Our First trip to Barcelona

[Work2Travel1964]

We will soon be starting our Med Cruise from Barcelona but will be arriving a few days early to sight see. Could some one please give me opinions on which of these day trips would be better. Bear in mind we are a party of 4 and one has a slight disability in his leg so lots of walking is out. 1.

Pyrenees Mountains Small Group Day Trip from Barcelona, or 2.

Three Countries in One Day: France, Andorra and Spain from Barcelona. I would appreciate any advice.

[diane.in.ny]

without details for each tour it is impossible to form an opinion. Who is the tour operator? Do you have links for the tours?

 

 

Plus what I find interesting and feel is perfect for me may not necessarily be what you are interested in.

[S&S Cruisers 1983]

Although I can't help decide, I wanted to say that we loved Barcelona. A lot to see and do in the city. Have a great trip!

[marco]

Not an answer to your question, but if you want to see Gaudi's Famiglia Sagrada, get tickets in advance on line to avoid a VERY long queue. Without advance tickets you could be in line for well over an hour. It's well worth a visit.

[cruiserking]

Barcelona is a terrific city with so much to see. It would be shame to miss it.

 

You should definitely plan on visiting the famous Sagrada Famiglia Church in Barcelona, take a saunter down the grand Avenue De Passeig Gracia to explore a pair of Gaudi masterpieces

 

Casa Batllo

 

 

Casa Mila

 

Park Guell

 

Park Guell is a short train ride from the city.

 

Jonathan

Edited June 26, 2018 by cruiserking

[LynnTTT]

If this is your first time in Barcelona, I would spend it in Barcelona! Take a walking tour, go to the Sagrada Familia, take a tour of all the Gaudi sites, go to Parc Guell, eat some tapas. See the many churches, walk La Rambla..

We've been to Barcelona for a total of almost two weeks and still haven't seen it all.

[JimnKaren]

check out SpainDayTours, they do an excellent job.

 

 

Jim

[TrqoisWtrs]

Three Countries in One Day: France, Andorra and Spain from Barcelona

 

I just did a TA sailing from Barcelona and I did do the three country tour. We also had some limited mobility folks on our bus and they seemed to do ok. There is some walking; we had to walk from the parking lot into the places we stopped at. Some of it was up/down hill. And then of course, strolling around while there. Also, the bus we were on had very cramped seating. And on top of that, the gentleman in front of me reclined his seat back for the entire 3 hour ride back into Barcelona. It made it very uncomfortable; and no I didn't say anything, I'm younger and so I just dealt with it - but I did wonder why someone who has back and knee issues would book a 12 hour tour. So something else to keep in mind - because it is a lot of sitting.

 

That being said, it was fun visiting the tiny villages and seeing the great scenery. Here is a blog of someone who also just did the trip.

http://www.sunglassesandumbrelladrinks.com/2018/06/three-countries-in-one-day-tour/

 

FYI - I too only had a few days precruise, and since I did the three country tour, I was able to squeeze in an additional tour the morning before I boarded the ship. This was great in that it gave me a little taste of the city and they picked me and my luggage up at my hotel and then after the tour, I was dropped off at the ship. Highly recommend them - very efficient and great communication. I was staying at a hotel in the older part of the city where no tour buses are allowed, so they made special arrangements for a cab to pick me up and bring me to the meeting spot - at no additional charge.

https://barcelonadaytours.com/barcelona-city-tour/

[WVU_Neal]

I love Barcelona! La Segrada Familia is an architectural masterpiece and worth seeing. As suggested get advanced tickets to save the wait. A great orientation to the city is to spend a couple hours riding the Hop On - Hop Off buses. They go to most of the important places to visit. And don’t forget the old city.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Neal in Cincinnati

[George C]

we really liked Barcelona day tour

[Magnum60]

If this is your first time in Barcelona, I would spend it in Barcelona! Take a walking tour, go to the Sagrada Familia, take a tour of all the Gaudi sites, go to Parc Guell, eat some tapas. See the many churches, walk La Rambla..

We've been to Barcelona for a total of almost two weeks and still haven't seen it all.

 

I think Lynn nailed it. We've been several times and only scratched the surface. Grab a HoHo (hop on hop off bus) and see the sights. Buy your HoHo tickets at your hotel and you'll likely save a few dollars plus they generally come with a few attraction discount entry tickets). Ride the two cable cars for a sceanic view of the city (both are near where your ship will depart) and buy a Rick Steves guide book and study it for all kinds of information. Barcelona is one of our favorite cities! You'll love it.

[marco]

And mind your belongings! Barcelona is known as the pick-pocket capital of the world! We've been there 3X and every time at least one person in our group had been pick-pocketed!

[JMorris271]

And mind your belongings! Barcelona is known as the pick-pocket capital of the world! We've been there 3X and every time at least one person in our group had been pick-pocketed!

Not true. Naples Italy has that dubious honor.:mad::mad:

[calliopecruiser]

I didn't like Barcelona, but it is popular with a lot of people and if you've never been, you should spend a day or two there. There's some beautiful and interesting things to see and I thought the warnings about crime to be overblown, so if you're only there for a few days before the cruise, why not see the city rather than leaving the city? Rather than La Sagrada Familia (which I called "one seriously ugly church"), consider the Joan Miro Museum in the beautiful Montjuic area, the Picasso Museum (where the building is as nice as the art), or simply take a stroll though the Gothic Quarter and see a few of their lovely churches.

[George C]

And mind your belongings! Barcelona is known as the pick-pocket capital of the world! We've been there 3X and every time at least one person in our group had been pick-pocketed!

 

Not a bad idea with carrying money in a money belt in all of Europe

[marco]

Not true. Naples Italy has that dubious honor.

 

That's not what our guide told us on our last visit. In fact, she said they "train them" in Italy before they go to Barcelona.

[ray8905]

Consider a day trip to Monserrat. Not lots of walking like anything you would do in Barcelona.

[buchhalm]

And mind your belongings! Barcelona is known as the pick-pocket capital of the world! We've been there 3X and every time at least one person in our group had been pick-pocketed!

What he said.

Admirable skills of the local pickpocketing fraternity. THAT is the only negative thing about Barcelona.

Other than that, it is one of those rare places where we spend a few hours to speak to real estate agents to check prices for apartments or houses and consider buying a place

[Got2Cruise]

I didn't like Barcelona, but it is popular with a lot of people and if you've never been, you should spend a day or two there. There's some beautiful and interesting things to see and I thought the warnings about crime to be overblown, so if you're only there for a few days before the cruise, why not see the city rather than leaving the city? Rather than La Sagrada Familia (which I called "one seriously ugly church"), consider the Joan Miro Museum in the beautiful Montjuic area, the Picasso Museum (where the building is as nice as the art), or simply take a stroll though the Gothic Quarter and see a few of their lovely churches.

 

 

 

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but your are in the minority regarding Sagrada Familia. I suggest those not familiar to search out the 60 Minutes segment about it on YouTube.

[buchhalm]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but your are in the minority regarding Sagrada Familia. I suggest those not familiar to search out the 60 Minutes segment about it on YouTube.

 

Totally.

I am a non believer and don't attend church (apart from attending weddings, funerals, concerts and such) however I do appreciate the architecture of buildings. La Sagrada Familia is stunning. Outside and inside. I was mesmerized. Spent hours there. Some of it flat on my back looking up.

Another church that impressed me was Reykjavik cathedral in Iceland.

Those two can not be more different.

 

If you want to see ugly churches, look at pretty much any church in the USA (or Australia) that look more like shopping malls set in huge car parks than places of worship.

[MicCanberra]

Monserrat would be a good option.

[Got2Cruise]

Monserrat would be a good option.

 

 

 

Totally agree. Being up in the Pyrenees Mountains is a beautiful experience. Unlike any other landscape I’ve seen.

[Markanddonna]

The OP mentioned that one of their people has problems with walking, so I would contact SpainDayTours like another poster mentioned and see what they can do for you. All the above are fantastic ideas, but this group needs some accommodations.

 

See if they have a special arrangement for a trip to Monserrat. We thought that was fabulous. Of course, La Sagrada Familia too.

 

We used SpainDayTours which I believe is the same company as BarcelonaDayTours. They were excellent.

[Floridiana]

Like said before, if you haven't been to Barcelona, stay there, plenty to see if you like architecture of several epochs. We booked a shuttle bus into town + guide and visit of the Sagrada Familia, well worth it! I am so glad that we visited the rest of the day on our own at our own pace.

 

We have just come back from a western Med cruise and made the mistake of booking 4 all day tours in a row. There is a limit to what you can absorb from guides who give you every detail of every stone. None of the tours would have been suitable for me last year when I had a knee problem. Bus parking lots were sometimes far from the sights. 10 minutes can be excruciating when the group is walking at a fast pace in crowded places.