Seven Days in Barcelona

[priddiscats]

I hope this is not a duplication of existing threads. We have seven days in Barcelona upon disembarking on Oct. 29. Not sure the best way to spend this very valuable time span. Do we stay in Barcelona all the time and do a few short day trips using Barcelona as a base or stop over in Granada or Madrid (or any other location) for a few days in the middle of our week stay? We fly home out of Barcelona. Our tastes are quite eclectic so any ideas would be appreciated. We have been researching our options but have not landed on an itinerary for the week nor have we had our TA make any hotel bookings yet.

[caripoo]

Ibiza and Valencia would be a great place for a few days. You can also take the train to Madrid and back.....Lots of fantastic choices!!!

[scangirl]

We spent 1 week pre-cruise in Barcelona last Nov. Great city with lots to see. The 2 HOHO bus routes are excellent; good for at least 2 half days. Also did a day trip by train to Montserrat which was fabulous and easy to do on your own. We stayed in an apartment in Barcelonetta; rented through a popular online site. (home away) There was a great daily indoor market nearby and lots of restaurants. We were a short walk from the sea coast. The Gaudi Cathedral is not to be missed and DO see the interior! The Gaudi Park farther in from the coast provides great views across the city and is like no other park. We travelled on the subway mostly, best to buy a book of 8 or 10 tickets, very inexpensive way to get around. Walk along the busy pedestrian street of Las Ramblas in the day and at night. The huge Bouqueria (sp?) daily fresh market is along here with amazing fruits, veg and stalls to get coffee, treats, snacks, lunches etc. The castle on Montjuric, above the cruise port is a great place for a picnic lunch (we had lovely warm sunny weather). Get there on the cable car and walk down through the gardens.

 

As you can see there are lots of sights to fill a week without travelling far! We loved it and would go back again for sure.

 

Laura

[quercus alba]

Well I have lots of ideas for you--but it's too much to write.

I would be pleased to volunteer to spend the week in Barcelona with you, however, just to help you to decide!

:D

[itsjb1]

If you are interested in doing some small group(min2 and max of 8) day trips out of teh city, take a look at http://www.spanish-trails.com. We have done a couple of the day trips and found them to be very enjoyable and reasonably priced. You can also check their reviews on tripadvisor.

[Hlitner]

The kind of questions posted by the OP always makes me curious about how much "homework" folks do before making a travel committment such as spending 7 days in Barcelona. For example, the OP mentions a "day trip" to Granada. Well, it takes about 8 1/2 hours (each way) to get from Barcelona to Granada. As to a "daytrip" to Madrid that is closer....only about 6 1/2 hours each way (by car). Here is what we would do if we had a week. First, we would not spend more then 2 nights in Barcelona (if that). We would probably rent a car for the week and then make a decision on whether to spend the time in Spain or perhaps drive up to France. For example, it takes about 6 hours to drive from Barcelona to Bordeaux, France (much closer then Granada) and you get to go through Perpignon and Toulouse. In fact. we would probably do a circular drive heading up to Bordeaux, then to Biarritz, San Sebastian and then back over to Barcelona (you could even do a quick stop in Pamplona which is famous for the running of the bulls). An alternative would be to drive to Provence, France perhaps visiting Nimes before spending a couple of nights in Avignon. We once spent an entire month driving in Spain, but all that time was spent in a relatively small part of the country (the South). My point is that Barcelona is actually a lousy location for day trips unless you are content on going to nearby places such as Sitges (a nice seaside resort town).

 

One reason we made this post about driving (as opposed to trains) is that with a car you can see a lot more (trains do not stop in many smaller towns) and, assuming you have lots of luggage for a cruise it can be a real pain hauling luggage on and off trains. That being said, one must always be careful with any luggage in a car (especially if it is in clear view). The entire concept of long day trips does not generally make a lot of sense since you spend a good part of your precious time just going back and forth to places (such as a 17 hour round trip drive between Barcelona and Granada). Its why we typically would plan a circular route for a short trip (such as a week) so that we do not have to backtrack. So, our recommdation is that if you have your heart set on an entire week in Barcelona try to keep your day trips to places within 2 hours.

 

Hank

[LittleMissS]

I took a day trip to Girona and Figueres when I was in Barcelona several weeks ago. We booked this trip the day prior, using one of the local bus companies (Bus Turistic maybe? The name escapes me but the bus company is located in Placa Cataluyna). It was a reasonable rate, for an 11 hr tour. I knew nothing about Girona prior to the trip...I was going basically to see Dali and his works in Figueres...but Girona turned out to be a quaint, pictureque town. I thoroughly enjoyed the day.

[dalgirl]

One day can be spent in Montserrat - easily accessable by subway - to train station - and back. http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/tour/barcelona-montserrat.html

[SuiteTraveler]

There is so much to do in Barcelona, that you can easily fill up 7 days. But it might be nice to do a couple of days in a nearby beach area.

 

In Barcelona, I'd dedicate entire days to the following tours:

 

Day 1

Gaudi:

Casa Batllo

Sagrada Familia

Casa Mila

Casa Calvet

Casa Vicens

Park Guell

Dragon Gate

 

Day 2

Food:

Barcelona Bouqeteria Mercat and cooking class

http://www.cookandtaste.net/

 

Day 3

General Sightseeing day:

Take the HOHO bus to see the city, Las Ramblas, Olympic village, stadium, tour the Picasso museum and end the day at the Magic Fountain

http://www.museupicasso.bcn.es/en/

http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/albums-en/magic-fountains-montjuic/

 

Day 4

Relaxation day with Wine and Tapas Tour in the late afternoon/evening.

Do a little shopping during the day, go to Barceloneta Beach or simply relax in your hotel pool, then take a tapas tour in the evening:

http://www.barcelona.com/barcelona_city_tours/barcelona_city_tours/tapas_tour

 

Day 5

Day tour to Montserrat

http://www.localbarcelonatours.com/product/spain-tourbarcelona-toursmontserrat-and-winery-tour-with-rack-railway_5992?affiliateid=278a54ee-3b4d-4434-80af-a9a2145b7f28&currencycode=GBP&campaign=lbt_|_generic

 

Day 6

Girona and Dali

http://www.localbarcelonatours.com/product/spain-tours/barcelona-tours/historical-and-cultural-tour-of-girona-and-figueres_4396?affiliateid=278a54ee-3b4d-4434-80af-a9a2145b7f28&currencycode=GBP

 

Day 7

Leave yourself one final free day to go revisit anything you want to see again, do more shopping, eat at restaurants, or whatever...

[itsjb1]

Add 1 more Gaudi building to Day 1. Casa Guell , on a street just off the Ramlas opened in May or June of 2011, after many years of renovation. Very interesting buiding, with colorful funky chimneys on the roof.

[Hlitner]

I am going to politely disagree with a few of the posts that say spending 7 days in Barcelona is fine. We have been to Barcelona more then a dozen times and, although we do enjoy the charms of the city, would have a tough time justifying a week in that city when one has the opportunity to expand their horizons to other parts of Spain or France in the same time frame. One argument about spending lots of time in one place is that you do not see what is outside that small world. For example, we had spend several months in Spain and Italy until we happened to spend a couple of days in San Sebastian. San Sebastian was not on my personal "short list" but we really enjoyed that city (more then Barcelona). I guess this is what makes some of us more adventurous then others. We know folks that have spent their vacations (for over 30 years) at the same place on the Jersey Shore. They see no need to go anywhere else. But we have this drive to see what is over the "next hill" which is why we have visited more then 80 countries. There is no right or wrong.....it is just your personal philosophy and spirt of adventure. But we think that for folks who have not traveled in a region, it is good to get out and around and see the options. Then perhaps on a future trip you might say "we really like this place and want to spend some time here." We recently did just that thing in St Remy, France where we rented a "flat" for a two week stay. But that only happened after several trips to that region (Provence) when we realized that we wanted to spend some real time in that place.

 

Hank

[vacation fool]

I am by no means a world traveler, but having just returned a few months ago from our first ever European trip, I have to agree that a week in Barcelona would be overkill. We spent two full days and nites and saw a great deal. (a half day tour to montserrat one day and a full city tour the next)

I would ask you-have you ever been there before? If not, then i agree with Hank that you should expand your horizons (and maybe pocketbook ha ha) by spending a few days there and then move on to have the opportunity to have another experience. If you have been there before and fell in love with Barcelona then i can understand your decision. I personally am so glad that we spent a few days in different places (paris, venice, barcelona plus the cruise ports) because it allowed us to figure out which places really touched our heart. We are planning a return trip next year to revisit those places with longer visits. Good luck :)

[Can'tstopcruising]

Last year, we unexpectly spent 2 weeks in Barcelona. We loved it!

 

It really depends on your travel style. We love to park ourselves in one place and really get to feel the pulse of the area. Besides visiting most of the sites, we did a few day trips and spent time just walking, exploring and seeing what we could find. There were a few things we missed and would do the next time (hopefully!).

 

It it's your first time in Spain and you do not see yourself returning, I suppose you could do a little of this city and a little of that. Keep in mind the time spent travelling from place to place.

 

Whatever you decide, enjoy!

[SuiteTraveler]

Last year' date=' we unexpectly spent 2 weeks in Barcelona. We loved it!

 

It really depends on your travel style. We love to park ourselves in one place and really get to feel the pulse of the area. Besides visiting most of the sites, we did a few day trips and spent time just walking, exploring and seeing what we could find. There were a few things we missed and would do the next time (hopefully!).

 

It it's your first time in Spain and you do not see yourself returning, I suppose you could do a little of this city and a little of that. Keep in mind the time spent travelling from place to place.

 

Whatever you decide, enjoy![/quote']

 

I have to agree with you. A couple of days in Barcelona won't cut it. You would get no real sense of how really great this city is, plus there are so many extraordinary restaurants - you couldn't possibly scratch the surface in a couple of days. Barcelona is definitely worth at least 1 week to two weeks to even begin to understand what is there.

[Turtles06]

I am by no means a world traveler, but having just returned a few months ago from our first ever European trip, I have to agree that a week in Barcelona would be overkill.

 

I agree as well. When I saw the title of this thread my immediate reaction was: I can't imagine spending seven days in Barcelona. Yes, I'm probably in the minority here; it's a lovely city, and my partner and I enjoyed the three days we spent there last year pre-Med cruise, but it didn't "grab us" as a place we'd like to go back to or spend much more time in. Now, seven days in Paris... where do we sign up? :)

[vacation fool]

Now, seven days in Paris... where do we sign up? :)

 

lol, or venice or florence ;)

[pollux]

I can spend 6 hours just sitting on the bench at the Ramblas people watching.

Off course been to Bacelona may times but never get enough off the crowd at Las Ramblas.

[Desert Cruizers]

Priddiscats which sailing are you on, would that be the LOS October 29, 2011 sailing. If so, please come join our Roll Call. Will provide you the Link in case that is your sailing.http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1424050&page=129