Another diy Barcelona tour question....

[okfarmerswife]

After reading quite a lot on this site and delving more with the search function, I do not see my specific questions answered. My family of 5 will be in Barcelona via cruise ship for one day from 8-5. I have decided that we can most likely do a tour of the city on our own using the HoHo buses. It is my understanding that tickets can be bought for these at the Columbus monument. One of my concerns is which bus to use to get to LaSagrada. One poster stated that using the Red bus (I think) you had to walk quite a distance to catch the one going to the Basilica. This is not possible since on of my family members has a slight disability. (She is able to walk fairly well but we need to conserve when we can.) We need to catch the bus at the Columbus Monument. Which company and bus number do we need? Next, I would like to purchase the tickets for entry into the Basilica ahead of time. Since they're timed, I need help knowing how the bus runs and how long it takes to get from Columbus monument to the Basilica. I have looked at some bus maps online but they do not give info about timing. Also, if we go to Basilica first, are we missing something along the way that we might not have time to get back to? Also, I'm wondering if it would be better to taxi to LaSagrada but do not know if there are taxi's for 5. If we taxi there though, we would still have to purchase HoHo bus tickets for the rest of our tour and that seems overkill on price. Thank you for your help!

Edited June 21, 2014 by okfarmerswife
spelling

[MeHeartCruising]

After reading quite a lot on this site and delving more with the search function, I do not see my specific questions answered. My family of 5 will be in Barcelona via cruise ship for one day from 8-5. I have decided that we can most likely do a tour of the city on our own using the HoHo buses. It is my understanding that tickets can be bought for these at the Columbus monument. One of my concerns is which bus to use to get to LaSagrada. One poster stated that using the Red bus (I think) you had to walk quite a distance to catch the one going to the Basilica. This is not possible since on of my family members has a slight disability. (She is able to walk fairly well but we need to conserve when we can.) We need to catch the bus at the Columbus Monument. Which company and bus number do we need? Next, I would like to purchase the tickets for entry into the Basilica ahead of time. Since they're timed, I need help knowing how the bus runs and how long it takes to get from Columbus monument to the Basilica. I have looked at some bus maps online but they do not give info about timing. Also, if we go to Basilica first, are we missing something along the way that we might not have time to get back to? Also, I'm wondering if it would be better to taxi to LaSagrada but do not know if there are taxi's for 5. If we taxi there though, we would still have to purchase HoHo bus tickets for the rest of our tour and that seems overkill on price. Thank you for your help!

 

There are 2 major HoHo bus companies in Barcelona that I am aware of. Both serve the Sagrada Familia, but neither one will be a direct route from the Columbus Monument. The Bus Turistic company has Sagrada Familia on its BLUE line. While their RED line is the one that stops at Columbus Monument. So you would need to get on the Red Line bus and transfer a Blue Line bus a handful of stops later, probably at the Placa de Catalunya stop. There are actually a couple of stops where you can transfer, because the Red and Blue lines share about 3 stops in a row. How long the total trip would take to Sagrada Familia is somewhat of a guess due to traffic and city crowds. If they have to wait at stops to sell tickets to people getting on the busses, then that slows it down. But I'd probably allow 90 minutes from getting on the first bus to getting to Sagrada Familia. It is easy to spend 30 minutes just walking around the perimeter of Sagrada Familia looking at all 4 sides of the architecture, so if you're early for your tickets, you will have something to look at.

 

The second bus company is called Barcelona City Tour and it is their GREEN line that stops at Sagrada Familia. But the Green Line does not stop at Columbus Monument. Their ORANGE Line is the one that stops at Columbus Monument. So same as with the first company, you'll need to get on Orange and transfer to Green at some point (there are multiple transfer stops you can do this at). Judging from their map, I would also leave around 90 minutes to get from point A to point B.

 

HoHo companies do not post timetables generally because they can't really control their timing exactly. They are at the mercy of traffic and selling tickets and such. Both of these companies have their maps available on their websites, although you sometimes have to search around a little bit to find the link to them. I would download the maps and follow the routes. Both maps have the major sites that they are passing by on the map. So you can research each stop and decide if your timing and interest warrants you getting off at that stop.

 

Just remember, that the next bus that you need to get on may not be there for another 10-20 minutes. And it also might already be full with people if the season is busy.

 

I hope this helps.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

With a family of five- it makes sense to do a private tour or ship tour that will cater to your needs. I've done the HOHO bus and if the city is crowded with cruise passengers- you may get on the bus but getting off and then trying to get back on might be hard. The buses are often full and there is no room for 5 people. Maybe one or two but not five. The West route isn't terribly exciting. I've done it and got a good overview but it doesn't hit the Park Guell (the East route does) or drive by the awesome Gaudi houses. For about $100 per person, you could have a driver for the day, who will pick up and drop off right where you want to go. The HOHO is about $35 per person. So you are talking an extra $350 for a better day in Barcelona. BTW- there are pickpockets everywhere- be careful in crowds- they can and do go in your pockets and purses.

 

As for ship tours- they may be a good option. My father has some mobility issues and has more trouble getting in and out of car than in and out of a bus.

Edited June 21, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[okfarmerswife]

Thank you both for the very helpful replies. MeHeartCruising, it didn't occur to me that we could switch bus lines (of course staying with the same company)....I guess I was assuming we had to stay on the same line we purchased. RebeccaLouiseagain, we love private tours and have booked them in a few of our other ports of call. However, the only tours I've seen recommended such as barcelonadaytours.com, do not allow time to go into LaSagrada Basilica which I really want to do! I will look into the private tour a little more.

[campolady]

Taxis will only take a maximum of 4 people.

[okfarmerswife]

Taxis will only take a maximum of 4 people.

 

Thank you for this info!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I'm not sure what cruise line you are on but the "Best of Gaudi" tour offered by NCL seems like the perfect tour. I found the Gaudi buildings to be the most interesting part of Barcelona. It's 7.5 hours and $129 pp. That would be my recommendation. I have DIY'd it in Barcelona on two trips and did a tour on my last trip to Mont Serrat through the ship and had a fantastic experience. They give you downtime at the sights, so that you can explore at your own pace. With a group that is what I would do.

[okfarmerswife]

I'm not sure what cruise line you are on but the "Best of Gaudi" tour offered by NCL seems like the perfect tour. I found the Gaudi buildings to be the most interesting part of Barcelona. It's 7.5 hours and $129 pp. That would be my recommendation. I have DIY'd it in Barcelona on two trips and did a tour on my last trip to Mont Serrat through the ship and had a fantastic experience. They give you downtime at the sights, so that you can explore at your own pace. With a group that is what I would do.

 

Thank you. I wish our cruise had something like what you describe. We are on Princess and they have several tours, broken down to visit 2 or 3 sites each. And the small print tells me we will be spending time shopping, which does not interest my family. I do think though, after reading the replies here that the HoHo buses for my small group may not be the best for us. I am checking into some private tours.

[RollieUK]

Taxis will only take a maximum of 4 people.

 

That is not correct. Although the majority of taxis in Barcelona are only large enough (and licenced) for 4 passengers there are also larger vehicles which take up to 6. There is an additional charge of €2.10 per journey for these larger vehicles.

 

You can see the 2 sizes of taxi in this photo

 

Edited June 22, 2014 by RollieUK

[4774Papa]

With five persons, I would opt for a private tour rather than the HoHo bus.

We used Barcelona Day Tours and had a wonderful tour.

[canuck059]

It is very easy to get to Sagrada Familia from the Columbus Monument by metro. You can either walk ~200m up Les Rablas to Drassanes stop and take the green line to Diagonal (4 stops) and change to the blue line for 2 stops or walk ~800m to Parallel stop and take the purple line directly for 6 stops. In both cases the Sagrada Familia stop is across the street from the basilica.

http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/maps/barcelona-metro-map.html

A T10 ticket good for 10 rides (can be shared) is only €10.30.

http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/transport/barcelona-metro.html#metroticket

Our ship docked at 8:00am and we had tickets for 10:00am - we were at the Basicilia by 9:30am with no problem. It is amazing!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

The OP mentioned that one in her group has mobility issues. The subway doesn't make sense for a party of five. A taxi (yes they have vans) to the Sagrada Familia will only cost about 15 Euros and you can see things along the way.

Edited June 24, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[Scrappytraveller]

I would stick with your original plan to go straight to la sagrada and go inside. It's spectacular and you don't want to rush it. Even if you have to split into 2 taxis, you're still way ahead vs paying for tours for 5 people. Buy your timed tickets online.

 

 

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