Port Day in Barcelona

[dancecj]

My husband, 15 yr. old son, and I will be in Barcelona with Liberty of the Seas on 8/3/14. We embark on 7/31 in Rome. So while the vast majority of cruisers are getting on the ship, we have the day to visit the city. My question, how easy is it to spend the day doing sights on our own, or is it worth it for us do a tour ( already researched and priced)? We can go on a semi private with Barcelona Day Tours for 59 euros each. We are conscious of deciding where to spend the extra money for private tours. Here is the info they sent us...

 

The price of the small-group tour includes transportation, petrol, toll roads, parking, driver-guide or driver and guide, and all taxes. The price does not include the discounted tickets to Park Guell which we will buy in advance for you if you wish to join the group for the visit inside the park (5 Euros per ticket or 15 Euros for the 3 of you - cheaper than at the gate).

 

During the tour we will visit all the main attractions of Barcelona (including La Sagrada Familia, Montjuic, National Palace, inside Park Guell, and more) and you will have time to explore and take photos.

[Hlitner]

Whether you need a tour depends on you. But Barcelona is quite easy to do on your own and instead of spending 177 Euros (about $250) plus tips you can do it all for a lot less. It makes sense to invest in a decent tour book (we love the Rick Steves book) and then you are off. You can buy a Metro T-10 ticket for about 10.30 Euros which covers the cost of 10 Metro rides. This single ticket can be shared so you basically would get 3 trips on the Metro (for your party of 3) pretty cheap. We like the T-10 (only buy it for Zone 1) better then the more expensive day passes. You can duplicate the tour, if you please, of perhaps vary your itinerary based on what your family wants....and how things go. You might find you want to spend more time walking around the Ramblas and Gothic Quarter, or perhaps you might like more time in Park Guell. It is not difficult as long as you do a little pre trip homework and some "travel sense." The money you save over your tour will easily pay for a nice lunch (or perhaps dinner) for the family.

 

Hank

[mskaufman]

You can also think about using the HOHO bus. One thing I like about the HOHO bus is that you see things as you go from place to place.

[RollieUK]

What time do you arrive and what time do you have to be back on board? What you can do depends on how many hours you have.

 

Personally, I would not take a tour in Barcelona. As Hank says it is very easy to do on your own and reasonably cheaply. Even taking taxis from place to place would be cheaper than a tour for 3 people.

 

One thing to think about with tours is whether you get to go inside places like Sagrada Familia or just see the outside.

 

Have a look at these two websites to get a few ideas

 

http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/

 

http://www.barcelonayellow.com/

[4774Papa]

My husband, 15 yr. old son, and I will be in Barcelona with Liberty of the Seas on 8/3/14. We embark on 7/31 in Rome. So while the vast majority of cruisers are getting on the ship, we have the day to visit the city. My question, how easy is it to spend the day doing sights on our own, or is it worth it for us do a tour ( already researched and priced)? We can go on a semi private with Barcelona Day Tours for 59 euros each. We are conscious of deciding where to spend the extra money for private tours. Here is the info they sent us...

 

The price of the small-group tour includes transportation, petrol, toll roads, parking, driver-guide or driver and guide, and all taxes. The price does not include the discounted tickets to Park Guell which we will buy in advance for you if you wish to join the group for the visit inside the park (5 Euros per ticket or 15 Euros for the 3 of you - cheaper than at the gate).

 

During the tour we will visit all the main attractions of Barcelona (including La Sagrada Familia, Montjuic, National Palace, inside Park Guell, and more) and you will have time to explore and take photos.

We did a four hour tour with Barcelona Day Tours that was great. We had four persons and our luggage was kept in the van. It was a great solution as to how to visit Barcelona before we could check in to our hotel.

 

If you are pushed for time, do the tour. You can do Barcelona on your own, using the HoHo bus, walk or METRO, but it takes more time. Park Guell is a bid out of the way, so having a tour guide take you there is nice. Also, BDT took us to see the other Gaudi houses that you would not see on your own. Note, you won't be able to go inside Sagrada Familia on the tour, but we went back and were glad we did see the inside.

[Pet Nit Noy]

My husband, 15 yr. old son, and I will be in Barcelona with Liberty of the Seas on 8/3/14. We embark on 7/31 in Rome. So while the vast majority of cruisers are getting on the ship, we have the day to visit the city. My question, how easy is it to spend the day doing sights on our own, or is it worth it for us do a tour ( already researched and priced)? We can go on a semi private with Barcelona Day Tours for 59 euros each. We are conscious of deciding where to spend the extra money for private tours. Here is the info they sent us...

 

The price of the small-group tour includes transportation, petrol, toll roads, parking, driver-guide or driver and guide, and all taxes. The price does not include the discounted tickets to Park Guell which we will buy in advance for you if you wish to join the group for the visit inside the park (5 Euros per ticket or 15 Euros for the 3 of you - cheaper than at the gate).

 

During the tour we will visit all the main attractions of Barcelona (including La Sagrada Familia, Montjuic, National Palace, inside Park Guell, and more) and you will have time to explore and take photos.

 

I really enjoy good tours. I don't take them for navigation. And since 98% of the time, I'm taking walking tours, I don't take them for creature comforts. I take them because I like having the resource of a live human expert who can answer my questions as they occur to me on site. Guide books can't duplicate that. To earn a license, I guide must do amazing amounts of studying so any time you're with a qualified guide, you can be confident that what you hear is a fraction of what he/she knows unless you ask a question.

 

Having put in a pitch for a guided tour, I'd question some aspects of this specific tour. Consider customizing the tour. For example, consider booking tickets inside La Sagrada Familia and beginning your day there. Your guide could meet you at the basilica after your inside visit. You really won't get much more than checking the basilica off your to-see list if you see it from the outside and, only then, from something of a distance outside the metal fence. You'll want to see the amazing columns in the basilica and the stained glass windows from the inside.

 

There's no mention of going inside La Boqueria, the world-class food market situated just off La Rambla. and I think that's a big missed opportunity. The display of unfamiliar fish and shellfish will amaze, delight, and occasionally, horrify you. You can nibble your way by buying the take-away food available in the market or eating at the stalls, although competition for the limited number of seats is high at these small establishments.

 

Finally, clarify whether you'll be getting a driver AND guide or a driver-guide. The latter is likely not a licensed tour guide and won't be allowed to guide you inside places you visit. (In Italy, individuals are licensed as either a driver or a guide but not both. I don't know the regulations in Spain.) A driver-guide's knowledge will be considerably more limited -- probably at the level of a guide book.

[dancecj]

Oh how I do love the cruise critic peeps! Thank you all for your fabulous information. The ship arrives in port at 6, but I doubt we will be in a hurry to get off! We depart at 5. It sounds like DIY is the way to go! Thank you again.

[campolady]

Oh how I do love the cruise critic peeps! Thank you all for your fabulous information. The ship arrives in port at 6, but I doubt we will be in a hurry to get off! We depart at 5. It sounds like DIY is the way to go! Thank you again.

 

Barcelona is a very DIY friendly city.

 

To get a wonderful panoramic view over all the city go in the El Corte Ingles department store - far right side as you reach the Plaza Catalunya at the top of Las Ramblas . Up on the 9th floor is a café/restaurant that serves a decent cup of coffee and offers great views.

 

Visit the Cathedral (not to be confused with La Sagrada Familia) in the Gothic Quarter and take the lift up to the roof there for great open air views across the city - the lift is hidden in one of the little chapels and not well signposted so keep your eyes open. There is no charge to go in the Cathedral.

 

Also don' t miss La Boqueria indoor market to get a real taste of Cataluña.

[realtrip]

Hi

 

Our most favourite thing we did in Barcelona was the yellow go cars. It is the cutest little car, it has a built in GPS ( many languages), it gives you directions to the sights and along the way it gives you information ( historical, cultural,,,) It is so much fun and you get lots of attention. Check out their web site.

http://www.gocartours.es/en

 

www dot go car tours dot es slash en

[gowentgone]

I have found this free website to be excellent source of info re: ports. Scroll down to Spain and see info re: Barcelona and also Cartegna. Good luck.

 

http://www.tomsportguides.com/portguides.html

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I agree, if you plan it well you will do much better on your own.

 

If the BDT does not include actually going into the Sagrada Familia, there's not much point--yes, it's very interesting-looking from the outside, but...

 

If I were you I'd book an entrance to the Sagrada Familia, fairly early, and take a cab directly there. Then you can plan your route to other places, and also plan some walking. If you want to see the other Gaudi buildings, you can take a cab to Casa Mila, then and walk to Casa Batlo. Then walk down Passeig de Gracia to Placa Catalunya and enjoy the sights, or take the Metro straight down to Las Ramblas and walk down to see the Gothic Quarter and the La Boqueria.

 

If you'd rather go to the park, take a cab there from the basilica, then cab back down to, say, Placa Catalunya and walk down thru Las Ramblas from there.

 

You will be surprised at how fast the time goes, so don't be too ambitious--and remember to find out when your "all aboard" is, which will probably be about 4 p.m. if you sail at 5.

 

The other thing about doing it on your own is you can customize as you go. For example, if the weather is lousy, you can skip Parc Guelle (we never made it there because of rain.) The HoHo would also be a very good choice, if you can time your arrival at Sagrada Familia--you really don't want to stand in line to buy tickets, if you can avoid it.

[flarad]

We have a segway tour booked for our day in port before our cruise. Looks like timeline be a good overview of the city and a lot of fun. I would think your son would like that.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[dancecj]

Aprilrad, I don't think I will even mention a Segway tour. He would never let up on that!:D Sounds like fun!

[4774Papa]

We have a segway tour booked for our day in port before our cruise. Looks like timeline be a good overview of the city and a lot of fun. I would think your son would like that.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

For the Bari Gothic area, I would question the use of a segway. The are is too crowded.

Barcelona is easy to get around on foot (yes, walking is great exercise) and the METRO will take you to other areas.

[flarad]

Papa it's not the walking i have a problem with. With just one day we want to see as much as possible and the segways make rapid travel through the city in a fun way. We did them in puerto rice and loved the experience. But then, I don't need to see inside the cathedrals. After a trip to Greece and one to Germany and Switzerland I've begun to feel that the insides look strikingly similar. Just a personal preference :)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[samavarcruiser]

We did a four hour tour with Barcelona Day Tours that was great. We had four persons and our luggage was kept in the van. It was a great solution as to how to visit Barcelona before we could check in to our hotel.

 

If you are pushed for time, do the tour. You can do Barcelona on your own, using the HoHo bus, walk or METRO, but it takes more time. Park Guell is a bid out of the way, so having a tour guide take you there is nice. Also, BDT took us to see the other Gaudi houses that you would not see on your own. Note, you won't be able to go inside Sagrada Familia on the tour, but we went back and were glad we did see the inside.

 

I agre with this post, I have done Barcelona using the same tour company and have had a great time with them, not worrying about the train, Metro bus tickets and not thinking of buying a map and finding a sites, sitting in a A/C van worth that extra money.

Only my 2cent :)

[Pet Nit Noy]

... I don't need to see inside the cathedrals. After a trip to Greece and one to Germany and Switzerland I've begun to feel that the insides look strikingly similar. Just a personal preference :)

 

Technically, La Sagrada Familia isn't a cathedral; it's a basilica. Still, I hope you'll make an exception and go inside that building. I guarantee you it is like no other cathedral you've ever seen or will likely see again!

[campolady]

Technically, La Sagrada Familia isn't a cathedral; it's a basilica. Still, I hope you'll make an exception and go inside that building. I guarantee you it is like no other cathedral you've ever seen or will likely see again!

 

I agree that a trip round the Sagrada Familia is pretty unmissable - especially if you are unlikely to visit Barcelona again in the near future.

 

I also think it a great shame if you don' t visit Barcelona Cathedral (in the Gothic Quarter with free entrance and a stunning view from the roof). It is nothing like you will have seen in Greece, Switzerland or Germany. It is also surrounded by some of the best Tapas Bars in the city.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

I agree that you need to see the inside of the Segrada Famiia. The suggestion to meet the tour guide there after you tour is a good one. You could advertise your private tour on your roll call and I am sure you could get others to fill up the tour [not sure how many the car/van will hold] This would allow you to share the expense of a private tour and still get to see/do the most things.

 

You say you have a 15 YR old son. Is he a soccer fan? Barca is the best team in the world. Many people we saw were visiting their facilities/gift shop. I am sorry I did not get my son a jersey. [just too tired to stop on day 2].

[demodawn]

I agree with sagrada familia. It was amazing. I would recommend buying tickets ahead of time. We passed no lie at least 1000 people and went right in. Our friends waited almost two hours to get in. We prepaid for the Gaul houses too. We walked all over and took metro. It was very easy.

[flarad]

I agree that you need to see the inside of the Segrada Famiia. The suggestion to meet the tour guide there after you tour is a good one. You could advertise your private tour on your roll call and I am sure you could get others to fill up the tour [not sure how many the car/van will hold] This would allow you to share the expense of a private tour and still get to see/do the most things.

 

 

 

You say you have a 15 YR old son. Is he a soccer fan? Barca is the best team in the world. Many people we saw were visiting their facilities/gift shop. I am sorry I did not get my son a jersey. [just too tired to stop on day 2].

 

 

I wondered about visiting the stadium. We love soccer and I wasn't sure if it was open. Ok we will visit Segrada Familia and we are staying near the cathedral so we'll go there also.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[dancecj]

The tour that I presented here actually is a shared tour. The company says they have one starte for that day. Barcelona sounds better with each of your posts! It sounds like with some planning, the DIY makes sense. That would make it easier to plan indepent tours for Pompeii/Alamafi and Florence/Pisa. They are quite pricey. All of your suggestions are so helpful!:D

Candy

[cruisinabout]

Some of the folks on my roll call are signed up for this free walking tour of the Gothic quarter:

 

http://www.runnerbeantours.com/

[DragonOfTheSeas]

The tour that I presented here actually is a shared tour. The company says they have one starte for that day. Barcelona sounds better with each of your posts! It sounds like with some planning, the DIY makes sense. That would make it easier to plan indepent tours for Pompeii/Alamafi and Florence/Pisa. They are quite pricey. All of your suggestions are so helpful!:D

Candy

 

When we went to Alaska we took what we called the high/low approach to the ports of call. We booked the pricey excursions where we really wanted to do an activity and there we few other options. We did DIY in 2 ports that were good for this.

 

Barcelona is this type of DIY location. It can be your "low expense port of call." There are all sorts of great things to do there. You can use a combination of metro and taxi to maximize your money and your time.

[treasure4two]

You can also think about using the HOHO bus. One thing I like about the HOHO bus is that you see things as you go from place to place.

 

We are not real adventerous people, usually take tours, but we did HOHO in Barcelona and totally loved it. Easy, take you to all good places and felt like we knew the area afterwards. Have fun.