Barcelona taxis

[tropicalkerry2002]

Hi,

When our TA ends in Barcelona, we are staying on board for the following cruise, but want to get a taxi to Sagrada Familia.

 

Will there be plenty of taxis for all the disembarking people and us, or would it be better to prebook?

 

Any thoughts appreciated!

[sitraveler]

No need to prebook- you can beat the end cruise passengers off the ship. Investigate joining the church, it avoids any lines and for seniors its about the same price as tickets. There were several threads on the ports of call board.

[canuck.qc]

Hi,

When our TA ends in Barcelona, we are staying on board for the following cruise, but want to get a taxi to Sagrada Familia.

 

Will there be plenty of taxis for all the disembarking people and us, or would it be better to prebook?

 

Any thoughts appreciated!

There are plenty of taxis at the dock.

Always better to prebook skip the line tickets.

There is a HOHO bus that could be an option to do after your visit.

[ronrick1943]

We didn't prebook here, just got off the ship and into a taxi and on are way to the hotel.

Took no time at all.

 

Rick

[Lane412000]

There are a number of taxis, but unless you speak Spanish, you may want to brush up to provide the driver instructions on where you want to go, or have the name and address written down to give to the driver.

 

When we landed in BCN and wanted to get to the cruise ship, it was funny as we had to draw a large ship on a scratch piece of paper after 10 minutes of trying to communicate we wanted to head to the ship terminal. :)

[tropicalkerry2002]

We'll just walk off and get a taxi!

[canuck.qc]

There are plenty of taxis at the dock.

Always better to prebook skip the line tickets.

There is a HOHO bus that could be an option to do after your visit.

There is no problems to get a taxi, and your destination is very clear. The pre booking would be for the SagradaFamilia. When we visited, there was a substantial line up. If there is hot or unfavorable weather you don't want to wait..we were there early Oct and on that day it was windy & rainy:(

[TKS]

Can't speak about taxis from the ship to Sagrada Familia, but definitely pre-book tickets to see the church. We've been there three times, and two of the three the lines were long.

 

Barcelona is a vibrant and wonderful city. Enjoy!

[tropicalkerry2002]

I knew you meant to prebook the SF tickets...I just hope to be able to get off the ship and taxi there in time for the 1000 English tour. The tickets still aren't for sale for April...will keep checking!

We have been to Barcelona, and SF twice before...the first time in Oct(no lineup) and in Nov( had a guide for a BCN tour, and we just walked in)

I can't wait to see it again, it os SO amazing!

[no fuss travel]

There was a lineup, very civilized for catching a taxi at the ship terminal. They keep coming and it moved very quickly. I think we had maybe a 15 minute wait or a little less for a taxi once we were in the lineup (queue)

[tropicalkerry2002]

I know it's not too far, so if off ship at 0900, I'm sure we'd be there by 1000.

Tour is at 1015.

[mbpaul]

Funny story about Barcelona taxis. We got of the ship in Barcelona a couple of years ago and hailed a taxi to take us to our hotel. It was only a mile or less away but a taxi was absolutely necessary since our son is a wheelchair. All the way to the hotel, the driver grumbled to himself in Spanish about not having enough of a fare to make money. He wanted a fare to the airport. Little did he know that my wife speaks Spanish. You should have heard the earful he got from my wife when we got to the hotel! That's all he got. No tip, just what was on the meter and we did not want to even give him that.

[CintiPam]

Plenty of taxis always at the ship terminal, but you definitely will want to pre-book the SF when available. The lines there are horrendous (and no fun in the hot sun).

[sitraveler]

It's not a tour, but joining the church gives immediate access and entrance up the towers. We got tickets for both towers within 1 hour of our arrival. If the weather is bad, the towers are closed.

[Pet Nit Noy]

No need to prebook- you can beat the end cruise passengers off the ship. Investigate joining the church, it avoids any lines and for seniors its about the same price as tickets.

 

"Joining the church" is another way of saying becoming a friend of the church. This used to be a popular strategy for folks wishing to get into the basilica without waiting in line. However, the basilica closed a loophole: it is no longer possible for anyone other than residents to purchase family membership. This restriction does not seem to apply to becoming a friend as an individual but the price to become a friend is much higher.

 

Joining as an individual costs 36 Euros per year while the price of admission to the basilica including an audio-guides (or group guided tour) only costs just over 19 Euros. (Price of a ticket including access to the Tower costs more.) The cost of joining as a retiree is 20 Euros. Although the web site does not say so, I believe this option has also been closed to anyone other than residents or, at least, EU residents.

 

Bottom line: There's no need to become a Friend simply for easier admission.

 

Here's the link to the web site for in-advance purchases:

http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/docs_serveis/infoTarifesInd.php

Edited March 17, 2014 by Pet Nit Noy

[Mura]

Seniors who are not Spanish citizens can still get the membership. We bought ours this fall and it worked like a charm.

 

Just be sure to have your passport with you when you seek to enter! We had left ours at our hotel and it was only by begging and pleading that they let us in.

 

In fact, the cashier told us that these days you should always have your passport with you. I don't know if a photocopy will suffice.

 

Mura

[Pet Nit Noy]

Seniors who are not Spanish citizens can still get the membership. We bought ours this fall and it worked like a charm.

 

Good to know. However, I still don't see the appeal of a membership unless the buyer plans on visiting Barcelona additional times within the year of membership AND doesn't care about an Audio/live guide.

 

The stated benefits includes unlimited admission and a 50% discount on the price of an Audio/live guide. For one-time visitors who want the benefit of explanation, "Friends of" status doesn't seem to be a winning proposition. The cost of single admission plus audio/live guide is essentially the same price as a senior Friends membership.

 

Your mileage may vary.

Edited March 17, 2014 by Pet Nit Noy

[Mura]

I can understand that, but our membership cost was just about the same as the admission cost, and the audio guides were relatively inexpensive. Plus the membership gives you admission to some other places. (As I recall we paid around €20.) Plus it's a jump the line ticket which is an advantage at Sagrada Familia.

 

It's not something like buying a membership to the UK's National Trust and only having time to go to one facility.

 

Mura

[Pet Nit Noy]

I can understand that, but our membership cost was just about the same as the admission cost, and the audio guides were relatively inexpensive. Plus the membership gives you admission to some other places. (As I recall we paid around €20.) Plus it's a jump the line ticket which is an advantage at Sagrada Familia.

 

I sure hope that no one who is reading a Cruise Critic forum -- either a cruise line forum or a port of call forum -- plans on buying a ticket the day of his/her visit. Visitors can buy timed tickets in advance at the Sagrada's own web site. No waiting in line that way either.

 

Folks have no need to arrive until their entry window begins and then, they simply show their tickets to enter. Very efficient. Very civilized in spite of the crowds ringing the basilica.

[Pearl64]

Agree with Mura and the other posters who recommended getting the Sagrada Familia Friends. It cost us 20€ with the senior discount. We had a short time in Barcelona and felt our time was money. It was money well spent-- no lines plus we were able to go up the towers as well. When you add the cost of the towers and the audio guide, it was not that much more. But, you do have to be 65 or older. We took the bus from our hotel which was near the Cathedral. That worked well. Our hotel told us exactly how to do it. Fairly simple.

 

Enjoy Sagrada Familia. It was worth every penny.

 

Pearl

[Mura]

I sure hope that no one who is reading a Cruise Critic forum -- either a cruise line forum or a port of call forum -- plans on buying a ticket the day of his/her visit. Visitors can buy timed tickets in advance at the Sagrada's own web site. No waiting in line that way either.

 

Folks have no need to arrive until their entry window begins and then, they simply show their tickets to enter. Very efficient. Very civilized in spite of the crowds ringing the basilica.

 

It's not my intent to try to convince you to get something you don't think you need. But I do think that you shouldn't assume that CC readers are all aware about buying tix in advance. (The odds are assuredly better that they are more aware than the average non-CC reader is, I admit.)

 

Our first time at SG was in November 2005 -- we had no reservations and just walked right in. When we wanted to pay a return visit in 2010 we were shocked to find a humongous line. And it wasn't even a nice day as I recall. (We didn't know at that time that there were at least 5 ships in port which may well have been the difference, or perhaps things had just changed in those 5 years.) On our first visit very little had been finished inside the church.

 

When I checked on jump the line tix on this past trip I was shocked at the prices. Again, my fault because I think I just looked at Viator which of course is much more than contacting the SG directly. But when I heard about the same time that we could join for less money, we figured it was well worth it.

 

The funny thing was that my ticket cost more than my husband's. His credit card for some reason didn't approve the charge when I tried to get ours at the same time and so we ended up buying his the next day ... when exchange rates were slightly better for the dollar.

 

I tried to order a LondonPass for the two of us recently and they decided my credit card didn't pass muster. I don't know why because MasterCard accepted the charge. But when they sent my refund, I made a dollar or two on the transaction.

 

Mura

[Pet Nit Noy]

It's not my intent to try to convince you to get something you don't think you need. But I do think that you shouldn't assume that CC readers are all aware about buying tix in advance. (The odds are assuredly better that they are more aware than the average non-CC reader is, I admit.)

 

I didn't even remotely didn't think you were trying to convince me to buy something. After all, I've been to the Basilica already and know the ropes. I'm simply pointing out that you've set up a false basis for comparison. Visitors face more options than Join-the-Basilica or Wait-on-line-the-day-of-entry.

 

That's why we have Cruise Critic -- to share helpful information. That's why I've been persistent in trying to update now-outdated information.

 

One last time: Visitors trying to save both time and money should visit the Basilica's own web site. (URL below) There, you'll be offered a choice of tickets: basilica alone, basilica with audio guide, basilica + towers, basilica + towers with audio guide, Gaudi museum in Parc Guell, or, finally, Basilica + Gaudi museum.

 

Click on the type ticket you'd like and you'll be vectored to a Ticketmaster site. There, you'll be able to select your day of entry. Once you click on the day, the screen will ask you the number of tickets you wish to buy. Enter that number, click continue, and you'll be asked the time you'd like to visit. Here you'll see a drop down menu with hour-long bands of access. (Your ticket will let you enter any time within that window. Once inside you'll be able to stay as long as you want.)

 

Next, you'll be asked to choose the category of visitor. Here, the choice gets somewhat more complicated. Although the rest of the web site is in English, the categories are written in Catalan. Jublilat is the category most of us will pick. (Using logic but no Catalan fluency, the other options appear to be 10-18 years, under 10 years, students, handicapped, and holiday.) Friends of the Basilica (Amics de Temple) is also offered but you'll only be able to purchase one ticket at a time using this web site. I've provided another link farther down my post.

 

Finish making the choices on this page and your total will be displayed. There will be inevitable Ticketmaster fees on this purchase. I didn't go farther on the web site because I've taken time to accurately write this post and I timed out on the Ticketmaster site.

 

From having bought online before, I recall being offered two options for picking up the tickets. We chose to print out the tickets using the hotel's computer. (The other option involves picking up the tickets from a machine dispenser at a particular Catalan bank's automated ticket machine. I don't know if the machine offers English option.)

 

We brought our printed admission reservation to the correct ticket window and got admitted. (Note: There are separate entry kiosks for folks with Audio-guides and for folks with Guided tours.)

 

English language Ticket URL:

http://visit.sagradafamilia.cat/?lang=en#tickets

 

People who are at least 65 years old may want to become a Friend of the Basilica. Here's the link to a page which explains the benefits: http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/docs_serveis/amicsInfo.php

[robbie21]

WOW!

 

That is a really complete and useful reply. I am sure that your advise will be extremely helpful to the OP and many others.

 

Not to be a contrarian but when we visited Barcelona, pre cruise, in May 2012 we took a taxi to the Basilica around 3 PM. There were perhaps 30 tour busses parked around the garden and the guides were busily herding their groups back into the busses. We walked directly up to the ticket booth and directly into the Basilica. It was a lovely experience.

 

The next day we went to the Gaudi house arriving just before they opened (10AM?). There were about 20-30 people ahead of us in line. The line moved rapidly and, of course, the place was not crowded for an hour or so. When we left the line was around the block.

 

My point is, if you have the time in the city you can time it you can visit these places in the "off" hours without dealing with the inevitable massive crowds of tourists you find in prime time. If you can avoid the mob you will find the experience to be far superior.

 

Best of luck and enjoy!:)

[winegirl]

Another option is to use the Hop On Hop Off tour bus. We were in Barcelona for just a day before our Oceania cruise. We bought a day pass for the HOHO bus to tour the city. Stopped for several hours at Sagrada Familia and I don't recall any waiting to buy a ticket. We had enough time to stop at some of the other Gaudi buildings and Parc Guell, which is lovely and not to be missed. The bus also went further out into the city so we saw some sights we would not have seen otherwise. If your time is limited, this is a nice option to get an overview with stops are places of particular interest to you.

[AWED23]

Thanks for all of the great information!