Barcelona Day Tours - New Thread

[indybelle]

We completed our 26 day Med. cruise with a full day tour of Barcelona and Montserrat.  Barcelona Day Tours was a pleasure to work with - we had originally planned this for 2020 but of course that didn't happen.  They continued to work with us, holding our reservation, until we were finally able to take the tour in November, 2022.

 

The tour was everything I had hoped for.  Our guide, Marta, was amazing.  She had so much information to give us on a wide variety of topics that made our understanding of the region and the sites much richer.    The skip the line tour of Park Guell was well worth it, and she knew how to navigate the site to avoid as many of the crowds as possible.  Again, her knowledge absolutely contributed to our understanding of what we were seeing.  I can't think of anything that would make this tour better - great company, great guide, great itinerary.  Take it if you get the chance.

[Cookie002]

We went on a cruise last May 2022, and the last stop was in Barcelona. I used tours by locals and booked the most amazing tour guide I have EVER had in my 20 years plus of traveling.

 

i think there is a post on her on this forum that I put up in June. But I am jumping on this thread today because guess what- going back to Barcelona next fall with another couple, and we absolutely will book her for every day we are there.  (I put my request in before making this post- she can be hard to get)

 

Here name is Florenta Vinas. I found her on tours by locals. We did a six hour walking tour with her on our first day in Barcelona and OMG, she was amazing!

she mixes in art, history culture, politics, food, markets, cooking and shopping in such a spectacular, professional and interesting way.  Things are not ‘canned’ where every 6 hour tour is the same, she moderates and modifies the tour (in my opinion) on the fly. She noticed I had a fascination of shoes and brought me into the coolest store where they custom make espadrilles to order, right there and immediately! We were in good shape so she modified our Montserrat tour to include a freakin gorgeous hike in the mountains for a couple of hours because we would love that.

i feel like I am giving away insider information by dropping her name here, but honestly our experience with her was so amazing, and I am sending all my friends and loved ones that are going to Spain in the next year or two, to spend time with this absolute sweetheart. She also has created self walking tours for Barcelona!

 

 

[Aiken375]

We had a wonderful day tour with Favio as our guide.  He took us to SO many places that were great to see.  He took us through small alleys that no one else would even gamble on.  He also drove right to plazas where only tour guides can take you.  We were so happy that we opted for the private tour for four of us vs. taking the standard tour with 8-12 people.  It was definitely worth the extra cost.  I heartily recommend Barcelona Day Tours for anyone looking for tours in this area.  Because there is only one person serving as guide and driver, be aware the guide does not stay with you inside the venues, so you need to be sure you understand where he will be picking you up.  

[ethan1171]

We are likely booking a 4hr fast-track Barcelona tour with Florenta Vinas on September 8 - before our September 9 Enchanted Princess cruise; If another couple is interested to join our tour and share the cost please DM me.

[Istew4u2]

Amazing! 100% pleased!

Our driver/tour guide, Fabio, was EXCELLENT!  What an outstanding young man with so much knowledge of Barcelona. I learned so much as we saw the highlights. He also was a skilled safe driver. Two senior ladies, one depending on a handicapped scooter, his kindness and genuine caring was wonderful. We both wanted to adopt him as our grandson! 

Betty and Lisa. 

 

5 Stars all the way!

 

[mking8288]

Approved & recommended.  We just did our eastbound TA from NY last month, disembarked in Barcelona & promptly picked up by our driver from BDT right outside our ship's cruise terminal - holding a big sign with our name written on it.  Semi-private half day tour with just 7 visitors in total plus the driver/guide that spoke excellent English, bilingual fluent and know the city/country well - attentive and very careful & safe driving us.  We did Monserrat on day of arrival and next morning, a different team picked up my party outside our hotel, in a larger luxury mini bus - even when it was down to just 7 of us again, this time with a guide that lead us on half-day Barcelona Highlights / City tour - impossible to do on our own with lines, admission tickets and traffic, etc. 

 

Lots of pictures taken - posted them here, link is below as CC's Search Function can be better, after a while, not easy to find. 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2937067-montserrat-cataonia-may-2023-self-guided-tour-pictures-info-for-sharing/#comment-65371746

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2937220-barcelona-city-highlights-may-2023-semi-private-half-day-tour-pictorial-summary-sharing-large-of-photos/#comment-65369738

 

For our short 2 nights post-cruise stay, we have a great time using the H10 Hotel group's "H10 Casanova" not far from La Ramblas, walking distance of about 15 minutes, maybe 20 at most - plentiful taxi around town, inexpensive - reviewed it with photos - link:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2937220-barcelona-city-highlights-may-2023-semi-private-half-day-tour-pictorial-summary-sharing-large-of-photos/#comment-65369738

 

Hopefully, these will give first time visitors to BCN some useful ideas and insights, and know what to expert - as it was our first time doing TA and see this beautiful & safe city, the busiest cruise ship port in Europe and expanding.  Happy & safe travel.  

 

Edited May 17, 2023 by mking8288

[TXCruiser2]

We used Spain Day Tours for our Barcelona  shore excursion.  I wouldn't hesitate to use them again.  Informative, professional, on time.  Very good drivers and local knowledge.  Great company to work with!

[pabucsfan]

I can't compliment your team enough for our Spain Day Tours half day tour to Montserrat.   The communication before the tour was amazing.  You stayed in touch all the way from the initial booking to the day of the tour.  Even though we were travelling to Barcelona on a transatlantic cruise, you stayed in touch.  We were picked up at the port at the exact time as promised.  The van was very good quality.  Your driver and our tour guide were both very kind and professional.  We had a little tour of Barcelona on the way to Montserrat.  When we arrived at Montserrat we had a tour with our guide and she also showed us all the other things we could do as well as the timing and cost of each.  We chose to go up on the funicular to the top and walk around on the trails.  After our tour we were all dropped off at our pre-arranged locations.  Once again, I can't recommend your company enough,

[Dennycone]

We arrived in Barcelona at the port on May 25, 2023, the tour van and our guide Marco were timely and efficient. After rounding up all members taking the tour, Marco explained our itinerary and off we went. The tour was half the day and a great over view of the city and its highlights! Marco was knowledgeable and engaging, he explained the history and details all of the sites as we passed by or when we stopped at the several locations. Walking Guell park and having the details about it was fantastic! At the end of the tour they dropped us off at our hotel with our luggage. I highly recommend taking this tour when you arrive in Barcelona.

[oldNurse70]

Our 11 member family group just returned from a 12 day trip to Barcelona and the Mediterranean. We utilized this company and its associated tour group 3 times with wonderful tours. The first was an airport pickup and 4 hours Gothic Quarters tour where we happily learned of Spain's Cava and Tapas!

When In Genoa, we took the Amalfi Coast tour and received amazing care through Salvadore and his incredible knowledge and sense of humor.

Lastly, we were picked up at the Cruise port for an 8 hour tour with Marta of Monsteratt and Gaudi's Barcelona. Marta has such a wide range of knowledge and was very solicitous of each of us.

The company communicates regularly and provides excellent tours for the price. 

We highly recommend them!

[suejerrytx]

We used Barcelona day tour on Friday  August 4th.  They picked up our group of 5 and all our luggage from the cruise terminal port.  We then had a four hour tour of the city with several stops including La Sagrada Familia.  We had time to get out and walk around several of the stops.  Our driver was very knowledgable and did an excellent job driving.  I have used them in the past for other tours and would recommend them.  The tour after leaving the port is a great way to spend time before your hotel is ready for check in.

[Knotmovin]

We used Barcelona Day Tour this September and were so pleased that we got to see and hear so much about Barcelona and the sites we visited.  Our tour guide was kind, considerate and extremely informative.  We saw all the sites that were promised and it was more than convenient to be picked up at the ship with our luggage and dropped off at our hotel in the Gothic quarter at the end of the day.  When you only have a day or two see Barcelona I can't think of a better way.

[Real NHDOC]

My experiences are similar to others who have posted here. We’ve actually done three separate excursions with this company in Spain and Portugal and others in the south of France and Italy with their affiliate sites. Our latest tour was to Monserrat with a Cava tasting out of Barcelona but we have also done Seville out of Cadiz and a separate Barcelona city tour and all three were much better than the excursions offered by the cruise lines and offered excellent value. I can recommend them highly. 

[rcrowell48]

The Barcelona Day Tours full day tour to Montserrat and the cava winery was fantastic!  Our guide was one of the best we have ever had….knowledgeable, entertaining and flexible.  Overall, the tour was fun, educational and very scenic.

We will definitely book with them again, given the opportunity.

[cruisinscots]

Barcelona Day Tours arrived on time at the cruise terminal with modern luxury mini bus, knowledgeable tour guide also had a taxi waiting for us when we finished to take us to the airport. All stress free. Highly recommended....

[louiseth853]

We used Barcelona Tours in October 2023 and were so very pleased. We went to both the Montserrat and Park Guell and had a fantastic time! I’m fact it was the best excursion of all, better than the ship!

we have used them in the past and will again next Spring!

[oxnardmike70]

Barcelona Day Tours is a great company. I was in constant communication with Mark before my trip and he was very responsive. We took two tours with them, and both were outstanding. Christina gave us a tour of the first day and she was very knowledgeable about Barcelona as a long time local. The next day we took a trip to Montserrat with Moises and that was our favorite day both because of the site and the guide. The company is very reliable and honest. I am glad we booked with them. Their vehicles are also very nice.

[4agYraacd]

I would highly recommend Barcelona Day Tours. Our guide for the half day was Gordy, and he picked us up promptly at 8:30am from the cruise port. He was front and center, easy to find amongst all the busses and taxis there.  The best part is , BDT will also take your luggage and store in in their van while you tour the city.  We had a wonderful 4 hour tour, 6 people, w/ a guide that was knowledgeable and informative about Barcelona.  And at the end, he brought each couple to their respective hotels.    I thought it was good idea to have the tour in the morning like this, considering our hotel check in wasn't until the afternoon.    Worked out great for us! 

[SailorATO]

Hola! Greetings!

 

We very much enjoyed the tour with Marta in Barcelona.

 

Both Marta is very knowledgable and professional, passing on very interesting bits of local knowledge and some fun things too.

 

We would recommend Spain Day Tours to all our friends traveling to Barcelona.

Edited November 17, 2023 by SailorATO
Adding Photos

[Cruisingmarmi]

 We had a wonderful time on our tour of Barcelona! It was all good but my favorite was Park Guell. It was amazing to see and to think of the ingenuity, planning, and labor involved in creating all of the beautiful works of art. 

 

Joan was an excellent guide, with a wonderful enthusiasm for sharing Barcelona and information to help us understand and appreciate all we saw! He was also so kind to offer to take photos of us, so we could have wonderful memories of our day in Barcelona!  

 

Thanks to Aurelio, for help with information to book the tour and correspondence to confirm meeting place and time for pickup. 

 

If we are blessed to return to Spain, we will certainly not hesitate to check with you for tour information. 

[mom4mom]

Ricardo was prompt in picking 6 of us up at the port with our luggage for an overview of Barcelona to orient us for the next 2 days that we would be staying. We had a great overlook of the city from Montjuic where Ricardo pointed out the different areas and landmarks. He was a great driver and guide and we were able to recognize many of the sights he pointed out when we went touring on our own the following days. I highly recommend this company. 

[yea Europe]

An excellent tour. We toured the city, then visited Park Gruell and La Familia Sagrada. Our guide was excellent! We loved the fact tht we were picked up at the port, as many companies would not fofer this feature. the company always answered my questions in a timely manner and were very poliet. We were very pleased!

[Oma_Opa]

FANTASTIC tour of Barcelona and Montserrat.  Wonderful to have both a knowledgeable driver and tour guide.  A great experience!  We will definitely be returning to Barcelona and will engage Barcelona Day Tours to deepen our knowledge of Barcelona.