Barcelona - June / July 2013 - some general questions

[nzdisneymom]

Hi all. We are so excited to be doing back-to-back cruises from Barcelona next summer. We will have 1 1/2 days pre-cruise and 1 day post-cruise to spend in this beautiful city. We were there in 2007 but so exhausted that the little bit of time we had to sight-see, we spent nodding off on the upper deck of one of the HOHO buses.

 

So this time we're arriving earlier so we'll have time to rest a bit before heading out for the afternoon plus we'll have a whole day in addition pre-cruise and we're staying an extra day afterwards. We enjoy using HOHO buses in other cities and from our experience in Barcelona, this was a good way for us to see some of the major sites. But I read somewhere that you should check to see how busy the city will be in terms of cruise ships in port because that influx of passengers can affect the ability to actually get on the HOHOs at some stops. Could someone point us to where we can find out what ships will be in port on our pre-cruise days? (Thanks!)

 

Our thought is to HOHO for the two days we're there pre-cruise but save things that are within walking distance of our hotel (we're at the Renaissance Barcelona on Pau Claris both going and coming) for our post-cruise stay. Our one "must do" is the Sagrada Familia and I saw we can pre-purchase tickets so we will need to decide if we want to do that on the day we arrive or the following day. How much time should we allow for the visit there? And how much wiggle room is there for the arrival time window? My concern about booking it for our arrival day is that when we went in 2007, our flight was delayed and we arrived at noon when we were supposed to have arrived at 9 a.m. By the time we got to the hotel and situated, it was well after 3 p.m. before we could head out. Also, would you recommend an early visit time (before noon) or later in the day (like after 4 p.m.)?

 

While we are interested in trying local food / restaurants, we were also thinking that we might shop at a local market / grocery store for some of our meals. Would you recommend having lunch at a restaurant, or dinner? I know at home that dinner is more expensive than lunch - would we find that we got a good sense of the "flavor of Barcelona" with a lunch vs. a dinner? We are traveling with two teenage boys who will always be hungry :)

 

Thanks for your input / experience / advice / suggestions!

[nzdisneymom]

Hoping someone might be able to offer ideas????

[6rugrats]

It just seems wise, if you are pre-purchasing tickets to buy them for the day after you arrive. I would probably go early. Try taking your sons to a Tapas bar; they can try lots of different things.

 

I personally don't care for the HOHO bus. I think they are really expensive, though I understand why they are popular. I'd rather save my money, because you can hire a guide for what four tickets cost.

 

Since no one answered your question before, why not go to the Barcelona forum on tripadvisor.com? You can read restaurant reviews, look at things to do etc., then ask questions there.

[English_in_Spain]

Firstly, I don’t think which ships or the number of cruise passengers will make a lot of difference in June/July. The city will be busy with tourists whether on cruise ships or not.

 

There is a post about HoHo buses here

 

What is within walking distance is different for different people. How far do you consider walking distance?

 

There is a good market on Las Ramblas called La Boqueria. You can buy fresh food there or eat at one of the cafes where you sit up at the bar to eat.

 

You will probably find lunch cheaper than dinner. You are more likely to find fixed price menus at lunchtime. Also, bear in mind that dinner in Spain is very late.

 

[nzdisneymom]

Thanks for the replies and ideas.

[calliopecruiser]

I second the recommendation for la Boqueria for shopping or a meal (breakfast or lunch). I tried several different restaurants for breakfast, and each was good -- but the restaurants there are more counter restaurants than sit-down-with-waiters restaurants.

 

Dinner in Spain is very late - after 10 pm or so. Personally, I could never wait that late and occasionally went to restaurants that opened at 9 or 9:30pm, but there were very few people there that "early". I tended to eat my main meal at lunch instead, then would have a snack in the evening.

[nzdisneymom]

We are back from our B2B cruises and our pre- and post-cruise stays in Barcelona. Thought I would report back on what we did in Barcelona.

 

We arrived at 8:30 AM and were at the hotel by 9:30 AM but our room wasn't ready until after 2 PM. We had HOHO (Bus Turistic) tickets for arrival day and the following day, so we headed out with a plan - our plan was to ride the Bus's red route as far as Montjuic where we would then take their cable car to the castle/fort, and then from there, head towards La Ramblas where we had identified a restaurant we wanted to try (Pasta Bar - found it on TripAdvisor and it was perfect for us). Being in the sun and air was good for us for the morning / early afternoon. The Bus Turistic has free wifi, too.

 

 

 

 

After a late lunch, we returned to the bus route and to the hotel where we were able to finally get in and get showers and a rest. Later in the afternoon, DH and I went exploring around our hotel which was just off Passieg de Gracia (sp?) - we had plans to go to the Magic Fountains with some friends the next night by way of the metro, so we wanted to figure that out as well. A t10 card was just under 10-euro for 10 rides rather than 2-euro per ride per person, so we went ahead and got our card then for the next night. We also found a grocery market for drinks and snacks for the rooms.

 

The following morning we took the BT blue route to Sagrada Familia. We had an 11:00 arrival window on our pre-purchased tickets and were there about 10:30. We found where to go in and the man said come back at 10:45 so we had plenty of time to walk around the block to take photos - and be glad we weren't stuck in the line around the building.

 

 

Afterwards we continued the blue route until we returned to our hotel. I can't remember what we did for lunch that day, but for dinner we just got sandwiches at Subway before meeting our friends for the Magic Fountains.

 

 

When we returned to Barcelona post-cruise, we had a day to fill before our rooms were ready. So we walked to La Ramblas just to have a look around. While there, we went into a square just a block off and there were walking tours gathering that leave at 11:00 - I have a brochure from them that if I remember, I'll come back and post any info from it - they were free tours, green umbrellas and vests. They also do them at 4:30 PM - I thought about coming back for one later that day but just didn't get there.

[fuddrules]

Thanks NZ

 

How was the Renaissance? We are staying there next month.

 

Did you fly in/out of BCN? If so, how was it as for as getting in/out?

 

Transfers from BCN to the Hotel? Transfers from Ship to the Hotel? We have 7 of us so from airport to Hotel, as of now, we have a private transfer.

 

If all goes as planned, we'll probably arrive at Renaissance around 11 am so we'll have some time to spare. They told me they would hold our bags until we return to check-in.

 

Did you visit la Boqueria?

 

Thank you

[nzdisneymom]

Thanks NZ

 

How was the Renaissance? We are staying there next month.

 

Did you fly in/out of BCN? If so, how was it as for as getting in/out?

 

Transfers from BCN to the Hotel? Transfers from Ship to the Hotel? We have 7 of us so from airport to Hotel, as of now, we have a private transfer.

 

If all goes as planned, we'll probably arrive at Renaissance around 11 am so we'll have some time to spare. They told me they would hold our bags until we return to check-in.

 

Did you visit la Boqueria?

 

Thank you

 

We liked the Renaissance but if you arrive As part of a group you may encounter issues with getting your luggage stored. We found they were ill equipped for group arrivals. We used Cruise line transportation from BCN to the hotel So there were several of us who arrived at the same time. Our luggage was collected in the lobby and then broke off but they never took it to store behind closed doors. It was literally left in the lobby until we were able to check in after 2 PM. When we stayed here after our cruise we asked them to move our luggage behind the counter or put away in their storage room which they finally did after the cruise line people got involved.

 

The rooms were clean and comfortable and not too small. We had a standard with a queen bed and also another room with two twin beds. If you want ice you have to call for room service to bring it to you or you can get some from the bar in the lobby. They have a terrace on the eighth floor which has a bar with some limited food service in the evenings. It has a nice view and is a good place to just relax in the evening. There is not a swimming pool but there is a fountain on the top that looks like a wading pool. They have some sun loungers that you can use during the day.

 

The lobby has free Wi-Fi and there is Wi-Fi available in the rooms. We had our reservation through the Chrislin so Wi-Fi was included for us but usually there is a charge in the Rooms. They have a full buffet breakfast that was really good and was also included with our room rate.

 

The hotel is ideally situated for getting around Barcelona. It is just a block from the metro line. It is a very short walk to la Ramblas. There are several restaurants in the immediate area. There is a grocery store a few blocks away and a small convenience store like place within a block where you can pick up drinks and snacks.

 

I think a private transfer is the best way to get from the airport to the hotel. Although there are reports that getting a larger minivan at the airport was not a problem among the groups of people we talked to on our cruise. Personally I would prefer to have it all arranged when there are that many people and that much luggage arriving at one time. We used to cruise line transportation to get to the ship on the morning of our departure. It took about 20 minutes to get from the hotel to the cruise terminal. We left on a Saturday morning. The Cruise terminal is very easy to navigate.

 

If you have specific questions about the Renaissance please let me know And I will try to answer them. Sorry about the weird capitalization but I am using the voice thing on my iPad So every time I take a breath or remove my finger from the microphone button it wants to put a period.

[brownie9]

We want to walk Las Ramblas in Barcelona but don't think we can make it up and then back down. Thinking of taking a taxi up and walking back. Can anyone tell me a good starting point or a good cross road to start? We have no idea where to tell the taxi to drop us. Any suggestions?

 

Diane

Brownie9

[DragonOfTheSeas]

The Pasta Bar sounds like a good place to eat. We are staying in a B & B 1.5 blocks from the Columbus statue. [on the waterfront street that runs by the marina]. It looks close to that location. Do you think it is?

 

You say you had a late lunch. Was that really an early dinner? I read that many restaurants close from 2-5 or so.

 

We plan to take the red HOHO bus because they are the same price and they seem to be less crowded.

 

Any other bits of information? Thanks so much.

[nzdisneymom]

The Pasta Bar is a short walk from the Columbus statue. We ate around 1:30, they don't close for the afternoon. Google them for location information. If you are at the bottom of la Ramblas, walking up, you will turn on a side narrow street that it is on... The street is on the right side, and then you go four very short blocks and it is on the left.

 

http://pastabar.com.es/en is the link. 47 Escudellers is the address.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187497-d1811077-Reviews-Pasta_Bar-Barcelona_Catalonia.html is the TripAdvisor link and it has a map.