Needs advise - DIY Barcelona Oct 2012

[holiday07]

We will be staying near the Parallel metro stop and have half-day to explore some sights before the cruise. We will be also staying 1 more day in Barcelona after the cruise in the same hotel.

 

Are there any must see in Barcelona that we can do on our own using the metro? We are also thinking of going for half a day to Monserrat after the cruise -- can we do this on our own?

 

We are thinking of seeing the magic fountain at night and but can't decide on exploring Montjuic mountain or Parc Guell before the cruise..

 

Thank you.

[Cornishpastyman1]

We will be staying near the Parallel metro stop and have half-day to explore some sights before the cruise. We will be also staying 1 more day in Barcelona after the cruise in the same hotel.

 

Are there any must see in Barcelona that we can do on our own using the metro? We are also thinking of going for half a day to Monserrat after the cruise -- can we do this on our own?

 

We are thinking of seeing the magic fountain at night and but can't decide on exploring Montjuic mountain or Parc Guell before the cruise..

 

Thank you.

 

I suppose it all depends on what you call 'must see'. From my day there I did these things, which are all very easy to do by metro :

 

Gothic Quarter and Columbus Column

 

La Sagrada Familia

 

Parc Guell

 

All the best, Tony

[holiday07]

Thank you, Tony. Which metro stop is the closest to Parc Guell entrance - is it Vallcarca? Apparently there is a #24 bus also that stops near our hotel, I was just wondering which is the better to take the bus or the metro? What is the closest metro stop for Sagrada Familia?

 

We are trying to plan the 4-hours we have before boarding the ship. Does the Parc Guell open early on Saturday -- Would it be better to explore Las Ramblas or Gothic quarter before the cruise? Or is it possible to do both?

[MeHeartCruising]

According to the Parc Guell official website, the recommended metro stop to use is Lesseps. It is a fair distance walk to the Parc entrance from there and it is uphill for some of it. Personally, I would recommend taking a taxi directly to the gate especially if you are trying to do it in a 4 hour window before your cruise. Also note, that according to the website, the Parc does not open until 10:00 am (every day). Having been to both Parc Guell and Montjuic, I would recommend Parc Guell if you need to pick one or the other. http://www.parkguell.es/en/info.php

[Chloe1500]

Parc Guell: We took the Lessops Metro stop and walked up the hill to Parc Guell. It is a long walk up, but we wanted the exercise and wanted to come into the main entrance. It's a fun place to hang out, have a snack, listen to the street musicians and tour the Gaudi house. If you are constrained by time, use the taxi back. They are numerous at the main entrance.

 

La Sagrada Familia: Take the La Sagrada Familia Metro stop, which is directly across the street from the gift shop exit. Buy tickets online in advance and save time not standing in line.

 

Montjuic: It is not really a mountain but one of the two hills overlooking the rest of the city. It is probably lower on most people's must-see list, but has outstanding viewpoints, a beautiful botanical garden, Montjuic Castle, the cable car from the world's fair, the Spanish Village, the Olympic stadium, Miro Museum, and the National Museum with the Magic Fountains in front. You can take the funicular up and down the hill (covered by metro pass). We stayed here before a cruise and found it to be much cooler and quieter but not in the middle of everything else.

 

If you want to spend an easy couple of hours, you can also just wander the shops and little streets in the Gothic Quarter, visit the Cathedral, stroll along Las Ramblas and visit the Boqueria.

[Cornishpastyman1]

Thank you, Tony. Which metro stop is the closest to Parc Guell entrance - is it Vallcarca? Apparently there is a #24 bus also that stops near our hotel, I was just wondering which is the better to take the bus or the metro? What is the closest metro stop for Sagrada Familia?

 

We are trying to plan the 4-hours we have before boarding the ship. Does the Parc Guell open early on Saturday -- Would it be better to explore Las Ramblas or Gothic quarter before the cruise? Or is it possible to do both?

 

The others have given much better and more authoritative advice than I ever could. I had a pleasant but longish walk from what must have been Lesseps, and entered the Parc from the top, as shown at the beginning of that video. And I left by the bottom gate so it was a shorter walk back to the metro, and downhill. Entrance to Gaudi's house in the Parc is not free (€5 ?) and it is slightly cheaper if you buy your ticket for it as part of your Sagrada Familia ticket.

 

Assuming you are not burdened by luggage you could potter about Las Ramblas and the Gothic Quarter before your cruise but it won't really take 4 hours to do that. The metro station near the bottom of La Rambla is called Drassanes and is about 50 yards from where the Port Guell-ship shuttle starts (€3 return). You are probably well advised to buy a T10 ticket which gives 10 rides on the metro, bus and also from the city centre to the airport. The rides are transferable so 5 people can have 2 rides etc.

[calliopecruiser]

I don't know what you consider a "must see", but in my opinion you can do all of Barcelona on a DIY basis with a T10 card for the metro and buses. I particularly like Montjuic, and highly recommend the Joan Miro and MNAC art museums there.

[BostonGirl88]

Hello,

Reading from the previous posts, I also have a few questions too, My hotel is near the Plaza Catalunya. Please help.

*1st day arrive in Barcelona about 8am, I will take a walking tour with Runner Bean to La Sagrada Familia from Las Rambras about 11am, will purchase advance ticket for the 2pm and also plan to go up to the tower too.

*Day after the cruise, I will take an excursion 1/2 day tour to the Monserrat in the morning, and join the city walking tour with Runner Bean at 4pm, which will end at 8pm.

*Fly back home very early morning.

**Please tell me, how I am going to include these sites into my visit, the Parc Guell, Columbus with elevator ride, and magic fountain. For 2 persons, How many T10 should I buy, one each or share? And one very important thing is I love to eat too, need some paella and tapas. :)

**Thanks for all suggestion I shall receive. :)

[Cornishpastyman1]

Hello,

For 2 persons, How many T10 should I buy, one each or share? And one very important thing is I love to eat too, need some paella and tapas. :)

**Thanks for all suggestion I shall receive. :)

Just buy one to start with, which will give you 5 rides each, and if you need more rides work out if it's worth buying another. It probably will be as the T10 costs €9.25 and will save you the trouble of buying individual tickets for each journey as well as being much cheaper. A normal single journey ticket costs €2.00 so with a T10 you'll save €10.75 (assuming you want to do 10 journeys)

 

I still had 3 rides left on mine at the end of the day and gave it to a stranger as I exited Drassanes metro and returned to the ship.

[luckybecky]

Holiday, we just returned from this area a few weeks ago. We did Barcelona on our own both before and after our cruise. It is easy to DIY and easy to get around.

 

As for the magic fountain, be aware that it is only in operation from Thursday through Sunday. Unfortunately, we were in Barcelona at the beginning of the week so we were not able to see the fountains, but I hear they are fabulous.

 

It's hard to say what the top spots are. It depends on what you like. We are very interested in art, so we really liked the MNAC museum in the Montjuic area. Parc Guell was also very nice. You can just spend time wandering in the Las Ramblas and Gothic Quarter areas. La Sagrada Familia is of course a top tourist attraction and very beautiful.

 

BostonGirl, it sounds like you have already planned a lot for your time in Barcelona. To answer your question about the T10, just buy one pass. You can share it with however many companions you have. When you go through the turnstile, just hand the ticket to the next person in your group. If you run out of rides, then just buy another ticket when you need it.

 

There is a fantastic tapas bar near Plaza Catalunya at the top of the Ramblas called Ciudad Condal. Check it out on Tripadvisor, it is rated #12 out of over 3600 restaurants in Barcelona. We ate there twice.

 

I put a lot of details about our time in Barcelona in my Breeze review, which you can find at the link below if you are interested.

 

Have fun!

[suncityga]

I still had 3 rides left on mine at the end of the day and gave it to a stranger as I exited Drassanes metro and returned to the ship.

 

How did you 'return to the ship' from the Drassanes Metro Station? Are there different options?

 

Thank you :)

[Cornishpastyman1]

How did you 'return to the ship' from the Drassanes Metro Station? Are there different options?

 

Thank you :)

I walked the 50 yards to Port Guell/underneath the Columbus monument/bottom of La Rambla where the very regular blue shuttle bus (€3 pp return) leaves to take you to the ship port terminal. The bit about the monument in that first video in post 2 shows the general area where the bus drops you and leaves from.

[4774Papa]

We will be staying near the Parallel metro stop and have half-day to explore some sights before the cruise. We will be also staying 1 more day in Barcelona after the cruise in the same hotel.

 

Are there any must see in Barcelona that we can do on our own using the metro? We are also thinking of going for half a day to Monserrat after the cruise -- can we do this on our own?

 

We are thinking of seeing the magic fountain at night and but can't decide on exploring Montjuic mountain or Parc Guell before the cruise..

 

Thank you.

Monserrat is a full day, I don't recommend going there unless you have seen Barcelona. If you do Monserrat, don't buy a tour, take the early train from Placa Espana.

 

We stayed at a hotel near the Diagonal Metro (Hotel Astoria) on our first visit to Barcelona and found it easy to get around the city.

I do suggest taking a half day tour, since going DTY takes more time and you don't have a local guide to fill you in on the history, etc.

 

Make sure you go to Sangrada Familia and the other Gaudi sights. Also, go inside Sangrada Familia. The Bari Gothic area can be seen on foot in a half day.

 

Make sure your get some good tapas.

[suncityga]

I walked the 50 yards to Port Guell/underneath the Columbus monument/bottom of La Rambla where the very regular blue shuttle bus (€3 pp return) leaves to take you to the ship port terminal. The bit about the monument in that first video in post 2 shows the general area where the bus drops you and leaves from.

 

Thank you ! ! !