Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Barcelona "on your own" vs ship tours

sailaway5

Recommended Posts

sailaway5

sailaway5

Posted
Posted

We are just starting to research Barcelona as we will be there for only one day on our transatlantic cruise.

 

Would greatly appreciate getting any advice from anyone that has visited Barcelona "on their own" or on a ship tour. What are the "must sees"?

What did you like best? How much can you see in one day? We will be there from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

 

All suggestions are welcome.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cruisemom42 Great Review Rare

cruisemom42

Posted
Posted

You can do it on your own. Just beware of the traffic in Barcelona and factor it into your schedule. Also the HOHO buses can get very crowded -- often the bus will arrive at your stop full and you won't be able to get on until the next one (or the one after) comes by. So although it looks like it would be a piece of cake to do both "loops" (I think they're called the Red and Blue routes, IIRC), you may not be able to do it all IF you plan on stopping to see things.

 

My suggestions for the top attractions with just 1 day:

 

La Sagrada Familia (don't do the climb to the top)

Casa Battlo (see outside only)

La Pedrera (can visit inside if interested -- I enjoyed it, especially the roof)

Montjuic (ride the bus up and around to see the sights but you probably won't have time to stop and see any of them)

Las Ramblas and Gothic Quarter (leave til last and wander around with whatever time you have left; these are close to the dock area)

 

I hate to leave Parc Guell off the list, but unless you have some time to walk around the park and soak it in, I'm not sure if it's worth it on a day trip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bill S

Bill S

Posted
Posted

We've toured Barcelona both ways. The first time. last year, we used a ship's excursion which was a bus ride to the Gothic District, followed by a brief ride around Barcelona to see only some of the highlights, eg, the Gaudi district, followed by a brief stop of the La Sagrada Familia and then up to the Montjuic and we were able to walk around the park for about an hour.

The second time was last month prior to a cruise and we opted to see Barcelona on our own. We went to the Bus Turistic (hop-on, hop-off bus) ticket office at the Placa Catalunya at about 10am and had to wait an hour for a bus (for the Southern Route) with enough room and we had to stand without being able to listen to the recorded narration (they give you little ear buds to plug in) Just as cruisemom42 reported, at many of the stops, no one could get on because no one was getting off. About hal-way through the trip, we were able to get a seat and listen in. It was much better then. After returning to the Paca Catalunya, we strolled down La Rambla and had a late lunch.

 

We returned to the Placa Catalunya at about 3:30 and there was absolutely no line for the Northern Route Bus Turistic! So we hopped on that one and the bus never got crowded. I guess the lesson is to get there either real early in the morning or wait until after 1pm or so to take ho-ho bus. You can purchase an all-day ticket which is good for both routes.

 

Barcelona is a huge city and it would be impossible to see and/or visit all the sights in one day, IMO. Cruisemom42 gave you a good list, IMO. Have fun!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
peter_krynicki

peter_krynicki

Posted
Posted

It would be a shame to miss the Boqueria even on a short visit to Bacrelona. It is just off the Ramblas and you can walk among the stalls to see what is being sold there (everything that can be consumed) then stop and have something to eat. IMO the best is the Kiosko Universale where you can try tiny, roasted clams and green peppers with either a beer or cava.

 

Pjk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sailaway5

sailaway5

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thank you all for your helpful hints. I have printed out all suggestions to put in my "Barcelona" file.

 

Did anyone go to the Maritime Museum & Columbus Monument? Is this near where the ship docks? Is the museum worthwhile?

 

Where is the Parc Guell located? Is it near the Los Ramblas?

 

Thanks again!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
peter_krynicki

peter_krynicki

Posted
Posted
Thank you all for your helpful hints. I have printed out all suggestions to put in my "Barcelona" file.

 

Did anyone go to the Maritime Museum & Columbus Monument? Is this near where the ship docks? Is the museum worthwhile?

 

Where is the Parc Guell located? Is it near the Los Ramblas?

 

Thanks again!!

 

Park Guell is the park which was designed by Antoni Gaudi. It is usually reached by metro and the metro stop is "Lesseps" (Green Line, L3). After exiting the metro you can follow signs that lead you to the park. These sign indicate the direction and distance to the park. From the metro stop to the entrance of the park it is 1500 meters. you can spend an entire day here just walking along the various pathways in the park, and, as many of them lead up the side of the hill, it can be tiring. There is a self-service cafe just below the top of the park, self-service in the sense that there are no waiters. They serve beer and snacks and it is pleasant just to sit here for a while. Entracne to the park is free but there is a small charge for visiting one of the two houses which are in the park, the Casa Museu Gaudi which is 4.00e per person.

 

http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/gaudi/park-guell.html

 

Pjk

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rsquare

rsquare

Posted
Posted
Thank you all for your helpful hints. I have printed out all suggestions to put in my "Barcelona" file.

 

Did anyone go to the Maritime Museum & Columbus Monument? Is this near where the ship docks? Is the museum worthwhile?

 

Where is the Parc Guell located? Is it near the Los Ramblas?

 

Thanks again!!

Assuming that your ship docks (as Westerdam did last June) at the new cruise terminal, there will be a frequent shuttle bus (EUR3 round trip, as I recall, blue bus) to take you to the Columbus Monument, which is also across the street from the start of the Ramblas. Where the shuttle lets you off is a booth where you can buy HO-HO tickets, and the southern (blue) line stops there.

 

Just to give you a sense of what you could do in a day: We bought our HO-HO ticket there, walked up the Ramblas (great people-watching; don't miss the pet market about halfway up), with a side trip into the Barrio Gotic to see Europe's oldest synagogue, and then back up to Plaza Catalunya, by which time we were ready for lunch - there is a Spanish fast food chain called Pans & Company which serves good sandwiches, and they have a location near the Plaza Catalunya end of the Ramblas. We got a northern HO-HO (red line) to Casa Batllo, which I enjoyed more than La Pedrera - it's Gaudi at his wildest, and is flanked by some interesting facades, too. Casa Mitla/La Pedrera is one HO-HO stop or a short walk away, and when you're finished, you can take the HO-HO to Sagrada Familia and eventually to Parc Guell. In June, we never had to wait long for a bus, nor did we encounter crowds on the HO-HO; they may run fewer busses in the off season. There were short 3-5 minute lines at both Gaudi sites for tickets. We did not do the full red line route; in 90+ degree heat, we wimped out and took a subway back to the Ramblas where we got an early dinner at a great Basque restaurant and walked back down to the Columbus monument for a relaxing ride on the southern HO-HO, almost empty at around 6 (we had an 11pm curfew); you could pick up the port shuttle back to your ship from here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
burny

burny

Posted
Posted
Thank you all for your helpful hints. I have printed out all suggestions to put in my "Barcelona" file.

 

Did anyone go to the Maritime Museum & Columbus Monument? Is this near where the ship docks? Is the museum worthwhile?

 

Where is the Parc Guell located? Is it near the Los Ramblas?

 

Thanks again!!

 

We were in the statue of Columbus.At the feet of the statue,there is a bicycle-renting and there you can enter.You can go up with a very small elevator and have a fantastic view of the city.

Burny

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rebeccalouise

rebeccalouise

Posted
Posted

the first time I was in Barcelona I walked everywhere and got robbed. So the last time (in July) I got on the hop on hop off bus with my room key, one credit card and a big bottle of water and saw the city from the relative safety of the bus. It was fun and gave me a good overview of the city.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
texancruzer

texancruzer

Posted
Posted

Our recent Med cruise ended in Barcelona. We got off the ship and went straight to our hotel (Le Meridien) right on Las Ramblas. Immediately took a taxi to Sagrada Familia and toured that. Do not miss this church. Also the park across the street had a Christmas market set up and we strolled through that. Then a taxi back to Las Ramblas (Via the Arch) and walked the entire Las Ramblas down to the Columbus monument. DH went up in the tiny elevator (3 people maximum at a time) while I sat down below and people watched. He said it actually swayed at the top :eek: No thanks.

 

There was also a flea market type market across the street from the monument near the marina and we strolled around that. Also all along Las Ramblas there are vendors with everything from tacky souveniers to really nice stuff..... and street performers - some very good. We stopped at a tapas bar and had an early dinner and then strolled at night. Altho we did not get to see "everything" we had a really nice full leisurely day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Keith1010 "Live from...." Rare

Keith1010

Posted
Posted

Either way is fine; either on your own or the ship tour.

 

Whatever you do, the one thing to really watch out for in Barcelona is pickpocketers. I know, some people will say what can you expect it is a city. But I have to tell you that it is very prevalent in this city so just watch out for your valuables.

 

If you do Barcelona on your own, make al list of the attractions you want to see and try to map them out relative to the cruise ship terminal. It is an easy city to get around.

 

Keith

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
retirepopo

retirepopo

Posted
Posted

Do any one know where Galaxy dock? We are with Galaxy on May 2 sailing, and will be at Barcelona on May 16 from 8:am to 5:00 PM. We want to do our own tour, there are so many informations and suggestions on this thread, it helps a lot. Do any one know where Galaxy dock? will it be a bus stop near by? This is our first time at Barcelona.

 

po

Link to comment
Share on other sites
maiden

maiden

Posted
Posted

We stayed pre and post cruise days in Barcelona and loved it! We researched the city through books but to tell you the truth, my advice is to just start walking. We loved the Bari Gothic area the most. Go to the tapis bar "Vaseleum", order a huge pot of mussels (if you like them), some calimari and cappacinos and just enjoy. Please ask someone where the Catalina Cafe is. It's a little hole in the wall but it has the best homemade donuts (and they are called donuts in Barcelona) you've ever had! Don't bother with the pricey restaurants near the marina. We dropped 100 Euros one night on dinner but enjoyed the little tapas bar food much more. So enjoy your night in wonderful Barcelona!!! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
prophotogirl

prophotogirl

Posted
Posted
Heather;

Thanks for the link. I have bookmarked it. do you know which bus stop is closed to the port? or where I can find it out?

Thank very much.

All 3 of these stops are close

Port Vell

Museu d'Historia de Catalunya

World Trade Center

Colom - Museu Maritim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...