T10 or HOHO bus?

[cshellz]

We only have one day in Barcelona, the places we would like to visit are Park Guell, Camp Nou, Sagrada Famillia and the magic fountain.

 

We will be disembarking our ship, and plan to go to our hotel and leave our luggage. The hotel is Novotel Avenida diagonal.

 

I planned originally to use the HOHO bus but im worried about the time it takes to get around and queues.

 

I will definitely be using the metro to get to Park Guell as one of the party has some mobiliity issues and it looks easier by metro.

 

The T10 tickets, I have read the info online but Im finding it quite confusing. There are four of us so does that mean we would have two journeys x 4 people and then be left with two on the ticket. How does it work exactly?

[OBX-Cruisers]

We only have one day in Barcelona, the places we would like to visit are Park Guell, Camp Nou, Sagrada Famillia and the magic fountain.

 

We will be disembarking our ship, and plan to go to our hotel and leave our luggage. The hotel is Novotel Avenida diagonal.

 

I planned originally to use the HOHO bus but im worried about the time it takes to get around and queues.

 

I will definitely be using the metro to get to Park Guell as one of the party has some mobiliity issues and it looks easier by metro.

 

The T10 tickets, I have read the info online but Im finding it quite confusing. There are four of us so does that mean we would have two journeys x 4 people and then be left with two on the ticket. How does it work exactly?

 

We were in Barcelona last year and used the HoHo bus. When we go back this year we will get T10 tickets.

The HoHo bus is good for an overview of the city but to visit the places you listed the Metro will be better and that is what we plan to do. From what I read you get 10 tickets to ride the Metro for 10 Euros.....each ticket is good for about an hour I think but you can check online; I think you also have to validate the tickets somehow as we did in Naples last year when we got on the tram or train and just put the ticket into the validating machine.....an unvalidated ticket is NOT valid and you could get fined for not validating we found in Naples. Ask locals they will tell you even if they just use hand signals.

One book of tickets can be shared and each person does not need their own book. Others that have used the Metro will have much more specific instructions I'm sure.

[hawkeyetlse]

I will definitely be using the metro to get to Park Guell as one of the party has some mobiliity issues and it looks easier by metro.

There is no metro station at the park. The nearest stations (Vallcarca and Lesseps) are about half a mile away from the main entrance to the park, at least a 15-minute walk, uphill… The HOHO buses don't stop directly at the park entrance, either. I would recommend taking bus 92, which passes right by your hotel (ask your hotel concierge to point out the bus stop), and takes you right to the upper entrance of the park. This is not the main entrance, but it will allow you to walk through the free part of the park, mostly downhill, and end up at the Monumental Area (which is the part you need tickets for). After visiting the Monumental Area, you can exit through the main entrance and walk downhill to catch a bus or metro back into the center of town.

The T10 tickets, I have read the info online but Im finding it quite confusing. There are four of us so does that mean we would have two journeys x 4 people and then be left with two on the ticket. How does it work exactly?

Yes, all four of you can share one ticket (works for the metro and the bus). For the four of you to go to all of the places you listed, you will need several T-10 tickets.

 

You're right about the HOHO bus, it is much slower (and more expensive) than taking public transport. And the Magic Fountain show is too late in the evening to use the HOHO bus anyway.

 

It will be hard for you to visit all 4 places you mentioned in one day, no matter how you do it (unless you mean just passing by Camp Nou and the Sagrada Família and not actually going inside).

[cruisegal415]

Wondering about your comment of it being too hard to do all four of the planned sites in one day. Wonder if our itinerary is too ambitious?

We are planning to get off our ship at 8 am, take the shuttle to town; do a lap on the HOHO bus (I'm told it takes 2 hours?) then take a taxi if we're not near it to La Sagada Familia where we have pre purchased tickets for a 11 am one hour tour. Grab a bite to eat, then taxi to Park Gruell for a 2:30 entrance. Then either resume the HOHO or take a taxi or train to Las Ramblas and wander around there till its time to go back and to the ship.

 

Is this not do-able?

 

 

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[hawkeyetlse]

Is this not do-able?

Your plan sounds doable (you only have two stops, not 4 like the OP, and you are planning to taking taxis at crucial points in the itinerary, not public transport!)

 

One thing is that there will probably be lots of people getting off your ship at the same time and heading to the HOHO bus. You should choose your company and buy your ticket in advance, but even then you might have to wait to actually get on a bus. You might consider taking the metro to somewhere else in town, like Plaça Catalunya, to avoid the potential crowd of cruise ship passengers at the Drassanes HOHO stop.

 

I would actually suggest that if you only have about 2-3 hours, you won't really be taking advantage of the HOHO ticket, and you could save your money and take a few city buses around town instead. It's not the same experience, of course, but you can see a lot of the same stuff that way.

[cshellz]

If all four arent doable I'll leave Sagrada as I think the kids will enjoy Park Guell more.

 

The directions I was following for Park Guell were for a station called "El Coll La Teixonera" However the directions for the bus seem simpler still.

 

I plan then on going from the Hotel to Park Guell, then onto Camp Nou, then the fountain in the evening.

 

Its only my Husband & Daughter who are going on the Camp Nou tour, is there anything in the vicinity that I can do with my son, that anyone recommnends?

 

Thanks for all the advice :)

[lj77346]

"cshellz" - If someone in your party has mobility issues, I would recommend taking a cab to the main entrance of the park. The metro stations are about 1 km. from the park and it's a long uphill walk. In addition, except for the monumental section of the part (the part with a fee to enter) the park is hilly as well. However, the park is exceptionally unique and well worth seeing.

[hawkeyetlse]

The directions I was following for Park Guell were for a station called "El Coll La Teixonera"

That is a better option than the other two metro stations, but it still requires a short walk to the back entrance of the park.

Its only my Husband & Daughter who are going on the Camp Nou tour, is there anything in the vicinity that I can do with my son, that anyone recommnends?

There's not a whole lot else for tourists to do in that neighborhood, that I know of. Relatively close by you can visit the Palau Reial de Pedralbes (the nice gardens are free, the ceramics and textile museums are maybe not that interesting for your son) and the Finca Güell (lesser known Gaudi buildings, with an entrance fee, honestly not a whole lot to see). A little further away there is a big shopping mall called Illa Diagonal.

[richstowe]

When we go back this year we will get T10 tickets.

The HoHo bus is good for an overview of the city but to visit the places you listed the Metro will be better and that is what we plan to do. From what I read you get 10 tickets to ride the Metro for 10 Euros.....each ticket is good for about an hour I think but you can check online

 

One book of tickets can be shared and each person does not need their own book. Others that have used the Metro will have much more specific instructions I'm sure.

Any idea if you can buy these T10 tickets at the airport ? I understand you can use them to travel

from the airport but haven't been able to find out if they are sold there .

Edited May 24, 2016 by richstowe

[hawkeyetlse]

The only place I have bought them is at the Renfe (train) station at Terminal 2. I don't think they are sold at the airport metro stations, the vending machines there seemed to be programmed only to sell you the extra-expensive airport fare.

 

You may also be able to buy the T-10 ticket from newsagents/cigarette stands elsewhere around the airport.

[OBX-Cruisers]

Any idea if you can buy these T10 tickets at the airport ? I understand you can use them to travel

from the airport but haven't been able to find out if they are sold there .

 

Hawkeye.. already gave good suggestions and here is a link with more information on the use and purchase of T10 tickets

http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/faq/transport/t10/barcelona-t10-airport.html

Edited May 25, 2016 by OBX-Cruisers

[diane.in.ny]

We just returned from Barcelona and used the T10. I stopped at an information booth and picked up a map of the bus routes. The map is excellent and the person at the booth circled the bus numbers we needed for our various destinations.

 

We were directed to buy our T10 ticket at a tobacco shop and the person at the information booth told us exactly where to go so I can't be sure ALL tobacco shops sell the T10 ticket.

 

It worked perfectly for us as we were going and returning to Placa Catalunya, a big transportation hub.

 

Another couple of things. There is a bus stop about a block away from Sagrada Familia. There is also a bus stop (think it was #24) right at the entrance to Park Guell. A caveat about the park....if you want to see Gaudi's work, that is in the 'monument area' and there is a fee and it is a timed admittance.

 

Regarding the timing on use of the T10. Each usage is good for 1 1/4 hrs if you want to change trains/buses. (If you want, you can sit on the bus and go in circles for as long as you wanted. lol ) You can transfer to another train/bus within that 1 1/4 hr without incurring another 'usage' on your T10 ticket.

 

Yes, one ticket can be used by multiple people. The back of the ticket is stamped with the bus number you are in. Easy to use. Just slip into the ticket machine on the bus which will suck it in and then spit it out. Then repeat for as many people in your party.

 

I agree with everyone else about how time consuming the HOHO bus can be. We saw people waiting on line at Sagrada Familia for a bus with empty seats.

 

And you would be able to use the public bus to see the fountain. From Placa Espana it is about a 20 minute walk. You can get closer by bus and I think either the #13 or #150.

 

I just took a look at the following link

 

http://www.mapametrobarcelona.net/mapa-bus-general/mapa-bus-barcelona.jpg

 

and I am right about the numbers above. (You can click on the map to zoom in and then move around with the side and bottom scroll bars.) This link is what the map will look like from the tourist information booth.

[richstowe]

Thank you all for the excellent info on the T10 card . If we don't purchase the Barcelona Card

http://bcnshop.barcelonaturisme.com/shopv3/en/product/1/barcelona-card.html?o=h

we will certainly purchase this . I was leaning toward the Barcelona Card but it is 40.5 Euros for 3 days &

doesn't include many of the attractions we are interested in visiting . I'm thinking we will pay as we go .

[cshellz]

Thanks for all the really helpful replies :)

[OBX-Cruisers]

Diane.............great information with the details that will really come in handy for our trip also.

One question: Did you really mean that ONE ticket could be used by multiple people or that the individual tickets in the T10 booklet could be use by more than one person? Your description implies that one ticket could be used by two people and that was not our experience in Italy last year.

I thought that each person needed their own validated ticket and that ticket could come from the same T10 booklet rather than separate booklets of the 10 tickets.

[diane.in.ny]

Diane.............great information with the details that will really come in handy for our trip also.

One question: Did you really mean that ONE ticket could be used by multiple people or that the individual tickets in the T10 booklet could be use by more than one person? Your description implies that one ticket could be used by two people and that was not our experience in Italy last year.

I thought that each person needed their own validated ticket and that ticket could come from the same T10 booklet rather than separate booklets of the 10 tickets.

 

Yes, it is ONE ticket. You take the same ticket and put it into the machine twice for two people. We used ours 8 times as you can see from the photo of the back. And one of those was a transfer ... wasn't sure if it would count as a usage or not because of the timing so saved 4 rides. We only needed the 2 as our transfer turned out to be within the 1 1/4 hrs.

 

 

 

Edited May 27, 2016 by diane.in.ny

[cosytoes]

.

 

 

 

We will be disembarking our ship, and plan to go to our hotel and leave our luggage. The hotel is Novotel Avenida diagonal.

 

 

 

 

 

We stayed at this hotel two years and was very impressed. It has a beautiful pool, great breakfast and friendly staff.

 

Due to a taxi driver strike we had to get a bus then walk to the tram to get to our hotel. Luckily the tram stop is right outside the hotel so you could easily use it to get around.

 

The ticket gives you a timed journey so we got on outside the hotel then changed lines and went through to las rambles all on one journey ticket. Tickets were available at the station.

[whimsy7]

we were in Barcelona about a month ago and we found the T10 tickets to be very good value.

at the T1 terminal, you buy the tickets from the tabacca shop which is outside the building on the way to the parking area.

the 10 tickets can be shared between a group - just activate it for one person and walk through, hand it back so that the next person can activate it etc.

we used it on the bus to the city.

@ cruisegal415,

I think that your port day itinerary is too packed. suggest leaving off the HOHO bus.

when you get off the cruise ship, take the 2E interport bus to the Drassanes area. there is a metro station there and you can use it to get to Sagrada. you will need to get to Espanya station or Catalunya station and then change to the red line to get to La Sagrada.

we took a bus #92 from Sagrada to Park Guell. easier and no need to walk up the hill.

[cruisegal415]

@ cruisegal415,

I think that your port day itinerary is too packed. suggest leaving off the HOHO bus.

when you get off the cruise ship, take the 2E interport bus to the Drassanes area. there is a metro station there and you can use it to get to Sagrada. you will need to get to Espanya station or Catalunya station and then change to the red line to get to La Sagrada.

we took a bus #92 from Sagrada to Park Guell. easier and no need to walk up the hill.

 

Thanks for the tips. Do I understand that we have to have a T10 ticket that is good on both the bus and the metro? And it can be purchased at the tobacco store near the Columbus monument? But it has to be validated? How does this work?

 

If we decide to take a taxi from wherever we are around 2 to get to the Park Gruell in time for our timed ticket entry at 2:30, where do I tell the driver to let us off?

[diane.in.ny]

Thanks for the tips. Do I understand that we have to have a T10 ticket that is good on both the bus and the metro? And it can be purchased at the tobacco store near the Columbus monument? But it has to be validated? How does this work?

 

If we decide to take a taxi from wherever we are around 2 to get to the Park Gruell in time for our timed ticket entry at 2:30, where do I tell the driver to let us off?

 

You don't HAVE to have a T10 ticket. It is just that a T10 will save you big bucks off the 2,60 Euro regular fare. And the same ticket is good on both the bus and the metro. It does not have to be validated before you use it. On the bus, there were two machines on each side of the aisle behind the driver. Put the ticket in with arrow down and the machine will 'suck' it in, stamp it and then spit it out. Take it out of the machine and pass to the next in your party. Or simply stand there, like I did, and feed it in enough times for your entire group.

 

Depending on where you are getting the taxi, I would suggest getting one the latest at 1:45. You never know what the traffic will be like and it will take you a bit of time to walk to the entrance to the monument area. Also, if you get to the park early, you can wander around the free part. There are several entrances to the monument area around the free part so you don't have to go back to the entrance. And I would just ask the driver for the main entrance to the park. If you don't speak the languages, get a map of the park and point to where you want to go.

[cc_rider]

If you tell the taxi driver "Parc Guell", they will take you to the main entrance of the monumental area. If you want a different park entrance, you'll have to specify.