Questions on Barcelona

[Bob6831]

Hi.
Am taking a cruise out of Barcelona, Spain. Staying overnight in Barcelona before cruise and after cruise. Will be my wife and I and about 5 suitcases
Questions on transportation. Will it be easy to take Metro from airport to my hotel (Barcelo Hotel Atenea Mar)? What is most logical way (inexpensive and not too difficult) to get from the hotel to the cruise terminal, and most importantly - will I be able to get the #41 Bus OR the Metro near my hotel at 5-5:30am in order to make my 8:30am flight back home?
Any great must-see sight-seeing places to go for 2 days in Barcelona?
Thx for any info.
Bob

[CRUZIN TOM]

Take a cab, it will run about 25 Euros. Hauling the luggage will be a pain in the neck. It is about a 20 minute ride to downtown. I saw some passengers hauling their luggage from one bus to another and it was a mile between buses.

[CTCruisers]

You should check out the ports-of-call boards for Spanish ports. You will find a lot of info there.

Here are some good websites about Barcelona:

http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.c...uise-port.html

http://www.aboutbarcelona.com/

[Bob6831]

Really don't want to pay $40+ for cab from airport to my hotel. Looks like the Metro would work at a very cheap price (1.05 Euros?). As far as important trip back to the airport for trip home..... timetable for Metro shows " 05-24h " ........... does this mean it is open from 5am to Midnight? Is carrying suitcases on the Metro ok?
Also, how is best to get to the cruise terminal from my hotel? Bus or Metro route info please.
Thx.
Bob

[lynneamycruise]

We were in Barcelona last year (amazing!)...we took the Aeroport bus from the Barcelona airport directly to downtown...it was extremely easy and cheap.
We got our bags and walked outside right by the baggage claim and there it was...loaded the bags and in about 25 minutes we were downtown with about a 3 minute walk to our hotel.
Here is a link that may help with all the info;
http://www.bcn.es/turisme/english/turisme/welcome.htm It may have other info that may help you.

P.S. If you haven't already seen it, make sure you take time to see the Sagrada Familia cathedral...probably one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. We spent over 5 hours staring in wonder..take the Audio tour for sure...Other Guadi architecture is amazing...we tried to see it all. Tapas in the old city is amazing. Enjoy..one of my favorite cities in Europe

[hamrag]

Originally Posted by Bob6831

Hi.
Am taking a cruise out of Barcelona, Spain. Staying overnight in Barcelona before cruise and after cruise. Will be my wife and I and about 5 suitcases
Questions on transportation. Will it be easy to take Metro from airport to my hotel (Barcelo Hotel Atenea Mar)? What is most logical way (inexpensive and not too difficult) to get from the hotel to the cruise terminal, and most importantly - will I be able to get the #41 Bus OR the Metro near my hotel at 5-5:30am in order to make my 8:30am flight back home?
Any great must-see sight-seeing places to go for 2 days in Barcelona?
Thx for any info.
Bob

Firstly, the hotel is a couple of miles from the main city area and is beach based. Nearest Metro is a 10 minute walk (with 5 suitcases!). It is on the far side of city from airport therefore taxi fare is more like the equivalent of $50. No idea how to Metro from airport, and would not even think about it with 5 cases. If you need to minimise costs, the best suggestion would be to get Aeroport bus to the main square Playa Catalunya for 3 euros each person, then use a cab from there.

Personally would not consider public transport to make an 8.30am flight, cost of missed flight........etc.

Another possible solution for arrival...If you intend using the open-top HOHO touring bus during your stay, the terminal is at Playa Catalunya. There is a stop very close to your hotel, so this could be your taxi!! The cost is approximately 20 euros for one day and for no more than an additional 5 euros you get an added day. Since this is a fantastic way to tour the city, it may be a taxi option.

Regarding embarkation day, take a cab probably about $20 equivalent. To lug 5 cases yourself to the cruise terminal is really not an option. From the hotel it would be about a 20 minute walk to the Monument Columbus, where a port bus is available for 2 euros per person, so for an extra $13 or $14, for me there is only one sensible option.

[Bob6831]

So....... it appears that taking the Metro is not wise, but taking the Aeoroport bus from the Airport to Playa Catalunya and then taking a cab from there to my hotel would work (without too much difficulty or danger).
How much is the cab from Catalunya to my hotel?
Thx.

[hkto]

Originally Posted by Bob6831

So....... it appears that taking the Metro is not wise, but taking the Aeoroport bus from the Airport to Playa Catalunya and then taking a cab from there to my hotel would work (without too much difficulty or danger).
How much is the cab from Catalunya to my hotel?
Thx.

Beside the bus there is also airport train (2.40 euros) that goes to Sants station. Bus (i think it's 3.80 euros) stops at both Sants & Catalynia. According to Google maps distance to your hotel is 3.8 km from Catalynia and 6.8 from Sants. You can take a cab from either location.

[socalwifeandmom]

My husband and I just returned from a cruise on the Gem and used the Aerobus to/from the airport. It is 5 euro each way from the new Terminal 1, price may be different (less) if you are using Terminal 2, and the bus signage is slightly different depending on which terminal you need.

We found it very easy to walk to our hotel from the Plaza but we did not have as many bags. If you are able or want to change hotels to be closer to the Plaza Catalunya, near the Ramblas, that could make your trip easier. Just a thought, and the metro is there too. We took the metro 2 stops to good ole Christopher Columbus and from there you can take the port bus. However, a note of caution: from the metro near Columbus (port) there are stairs that you need to carry your luggage up, NOT fun with that many bags! There are escalators at the Plaza Catalunya.

Our flight leaving was 9:10am and we caught the 6:15 am bus and had plenty of time. The first bus is 5:30am and they run every 15 minutes. Our bus was full, but the first pick up is from Plaza Catalunya and only filled up after that stop.

Hope this helps.

[Bulldog3777]

The hotel you have chosen is a nice place. We stayed there this past Oct 11th after a cruise on the Gem. It was a little out of the way and our cab driver had no clue where it was. We finally made it and the beach area was nice but staying in the downtown was definitely more fun with more places to eat and see.

[hamrag]

Originally Posted by Bob6831

So....... it appears that taking the Metro is not wise, but taking the Aeoroport bus from the Airport to Playa Catalunya and then taking a cab from there to my hotel would work (without too much difficulty or danger).
How much is the cab from Catalunya to my hotel?
Thx.

No idea, but we paid 20 euros + tip from our hotel, which was only 150 yards from Playa Catalunya, to the cruise terminal. Based on my "minds eye" view of distances it would probably be about the same cost as you have 5 cases compared to our 2. Certainly should not be any more than that.

As another poster has suggested, you may want to consider changing hotel to the Playa Catalunya area which means you will only require a taxi for embarkation and debarkation.

[sillysailor 1955]

We did this cruise on Jade last December out of Barcelona (extra day pre and post cruise). We found the taxis to be pretty reasonable and took the HOHO bus pre cruise and NCL excursion to beautiful Montserrat post cruise - very easy they took your luggage and put it on the tour bus then we traveled about 45 minutes to Monastery built into a mountainside at Montserrat, really quite spectacular . After the trip the bus dropped us in center of town and we picked up a cab to our hotel (Regencia Colon) right off Las Ramblas. Pre cruise we stayed right on waterfront at the Grand Marina. You will love Barcelona (just be careful there are quite a few pickpockets there).

[lambs2]

Last January we arrived in the Barcelona airport very early the morning before embarkation.We purchased a T-10 ticket and caught the Renfre train all the way to Franca Station where it was a short walk to our hotel. We had six bags as we were embarking on a 21 day B2B cruise the next day. Not sure exactly where your hotel is located, but Franca station is as far as the Renfre train goes, I believe. We spent that night at the Oasis hotel near the waterfont and the Bari Gotic quarter.