable.

Back at the Placa Catalunya we switched bus routes and went to Mountjuic. This is a large city park on a hill on the western edge of downtown. It was the site of many of the Barcelona Olympic venues. I took this picture of the diving venue because of the medal winners came from our hometown, Fredericksburg, VA. We wanted to go into the stadium where the opening and closing ceremonies took place—but, after our castle visit it was too late.

So, we bought ticket for the funicular to take us to the castle at the top of Mountjuic. Happily it stopped raining. The views of Barcelona were good even through the clouds.

There were very nice gardens around the castle and a group of people were having an archery competition.

OK—I forgot to add these to the last posting.

By this time it was getting dark and we wanted to get back to Las Ramblas to have dinner.

We passed the old Bull Fight ring. Bull fighting is banned in Cataluna and they have turned this into an upscale shopping venue. It was a popular stop, but I am not much of a shopper.

We stopped at a restaurant on Las Ramblas that was having a tapas special. [there were several offering the same deal] We got 6 tapas to share [their choice] and either pizza or paella and a small dessert for 10€ per person. Drinks were extra and that is where they get you. My DH soda was 7€ and my Sangria was 9€.

On Las Ramblas

We walked for a short time on Las Ramblas and we bought our wine to take onboard. Then time to call it a night. It was the end of day 2 in Barcelona.

Welcome to day 3 in Barcelona and the day we embark on our cruise. [yeah!!] But, we cannot waste the morning.

We knew we would not have any transportation on our last morning in Barcelona. So, we saved touring the Gothic Cathedral --Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, [known as La Seu]—for embarkation day since it was in walking distance. Also, there is no admission fee in the morning [6 € in the pm]. Make sure you dress appropriately for this visit. We saw a young girl in shorts crying because they would not let her enter. They also, stopped a woman in a short skirt.

Pic of the Old Post Office building on the way to the Cathedral:

Next we passed several sections of the old city wall.

The Cathedral is beautiful

The garden of the Cloister is of particular interest. Notice the geese.

Across from the cathedral is St Catherine’s market. It is the second oldest in the city. It is not as bustling at La Boqueria, but much cleaner and less crowded. It is on the site of an old convent and they were excavating part of the site.

Our last stop in Barcelona was Santa Maria del Mar –a 14th century church about 5 blocks from the Cathedral. [free] We had trouble finding it, even with a map. It was beautiful in its own way. But, it seemed very plain after the Segrada Familia and the Gothic Cathedral.

We walked back to the B & B and took a taxi to the port. [10€ included the tip] We could have walked to the port shuttle which was only a couple of blocks. The shuttle is 2.5 € per person. However, we had 3 pieces of luggage and a tote bag. The taxi dropped us off right at the terminal.

Here is a map of the port. The Legend of the Seas was at Terminal B

A couple more city shots I took from the ship.

We had a wonderful 2.5 days in Barcelona. We want to go back and see the things we missed.

I hope your trip is as nice as ours. Bon voyage!

Thank you for such a detailed review. I am going solo next June and have 2.5 days on my own in Barcelona. You've cleared up several questions I had.

Sent from my KFJWI using Forums mobile app

Thank you for this great review of Barcelona. We are more excited now than ever for our upcoming visit in May!

Dolfans from Miami

Thank you for such a detailed review. I am going solo next June and have 2.5 days on my own in Barcelona. You've cleared up several questions I had.

 

Sent from my KFJWI using Forums mobile app

Thank you for this great review of Barcelona. We are more excited now than ever for our upcoming visit in May!

 

 

Dolfans from Miami

I am glad to help. I got most of my information before my trip from CC. :)

I was waiting to hear how your trip was. We are leaving next week! Thanks for posting all the info, especially the taxi stuff.