SunshineAndWine

I went on a driving tour with Barcelona Experience and it was phenomenal. The guide Gaston was really friendly and accommodating. He's fluent in English and Spanish...grew up in the states but lives in Barcelona and was born there. They have driving tours all over the place, but mine was a full-day tour in Barcelona. Reasonable prices, too.

Monsterrat tour is totally worth it! My experience there was phenomenal. Not sure if you've booked a guide yet, but, for what it's worth, I recommend Gaston at Barcelona Experience. Speaks fluent English and Spanish. Great guy.

Barcelona Day Tours is a popular company on here, plenty of recommendations. But here's my two cents. Try a smaller company like Barcelona Experience. I used them once while in Barcelona and they were great! You get a personal touch you don't find with BDT, for what it's worth.

Last year I did a cruise with Barcelona Experience, a small tour company run by an American guy named Gaston. He picks clients up at their cruise ship and drops them off wherever they want. I was really impressed with him because his English is perfect and he is really knowledgeable about Barcelona and its history. Some people prefer big companies, but I like the smaller ones because it's got more of a personal feel, you know? Anyway, here's the link to their site if you're interested: www.barcelonaexperience.com

marazul,

There's been some really good advice on here. Basically, you won't be able to help the fact that you look like a tourist, so employ some simple precautions:

1. Don't wear expensive jewelry or jewelry which looks expensive.

2. Never carry your wallet in your back pocket.

3. If you have a purse or a camera, always carry it in front of you, not to the side or behind.

4. Never leave your things unattended, whether in a hotel or cafe or restaurant.

5. Be particularly vigilant when riding the metro.

6. Don't get drunk late at night out in public.

If you do these things, you'll drastically reduce your chances of being conned. Other tourists won't take these measures, making them an easier target. Here's a good post I read a while ago that might be helpful.

Barcelona is fantastic city. Enjoy it without fear.

Pillatongirl,

The posters are pretty spot-on...taxi is the fastest way if you're going to Barcelona on a big ship. If you're going on a little ship, most likely you'll be in the executive port, which has a bus stop right next to the port.

The easiest non-taxi way to get to Parc Guell is to ride the bus to the Columbus statue, then take the green line metro (L3) at Drassanes to the Vallcarca stop.

Just follow the signs to Park Guell from there. It takes a little walking, but it will be easy becuase if you're coming in the summer, you'll just have to follow the stream of people. To get to La Pedrera and Casa Mila, all you have to do is get back on the green line and go to the Diagonal stop.

Hey logan!

The hotel seems okay. Also, it's in a great location for exploring the city.

It's a 3 star, which I learned is a rating given for room size and amenities offered. It was my experience that the hotels there are a little better than American hotels with comparable star ratings.

Great question! I've been to Tarragona once and it's definitely walkable if you're up for a little uphill walking. The amphitheater is amazing and definitely a hidden gem. The city's old town is also a marvel.

As for Barcelona, I did a tour there last year with Gaston at Barcelona Experience. Had a great time. Prices were reasonable.

Hope you enjoy your trip! Tarragona is a fantastic little city.

Good day all! I'm looking to plan a private tour outside Barcelona: Girona, Costa Brava, Dali.

 

Would you also recommend www.barcelonaexperience.com? Any other company recommended?

 

Thank you!

Hey JVNYC! Did you ever contact Barcelona Experience or another tour guide? I haven't used another company because I was quite pleased with them but I'm interested to see who you chose.

I think it's about 20-25€.

Hi all! We are interested in booking transportation from the airport to our hotel when we arrive in Barcelona before our cruise. Because we will be coming in after an overnight flight, we'd like to book a tour to keep us energized before we check in to the hotel. Has anyone else done this? I'd like to hear about your experience. What would be a good itinerary for a brief tour (maybe 2 hours or so). Something active, not just sitting in the car.

I got an estimate with Barcelona Day tours, but it was rather expensive, and a four-hour tour. I think that will be too much for us after the travel from the States.

Thanks in advance for any info or advice you can share.

Hey guys! I did a bike tour with Gaston at Barcelona Experience. Really fun. He was nice, prompt and he spoke perfect English. I also did the HOHO tour. If you want something that will keep you awake, private tour is the way to go!

Hey everyone, we fly out on August 11 to Barcelona to board the August 12th sailing of the Equinox for the 14 night Med cruise. We want to purchase a couple bottles of wine prior to boarding the ship so that we can enjoy a glass of wine on the Veranda. I seem to remember when we boarded another Celebrity ship in Barcelona (The Solstice)about 3 years ago that there was wine for sale in the terminal. If I dreamed this and there is no wine for sale in the terminal, can someone tell me a good place to ask the Taxi Driver to stop so we can purchase a couple bottles of wine? Thanks so much for all your help!

Check out El Corte Ingles in Placa Catalunya. If you tell the taxi driver, he'll know. It's kind of like the Spanish version of Macy's but with food and other stuff. They have really nice bottles of wine on their bottom floor in their Gourmet Club section. The bottles range from about 10 euros all the way up to 1,000! You'll be guaranteed that the wines will be quality.It's kind of a hidden gem when it comes to buying wine in Barcelona. Also, if you ride the elevators to the top floor you can have a little bite to eat and get great views of the plaza!

We are arriving 2 days pre-cruise and staying at the Hotel 1898. Will probably do Barcelona Day Tours for a couple of half days.

 

Any recommendations for places to eat outside the hotel? I love the idea of tapas and this would be great for one night.

 

Sue

Sue! So glad you are going to Barcelona. It´s my favorite city and I´m pretty much a Barcelona fanatic. I've researched it a lot because I fell in love with it. Here are my recommendations:

1. Ciudad Condal is a fantastic recommendation. If you walk up the Ramblas through Plaza Catalunya you'll hit eventually Ciudad Condal after two or three blocks as I remember.

2. Orio is a good place too...walk down Las Ramblas and make a left at KFC. Orio is on the right just before the big square. They have menus in English.

3. The restaurant at Le Meridien (across the street from your hotel) serves a delicious lunch meal. It's a few euros more than what you'll find on Las Ramblas, but the quality of the food is superior. They have a daily lunch menu for about 17 euros and the restaurant is really cool and quiet but you can still see all the people walking by on Las Ramblas.

If you want basic tapas that aren't too weird, here's my list from personal experience:

1. Patatas bravas. These are basically the Spanish french fry. They're usually served with an garlic-based sauce and sometimes a mild red sauce.

2. Croquetas. These are usually cheese or chicken mixtures rolled in bread crumbs and fried. They look like kind of like chicken nuggets. They are delicious.

3. Pimientos de padron. These are little green peppers that aren't spicy and are cooked in a little olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. Delicious!

4. Pan con tomate. This is simply a slice of baguette style bread smeared with fresh tomato, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt.

5. Clara - This is a tasty little summer drink that's a mix of fizzy lemonade and beer. It's more of a local thing that I think you'll enjoy if you like beer. If not, try sangria with cava!

6. Pincho moruno (sometimes spelled pintxo moruno) - These little guys are marinated chunks of pork. So delicious, but people usually don't order them. Think of a thick pork chop diced into squares and seasoned with delicious spices.

7. Crema catalana - This is a classic dessert from Catalonia. It's similar to creme brulee but its different. Sometimes it will have a zesty lemon taste to it and other times it will taste more like vanilla.

I think you'll really enjoy Barcelona. I've done two tours there: one on the Hop-On Hop-Off red bus, which was great for getting an overview of the city and a bike tour at Barcelona Experience, a small company that has great prices and also does walking tours and driving tours. I recommend both of them...the HOHO is more for a general overview, and Barcelona Experience is more for getting an insider's view of the city.

Hi! I can't say enough about my private tour experience with Gaston at Barcelona Experience. He's an amazing, friendly tour guide who speaks perfect English (he used to live in the US). His prices are as cheap as any private tour company in the city...I did some research! http://www.barcelonaexperience.com. It's not as cheap as cruise ship excursions, but the plus is you won't be stuck in a giant group of tourists clogging up sidewalks and struggling to hear what's going on. Anyway, just thought I'd throw my hat in the ring. Have a wonderful trip!

There aren't any hotels near Placa Sant Jaume where the real action is. The parade procession snakes its way through the Gothic Quarter at a relatively rapid pace. It's a pretty crazy event in terms of crowd size....everything is really packed. Wish there were more locations for you, but unfortunately, you are limited. An option is using an apartment rental service that allows you to rent an apartment in Placa Sant Jaume for one day.

I wondered about the same things you did. I ended up going with a private tour company named Barcelona Experience. They're more pricey than taxis or the HOHO bus, but if you find others to go with you you can seriously reduce the cost per person. Anyway, they speak perfect English....their two main guides are from the United States. You should at least check out their tours....http://www.barcelonaexperience.com. I've done the HOHO bus...it's fun, but not nearly as relaxing or as fun as a private tour.

Hi!

I've taken tours with Barcelona Experience on several occasions....Gaston is a great tour guide. He speaks perfect English and knows & loves the city. His prices are really competitive compared to other private tour companies in Barcelona. Rates are more expensive than Spain Day Tours but those tours are always packed. I've seen them before and have been glad I didn't choose them. Same goes for cruise-sponsored tours.

Anyway, you should check out Barcelona Experience. I had a great time with them -- http://www.barcelonaexperience.com

Would you recommend using them for a half day tour to the gaudi and other basic sites rather than doing it on our own with the hoho bus?

Hey Irina! Just read through some of the comments on here about Barcelona Day Tours. My private experience with Gaston at Barcelona Experience (http://www.barcelonaexperience.com/shore/private/driving) was pretty incredible. He is a US-born guide who lives in Barcelona with his family.

His prices are better than the competition (I researched it) and he knows so much about the city and its history.

I can't say enough about how pleased I was with his service. The best part is, instead of driving and talking at the same time, he has a personal drive so that he can sit with you during the tour, answer your questions and help you enjoy the city.

You can purchase a T-10 card at the train station, but you can only do it at the second and third ticket machines from the right.

If you have problems with BDT, try Barcelona Experience. I did a bike tour with them and they were courteous, friendly and professional. My tour was with Gaston. I was really happy with him and I didn't feel like I was dealing with a big company. http://www.barcelonaexperience.com

Barcelona is a amazing city in itself, but the region also is fantastic. That's why I recommend doing a private tour whether you decide to see Barcelona itself or other places in Catalonia. Tarragona, Montserrat, Girona and Figueres are all worth a visit.

My only suggestion via personal experience is Gaston Magrinat at Barcelona Experience. I did a tour with him...he knows a lot about Barcelona and the region and he's really friendly. Also, he speaks perfect English. He grew up in the US.

I did a bike tour with him, but afterwards I checked out his website and they do driving tours all over the city and region. They'd be a great choice if you decide to do a private tour in Barcelona: http://www.barcelonaexperience.com/shore

I did a tour with Barcelona Experience. Gaston was our tour guide. He was really friendly, knowledgeable and spoke perfect English. We did a bike tour, but he does walking tours and driving day tours, too. I would recommend him! His prices are competitive, too.

I rented a car from Hertz through Priceline.com. I was able to buy added insurance through Priceline or $11. If you rent, do it through Hertz at L'illa Diagonal. It's much easier to get to the freeways that will take you outside of the city. Renting from Sants can be a little hectic. Also, the guy at Hertz who helped me spoke really good English!

I did a bike tour earlier this month with Gaston at Barcelona Experience. Great bikes. Really sturdy and fun to ride. They had seven gears...that helped at times Plus, they're folding bikes, which was kind of fun. He rents the same bikes I rode...check them out. http://www.barcelonaexperience.com/bike_rentals

Round-trip packages to Montserrat from Plaza Espanya are about 27 euros. One-way metro passes are 2.10 euros. If you don't mind the fun of it, rent a car to go to Montserrat. It's much easier and about the same price.