Las Ramblas to Columbus Monument with luggage!

[elsplace2]

After reading a few posts where people walk on Las Ramblas (in particular Hotel Continental) to the Columbus Monument to catch the cruise port bus..I was considering doing this ourselves...(weather permitting, of course). We love to walk, but my husband is a little leary of walking down Las Ramblas with luggage (1 bag plus a carryon, each). We will probably start heading down around 10:00am - 10:30am. Is it safe to do this, or are we easy targets for pickpockets or worse? Will we look out of place walking down Las Ramblas with luggage?

Our other option, of course would be a cab....maybe catching one at Plaza Catalunya.....are they lined up there? Or should we call a cab to our hotel? It kind of looks like a tight squeeze for cars in front of the hotel...that's why we were thinking of walking or taking a cab from Plaza Catalunya. Approx how much would a cab cost to the pier?

Thanks for any help!!

[cruiseluv]

Originally Posted by elsplace2

After reading a few posts where people walk on Las Ramblas (in particular Hotel Continental) to the Columbus Monument to catch the cruise port bus..I was considering doing this ourselves...(weather permitting, of course). We love to walk, but my husband is a little leary of walking down Las Ramblas with luggage (1 bag plus a carryon, each). We will probably start heading down around 10:00am - 10:30am. Is it safe to do this, or are we easy targets for pickpockets or worse? Will we look out of place walking down Las Ramblas with luggage?

Our other option, of course would be a cab....maybe catching one at Plaza Catalunya.....are they lined up there? Or should we call a cab to our hotel? It kind of looks like a tight squeeze for cars in front of the hotel...that's why we were thinking of walking or taking a cab from Plaza Catalunya. Approx how much would a cab cost to the pier?

Thanks for any help!!

Do yourself a favor and don't do it. Really, there is no point to travel that far and tempt fate just before your cruise.You will just be saving around 15 euros. I'm sure regardless of how tight is the space in front of your hotel they are used to calling cabs all the time( people not only leave the hotel to go to the cruise port , but also to the airport, etc.).

[kazu]

You will see many locals using suitcase types for transporting things, but in no ways do they resemble the type of luggage we use

Honestly, I wouldn't do it. Luggage might have wheels, but it gets cumbersome and tiresome. I would get a cab. your hotel can easily order one for you. It's not big money and there are times it pays to spend money IMO Have a great cruise

[scottbee]

Originally Posted by cruiseluv

Do yourself a favor and don't do it. Really, there is no point to travel that far and tempt fate just before your cruise.You will just be saving around 15 euros. I'm sure regardless of how tight is the space in front of your hotel they are used to calling cabs all the time( people not only leave the hotel to go to the cruise port , but also to the airport, etc.).

You'd be fine doing it, but your hotel is at one end of La Rambla, and the statue at the other, it's longer than you'd except.

We stayed at a B&B 2 blocks from La Rambla and did the drag, no problems at all.

[cruiseluv]

Originally Posted by scottbee

You'd be fine doing it, but your hotel is at one end of La Rambla, and the statue at the other, it's longer than you'd except.

We stayed at a B&B 2 blocks from La Rambla and did the drag, no problems at all.

I dont know what day of the week is the OP cruise, but on a Saturday Las Ramblas is filled wall to wall with people. It's difficult to navigate around them, I can't even begin to imagine what that would be carting lugagge for so many blocks. I'm all for saving money but sometimes it just doesn't make sense.

[KirkNC]

We went through the same thing last year and opted to take the taxi which I think was about 15 euros. It just made things a lot easier and takes you right to your ship. We did see some folks walking down Las Ramblas with luggage so it is not that strange.

Kirk

[Keith1010]

Originally Posted by elsplace2

After reading a few posts where people walk on Las Ramblas (in particular Hotel Continental) to the Columbus Monument to catch the cruise port bus..I was considering doing this ourselves...(weather permitting, of course). We love to walk, but my husband is a little leary of walking down Las Ramblas with luggage (1 bag plus a carryon, each). We will probably start heading down around 10:00am - 10:30am. Is it safe to do this, or are we easy targets for pickpockets or worse? Will we look out of place walking down Las Ramblas with luggage?

Our other option, of course would be a cab....maybe catching one at Plaza Catalunya.....are they lined up there? Or should we call a cab to our hotel? It kind of looks like a tight squeeze for cars in front of the hotel...that's why we were thinking of walking or taking a cab from Plaza Catalunya. Approx how much would a cab cost to the pier?

Thanks for any help!!

Having visited this area many times it makes no sense to walk with luggage to the Monument only to then take a shuttle to the port nor does it make sense to take a taxi to the shuttle.

Do yourself a favor and take a taxi to the cruise port. The price will be relatively cheap.

When you walk with luggage you are making yourself more of a target to have something stolen and the worse case would be that they steal your passports or money/credit cards or both.

Save the aggravation and take a cab.

By the way my wife and I love to walk and walk miles upon miles including in Barcelona. But we would never consider doing this with luggage.

Keith

[elsplace2]

Thanks everyone for your advice! It looks like the general consensus is don't do it!

So I guess we will just take a cab from the hotel to the port....15 Euros is not bad....I thought it was going to be around 25-30 euros....which amounts to around $40 USD, which seemed like a lot for the short distance from our hotel to the port.

Thanks again!!

[Hlitner]

We agree it makes no sense to do this. In the end you might save 5 or 6 Euros or you might not save anything since some cruise lines no charge so much for the shuttles that its cheaper to take a taxi. And the taxi should be less then 15 Euros. Make sure the taxi driver is not ripping you off. They have two meter settings (one for day and one for night) and we have had drivers try to use the night setting (it usually shows-up as a #2 on their meter). They also have a button they can push to add extra euros and use this for extra luggage. We have had drivers just start hitting this button to add 5 or 6 Euros when the extra charge was zero or 1 Euro. Unless they have changed the rules the first bag should be free and then its something like 1 Euro for each additional bag (not sure if this has changed).

Hank

[cruiseluv]

Hiltner,

You raise a good point. My worse experiences with taxis in Europe have been in Spain, mainly in Madrid. I don't recall having any bad experience in Barcelona, but who knows. I'll keep in mind your advice when I'm in Barcelona later this year.

[Eileen G]

We have walked down La Rambla with luggage a few times and will do it again in May. I would suggest to walk down without luggage preferably at the same time you would plan to go to the ship and see if you think it's feasible. All of our important documents are well hidded on our bodies and we keep alert to everything around us. However if your husband isn't comfortable with doing this just take a cab. There is a cab stand right at the corner of La Rambla and Pl. Catalunya. There are always plenty of cabs there.

[Keith1010]

Originally Posted by Eileen G

We have walked down La Rambla with luggage a few times and will do it again in May. I would suggest to walk down without luggage preferably at the same time you would plan to go to the ship and see if you think it's feasible. All of our important documents are well hidded on our bodies and we keep alert to everything around us. However if your husband isn't comfortable with doing this just take a cab. There is a cab stand right at the corner of La Rambla and Pl. Catalunya. There are always plenty of cabs there.

I'm glad this has worked out for you but I just want to note that while you haven't had a problem the odds say you may. I just would not recommend pulling luggage while you have passports, jewelry, cash and other items with you even if you think it is protected. I have seen thieves just run up to people and knock them down and then run off with items.

Even if a cab ride was 25.00 Euros to me it is money well spent.

Keith

[cruiseluv]

Keith,

You are so right! I have been to Barcelona several times and lucky that nothing has ever happened. Still, that doesnt mean its not a common ocurrence in Barcelona.

[scottbee]

Originally Posted by Keith1010

I'm glad this has worked out for you but I just want to note that while you haven't had a problem the odds say you may. I just would not recommend pulling luggage while you have passports, jewelry, cash and other items with you even if you think it is protected. I have seen thieves just run up to people and knock them down and then run off with items.
Even if a cab ride was 25.00 Euros to me it is money well spent.

You make it sound like Barcelona is a 3rd world city rampant with violent crime. You're just as likely to get pick-pocketed in a major US city, so if you feel comfortable dragging your luggage down a street in Los Angeles, New Orleans or New York; you'll have no trouble in Barcelona.

The only thing really stopping them from doing what they want to do is how busy Las Ramblas is on a weekend, and the fact it's about 1km from the top of La Rambla where their hotel is, to the bottom by the statue.

Nobody else on the port bus with us seem to have any troubles, all with hotels in/around Las Ramblas; and 25€ to me is better spent on more fruity drinks while sitting on deck.

[Keith1010]

Originally Posted by scottbee

You make it sound like Barcelona is a 3rd world city rampant with violent crime. You're just as likely to get pick-pocketed in a major US city, so if you feel comfortable dragging your luggage down a street in Los Angeles, New Orleans or New York; you'll have no trouble in Barcelona.

The only thing really stopping them from doing what they want to do is how busy Las Ramblas is on a weekend, and the fact it's about 1km from the top of La Rambla where their hotel is, to the bottom by the statue.

Nobody else on the port bus with us seem to have any troubles, all with hotels in/around Las Ramblas; and 25€ to me is better spent on more fruity drinks while sitting on deck.

I have been fortunate to have visited many cities around the world on land and on cruises.

All cities are not created equally and all areas within a city are not created equally as well. Fact is there are some areas in many cities that are more of a target than others.

I have visited Barcelona and the Las Rambles areas several times on business and on pleasure.

There are some cities around the world (both and outside the USA) where we do take extra precautions (we try to be street smart in all cities though) and Barcelona is one of them. Another one is Naples as is Buenos Aires and there are certainly several others.

The fact is that there is a lot of pickpocketing in this area of Barcelona. On our last visit there I not only witnessed it first hand I know of others from our ship who had incidents. One of them is a worldly traveler who covered the world for many years in broadcast journalism who was almost pick pocketed. The good news is that he was able to stop the thieves and then called the police.

In my humble opinion it is not a good idea to be pulling your luggage while at the same time carrying valuables with you. It makes you a target.

Will something happen? Maybe not. But are you making yourself a target for a theft, absolutely.

My analogy on this is very simple. Some say they always fly in the day of the cruise and never have had a problem. I say you are fortunate but that it is not a good idea and by doing so you increase your chance of a problem. Likewise, if you run a red light you may not get into an accident but in time you likely will. Speed and you may not get a ticket but in time you increase your odds of doing so.

I am not one to overreact. In many ports my wife and I will get off the ship and go out on our own. But we vary this approach and there are some places around the world that we don't explore on our own. Same goes for what we walk around with on the street in Barcelona, in Naple, in Mumbai, in Rio, in Buenos Aires and in some other places. Our approach in those cities is indeed different than our approach in some of the other cities around the world.

We realize that as a tourist we stick out more and we also realize that when we are visiting a city that is not our home that we are not familiar with all areas.

There is a saying that sometimes one can be penny wise and pound foolish.

My view is that if one has a decent walk whether it is on a weekday or a weekend in Las Rambles that they would be much wiser to take a taxi then to be walking that area with items in their hands where they are clearly more vulnerable to someone who wants to pick pocket them or blatantly steal from them.

Keith

[financialgrl]

I'm another that says take a cab. The Rambla presents many distractions as it is with the live statues, sheister card games, etc. I say you should be vigilant enough just walking down it with a purse or camera.

We had no problems while in Barcelona but I was always mindful of my surroundings. Walking this route with luggage, purses,cameras, children, etc provide enough other distractions IMO that it's not worth it. To have paid a fortune for a cruise and to have missed it should your passport or money get stolen over a $15 or $20 cab ride would be devastating.

[mimicsr]

I just have another thing to add about taking a cab from Hotel Continental to the cruise port. We were two couples and had an average amount of luggage (what amounted to one med to large case and one carry-on per person. We made the mistake of having the hotel call our cab and wound up with a very large sedan (almost a limo) and it cost over $40.00 Euro for the four of us, plus tip. The driver went over a side street to Liatanna (Sp?) and then down to the water. So my advice is (if you decide to take the cab) just wheel your luggage the 1/2 block up to Pl. Catalunya and hail your own cab from the taxi line. It will save you quite a bit. Hope this helps.

[elsplace2]

Thanks again for all the comments....I agree and appreciate everyone's views.
One of my concerns about taking a cab was as Hank and mimicsr mentioned....getting ripped off.
Personally I can't see us saying anything to a cab driver if he uses, what I might think, is the night fare.....we are not ones to be confrontational, and we could be wrong, so we would probably just bite the bullet and pay whatever they charge....besides from what I understand, not many of the cab drivers speak English....probably just enough to get you to where you want to go, so arguing would probably be useless.

As Scottbee mentioned, I would much prefer to spend the money saved from a cab on an extra drink or 2 on the ship.....but it's not worth taking the risk.

As Keith1010, mentioned all cities are NOT created equal....we won't go on our own in certain ports and will take the ships shore excursions to be on the safe side. While, on the other hand, others feel very comfortable going on their own in those same ports. So I can understand everyone having different views on this.....that's why I was debating on whether or not it was worth the risk. And as always, you all helped me make my decision. Thank you!!!

I think we will just walk the 1/2 block to Plaza Catalunya and grab a cab from there......they are there at around 10:30am aren't they? We shouldn't have any problems getting one, at that time, will we?

[cruiseluv]

I understand your apprehension about being ripped by cabbies. in Madrid it has happened to us more than once ( and I speak Spanish!), so the last time I was there i took a shuttle from the airport instead. However, i have never had a problem in Barcelona and in this case, I think you run a bigger risk of having a problem by walking down las ramblas will all your lugaggge. Plaza Catalunya is always hopping, i'm sure there will be plenty of cabs there.
Be aware that when a hotel calls a taxi for you they start the meter from whereever they are when they get the call. That's why those taxis will usually cost more (even if theyre not ripping you off).

[elsplace2]

Originally Posted by cruiseluv

I understand your apprehension about being ripped by cabbies. in Madrid it has happened to us more than once ( and I speak Spanish!), so the last time I was there i took a shuttle from the airport instead. However, i have never had a problem in Barcelona and in this case, I think you run a bigger risk of having a problem by walking down las ramblas will all your lugaggge. Plaza Catalunya is always hopping, i'm sure there will be plenty of cabs there.
Be aware that when a hotel calls a taxi for you they start the meter from whereever they are when they get the call. That's why those taxis will usually cost more (even if theyre not ripping you off).

Ahhh, good point! Thanks for reconfirming that we should walk to Pl. Catalunya!!