Anyone use Barcelona Day Tours?

[joycedeer]

I posted the following review for Barcelona Day Tours and I wanted to share it:

 

I want to thank you for making our vacation stay in Barcelona so memorable. We came in a day early for our Mediterranean cruise, and we met two of your drivers - one at the airport and one at the hotel to take us to the cruise ship. I am very sorry I am not good with names, but they were so professional, courteous and caring. They got our bags quickly loaded and got us on our way. The same for our driver to the airport at the end of our stay. All of them talked to us and made us feel welcome, and explained things we were passing on the way. We also had two drivers with our tours who I think spoke less English (but didn't have to, because we had guides with us) but they were also friendly and smiling.

 

We did the Barcelona City Tour and Montserrat. Dolze picked us up at the cruise ship and we spent the day with her. I admit I was tired after a week of cruising and didn't make the best use of the day (slept in the van a lot!) but my grandsons loved it even more. Montserrat was beautiful, the scenery there was amazing, and our guide Dolze had just the right amount of free time, mixed with guide time, to satisfy us. The walk in the city was a little much for me, as I don't walk as much, but I was the only one who felt that way - everyone else had a great time walking around Sangria Familia and in the city around it. At the park Guell, I sat while my grandsons saw the park, and came away with many opinions about the artist. Dolze was good to tell me when I could sit, and then she met me back at that spot, as I had requested less strenuous activity in some places. She was very friendly, offered many opinions about politics and city life (after requested from us), and was quite charming. She was an English teacher who worked on the weekends, and her English was impeccable. We had no problem understanding everything she said. This was a very enjoyable day, even if we were very tired! There were about 11 in the tour - a small and friendly group of strangers.

 

Two days later, we had a tour to Girona and Costa Brava. It was to be a shared tour, but there were just the four of us (myself and three grandsons), because of the timing in the week, I am sure. What a DAY! We had Marta, and we we quite in love with her by the end of the day. She took us on a walking tour of a city in the Costa Brava (remember, I had just told you I couldn't walk so much) but the pace was quiet, the air was fresh, and we stopped frequently for 'information' (I am sure, her excuse to let me breath without calling attention to it!). We even stopped at a few shops where she pointed out some artisan crafts I was looking for, walking me past the cheap tourist things and showing me the quality ones I was looking for. I got a Spanish handpainted fan, which I will treasure, and a blown-glass olive oil decanter from some shops not on the main strip. Then we walked to the beach, and she took the boys up to the Roman fort and ruins while I enjoyed the fresh sea air. We then walked back to the bus. I walked over two miles that day and never felt winded - I loved it! Then we went to Girona - I loved this city! We went to the old section, walked all around and she told us all the traditions. We kissed the lioness's rear end so we could become Girona citizens, walked over the bridges, and ate in a lovely pasta restaurant that had great food at a good price, with a nice atmosphere. All through it all, Marta kept a running commentary of the history of the places we saw, threw in extra tidbits, and we even had a great discussion (at my request) about the politics of the region, the monarchy and presidency, and how their government and economy is. This was so interesting that we (including the three teenage grandsons) watched the Presidential debates on TV that night, which we may not have done otherwise. In 19 days of travel, including Naples, Florence, Pisa, Rome and other places, the day in Girona and Costa Brava was our favorite day, and we want you to know what a JEWEL you have in Marta!

 

One thing I noticed with both tours, Marta and Dolze knew the way to prevent crowds, went to the spots that filled up really early, and as we were leaving, we would see masses of people starting to fill us - we were impressed that they knew how to get us the most tour in the least crowded way, and we appreciated that. We also noted that you had new, clean, top of the line vehicles that were very nicely maintained.

 

All in all, we would use Barcelona Day Tours, (and any other city you work with) ANY time we come back to Europe. We appreciated the memories you added to our trip, as a grandmother and her teenage grandsons - a memory we will always treasure. Thank you again!

[Surrealistic]

I can't say enough positive things about BDT. We were met at the port in a timely fashion and toured in a very comfortable van with Danae and Jose. The tour was fabulous. When toward the end of the tour, I had an unexpected asthma attack, they were concerned and went above & beyond, making sure I got safely to my hotel and offering to get a Dr or meds for me. I would not hesitate to book them.

[LzyCruiser_NWA]

Just finished a tour with Barcelona Day tours with Christian as our driver.

 

Christian was very prompt and extremely great in all aspect of the tour. The day in Barcelona was great and we even got to go to a flower shop as an extra before we got back to the ship.

 

He dropped us as close as possible to all the sights and was there waiting for when we are back.

 

Thanks again to the BDT team and Christian for making our day in Barcelona unforgettable one.

[Chocolate Teapot]

I have taken a full day tour to Monserrat and Barcelona with Barcelona Day Tours and cannot fault their service. Several years ago, I also did a half day tour with transfer to the port which was an excellent introduction to the city and ensured I (and my luggage!) got to the right place at the end.

 

On this tour, the pick-up was slightly delayed due to a no-show. Nevertheless, I was kept informed and given some idea of when the minibus would be arriving and Marta, the guide, was extremely apologetic. She was very interesting, providing lots of anecdotes and small details about the places the group was visiting (Parc Guell, Montjuic, the Gaudi houses). I would certainly use Barcelona Day Tours again.

[CRUISEBOY305]

I have taken a full day tour to Monserrat and Barcelona with Barcelona Day Tours and cannot fault their service. Several years ago, I also did a half day tour with transfer to the port which was an excellent introduction to the city and ensured I (and my luggage!) got to the right place at the end.

 

 

 

On this tour, the pick-up was slightly delayed due to a no-show. Nevertheless, I was kept informed and given some idea of when the minibus would be arriving and Marta, the guide, was extremely apologetic. She was very interesting, providing lots of anecdotes and small details about the places the group was visiting (Parc Guell, Montjuic, the Gaudi houses). I would certainly use Barcelona Day Tours again.

 

 

Thank you for sharing your experience

 

 

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[SandyR5]

We just returned from our 9 day Celebrity cruise to the Med. The cruise started in Barcelona where we overnighted. We arranged for Barcelona Day Tours to pick us up at 8:30 a.m. on our 2nd day since we knew we would be jet lagged the first day. We had an amazing day. Since we were a group of 14 strangers, we had a guide and driver. 14 friends ended the tour at 12:30. Our guide Elena, couldn't be more delightful, informative and experienced. Our driver, Fran, was professional and did a fantastic job safely delivering us to all the sites. It was a really great day. We were picked up on time and returned on time. Couldn't ask for more. I highly recommend them. :)

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We just got back from a 12 day Mediterranean Cruise with Disney, and we used Barcelona Day Tours on the day we arrived to Barcelona. They picked us up at the airport, and took us around Barcelona. We opted to go inside La Sagrada Familia, so I prepurchased the tickets. We had a private tour, just my husband and I. We could have made a 2 euro deposit, 1 euro a piece, but we asked if we could pay the whole thing up front, as we wanted to save our spending money while there.

 

Oscar picked us up at the airport, and drove us around, showing us the sites, stopping and sending us off to get pictures, and telling us to take our time. We spent as much time as we wanted at La Sagrada Familia, it may have cut into the tour later, but it was so worth it. We learned so much about Barcelona, and Gaudi, and where to go to eat.

 

When our tour was done, Oscar dropped us off at our hotel, and we went and took a nap (we'd been up for 48 hours at that point), we set an alarm, and work up at 5pm, and went to Las Ramblas for dinner, a place we had seen on the tour, and walked around and ate. We walked around a bit more, headed back to the hotel, and crashed, and then woke up and headed out to the cruise the next morning.

 

Highly recommend Barcelona Day Tours. They are amazing.

Thank you for the wonderful review. We have three tours booked with Spain Day Tours (which I believe is also Barcelona Day Tours?) in October. I have heard mostly good reviews.:)

[BPCruiser]

is Barcelona Day Tours the same as Spain day Tours?.

 

We have 3 full days pre-Cruise in Barcelona not counting our arrival day.

 

Any recommendations from those of you who have spent time in Barcelona previously as how to distribute our sightseeing time to maximize the visit.

Many of the Tours offered by this company are outside of the City which would take up much of a full day. Your thoughts and recommendations are welcomed.

 

Thanks!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

is Barcelona Day Tours the same as Spain day Tours?.

 

We have 3 full days pre-Cruise in Barcelona not counting our arrival day.

 

Any recommendations from those of you who have spent time in Barcelona previously as how to distribute our sightseeing time to maximize the visit.

Many of the Tours offered by this company are outside of the City which would take up much of a full day. Your thoughts and recommendations are welcomed.

 

Thanks!

I do believe it is the same company. We will also have 3 full days pre-cruise dedicated to Barcelona. (Total 4 nights) Here are our plans in Barcelona:

 

Day 1 Wednesday- (Arrival Day) -11:30 AM Arrival - taxi to apartment, drop off luggage and go find some lunch. Take a nap until evening, dinner with friends who have already arrived the previous day.

 

Day 2 Thursday -Early Access Tour of La Sagrada Familia arranged through Viator. HOHO bus tour (tickets pre-purchased through Viator). Flamenco dinner show with friends through Spain Day Tours.

 

Day 3 Friday - Cab to Park Guell where we have 9:30 AM guided tour (purchased already through Park Guell website). HOHO bus for remainder of day.

 

Day 4 Saturday - Apartment hosts are taking us on a tour of Montserrat and nearby towns/winery. Late dinner when we return to Barcelona. Barcelona (Spain) Day Tours offers similar tours.

 

Day 5 Sunday - cab to ship

 

We are on the TA Harmony cruise leaving Barcelona on October 23. I will be happy to report how all of this worked out when we return.:)

Edited August 24, 2016 by Sunny AZ Girl

[BPCruiser]

I do believe it is the same company. We will also have 3 full days pre-cruise dedicated to Barcelona. (Total 4 nights) Here are our plans in Barcelona:

 

Day 1 Wednesday- (Arrival Day) -11:30 AM Arrival - taxi to apartment, drop off luggage and go find some lunch. Take a nap until evening, dinner with friends who have already arrived the previous day.

 

Day 2 Thursday -Early Access Tour of La Sagrada Familia arranged through Viator. HOHO bus tour (tickets pre-purchased through Viator). Flamenco dinner show with friends through Spain Day Tours.

 

Day 3 Friday - Cab to Park Guell where we have 9:30 AM guided tour (purchased already through Park Guell website). HOHO bus for remainder of day.

 

Day 4 Saturday - Apartment hosts are taking us on a tour of Montserrat and nearby towns/winery. Late dinner when we return to Barcelona. Barcelona (Spain) Day Tours offers similar tours.

 

Day 5 Sunday - cab to ship

 

We are on the TA Harmony cruise leaving Barcelona on October 23. I will be happy to report how all of this worked out when we return.:)

 

Hi Ginny, Thanks for the itinerary info. Very helpful for ideas to plan our pre-cruise visit. I will be most interested in your reviews or thoughts about your pre-cruise time in Barcelona upon your return.

 

Have you had good luck with Viator tours? We have never used them.

 

Thanks again!

[BPCruiser]

Looking for ideas and recommendations from those who have visited some of the Spain Ports we will see on our cruise May 2017. Many of these places look beautiful outside of the Port arrival cities but don't want to spend the majority of our time on a long Bus ride to get to a destination unless it is worth it for the beauty and history. would love some Guidance to make the best of our 1st time to all these Ports of Spain. Thanks!!

 

Cartagena: is there enough to see in Cartagena independently from the Port or would you recommend a Guided Tour to include time in Murcia & Cartagena?

 

Malaga: Stay in the Port independently or Guided Tour to Granada and the Alhambra Palace?

 

Cadiz: Stay in Cadiz and walk around independently or Tour excursion to Seville/ Alcazar.

 

Lisbon: We will definitely take a Guided Tour, much to see.

 

Oporto: Recommendations??

 

La Coruna: Recommendations??

 

Bilbao: Recommendations??

[kazu]

is Barcelona Day Tours the same as Spain day Tours?.

 

We have 3 full days pre-Cruise in Barcelona not counting our arrival day.

 

Any recommendations from those of you who have spent time in Barcelona previously as how to distribute our sightseeing time to maximize the visit.

Many of the Tours offered by this company are outside of the City which would take up much of a full day. Your thoughts and recommendations are welcomed.

 

Thanks!

 

Yes, they are the same company.

 

With a bit of research, you can easily do Barcelona on your own for the most part. Purchase Sagrada Familia tickets on line (no intermediary necessary), etc.

 

Make sure you have some time to explore the Gothic area - so wonderful and of course, the necessary walk down Las Ramblas. The flowers, mimes, birds and people are all wonderful.

 

The only time we have arranged for a tour was a basic transfer to Montserrat. (Very good ;) ).

 

Barcelona is a lovely city - so many places to see, make sure you take time to enjoy and savour the flavour ;)

[BPCruiser]

Anyone have some experience and recommendations on seeing an authentic Flamenco Show or Dinner/Show in Barcelona. We have some pre-cruise nights and were considering this as an option. Book directly or through a Tour Company?

 

From our past experiences, sometimes the meals with the shows are not always the best (i.e.:Moulin Rouge in Paris, loved the show but not the meal).

 

We can go either route. Thanks or your thoughts!

[BPCruiser]

Yes, they are the same company.

 

With a bit of research, you can easily do Barcelona on your own for the most part. Purchase Sagrada Familia tickets on line (no intermediary necessary), etc.

 

Make sure you have some time to explore the Gothic area - so wonderful and of course, the necessary walk down Las Ramblas. The flowers, mimes, birds and people are all wonderful.

 

The only time we have arranged for a tour was a basic transfer to Montserrat. (Very good ;) ).

 

Barcelona is a lovely city - so many places to see, make sure you take time to enjoy and savour the flavour ;)

Hi Kazu, Thanks for your thoughts.

 

I gather a visit to Montserrat is highly advisable in your recommendation. If we don't arrange through a Tour Company, what other options for this do we have as far as transportation to get there? Will a trip here take up most of 1 day or could we do a combo tour of 1/2 day City Highlights of Barcelona/ 1/2 day in Montserrat?

 

I was also told not to miss a visit to Park Guell and to buy our entrance tickets ahead of time. Have you been here as well?

[kazu]

Hi Kazu, Thanks for your thoughts.

 

I gather a visit to Montserrat is highly advisable in your recommendation. If we don't arrange through a Tour Company, what other options for this do we have as far as transportation to get there? Will a trip here take up most of 1 day or could we do a combo tour of 1/2 day City Highlights of Barcelona/ 1/2 day in Montserrat?

 

I was also told not to miss a visit to Park Guell and to buy our entrance tickets ahead of time. Have you been here as well?

 

We really enjoyed Montserrat - you can easily do it in about 5 hours and leaves plenty of time for other things. We used a company that I found thanks to a post by a trusted CC member. Since then, they have merged with another company so I am not sure if the pricing would be as good as it was then.

 

They dropped us off and were waiting for us at the end. It was very reasonable and a fabulous time. You could certainly combo it with a highlights tour if you wanted and can arrange for a tour with both for sure. Just be sure that you are going to have time to see Montserrat. You need to wait to get into the Church and if you want in the upper portion, you do need tickets.

 

Of course, you can take public transportation to get to Montserrat and then the cable car/alternate. The problem is the time (waits, etc.) so we opted for a private transfer.

 

Park Guell is interesting and many love it. Definitely get your tickets in advance and print them off (similar to Sagrada). A taxi can get you there easily.

 

Hope this helps ;)

[kazu]

Anyone have some experience and recommendations on seeing an authentic Flamenco Show or Dinner/Show in Barcelona. We have some pre-cruise nights and were considering this as an option. Book directly or through a Tour Company?

 

From our past experiences, sometimes the meals with the shows are not always the best (i.e.:Moulin Rouge in Paris, loved the show but not the meal).

 

We can go either route. Thanks or your thoughts!

 

 

Caveat - the Flamenco in Barcelona is not as good as the Flamenco you will find in Andalusia (IMO). There are two key places for Flamenco in Barcelona - one is outside (but they will pick you up from the hotel and return you) and the other is on Las Ramblas.

 

It was a couple of years apart when we tried the two different ones, but of the two, we preferred the one on Las Ramblas. You can book either one of them on line with no intermediary required ;). If you skip the food, the seats are not as good (again, our experience). We did do the food for the one on Las Ramblas and it was actually quite good. There was some decent Spanish food and tipico tourist food as well. Performance was o.k. Our friends thought it was fantastic.

 

Keep in mind that we are Flamenco fanatics so we are a tad fussy. But, although a tad touristy, it was pretty good. The show was worth the money IMO and choices are very limited in this part of Spain.

 

If you are visiting another spot in Spain - Heulva, Cadiz, Seville you will find some outstanding Flamenco.

[BPCruiser]

Caveat - the Flamenco in Barcelona is not as good as the Flamenco you will find in Andalusia (IMO). There are two key places for Flamenco in Barcelona - one is outside (but they will pick you up from the hotel and return you) and the other is on Las Ramblas.

 

It was a couple of years apart when we tried the two different ones, but of the two, we preferred the one on Las Ramblas. You can book either one of them on line with no intermediary required ;). If you skip the food, the seats are not as good (again, our experience). We did do the food for the one on Las Ramblas and it was actually quite good. There was some decent Spanish food and tipico tourist food as well. Performance was o.k. Our friends thought it was fantastic.

 

Keep in mind that we are Flamenco fanatics so we are a tad fussy. But, although a tad touristy, it was pretty good. The show was worth the money IMO and choices are very limited in this part of Spain.

 

If you are visiting another spot in Spain - Heulva, Cadiz, Seville you will find some outstanding Flamenco.

 

Thanks for the info. If we are going to see a Flamenco Dinner/show it will have to be while we are in Barcelona pre-cruise as we do not have any overnights in any of our other Ports once on the cruise. Do you by any chance remember the name of the Flamenco Dinner Show that you enjoyed on Las Ramblas?

[zoncom]

These work well in BCN. 3 routes. 1day 25E/21 Seniors. 2 days 35/30.

[samavarcruiser]

I used the company last year in Oct and I was not happy with the service. they were late in picking us up from our hotel, the driver English was really poor and hard to understand. unfortunately I can not recommend them.

[kazu]

Thanks for the info. If we are going to see a Flamenco Dinner/show it will have to be while we are in Barcelona pre-cruise as we do not have any overnights in any of our other Ports once on the cruise. Do you by any chance remember the name of the Flamenco Dinner Show that you enjoyed on Las Ramblas?

 

Tablao Flamenco Cordobes. You may also want to check out the Palau Musica to see if there are any performances.

 

This link will give you a good starting point. We booked directly on the company's website, not this one for both shows (the other one was Carmen) but this will give you an idea of the choices....http://www.flamencotickets.com/barcelona-flamenco-shows

[BPCruiser]

Thank You again Kazu for your helpful recommendations.

 

 

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[BPCruiser]

We used Barcelona Day Tours for their 4 hour city tour (July 2016) and our experience was fantastic. They were on time, picked us up at our hotel and dropped us off at our cruise. The guide, Elena, was extremely knowledgable and very personable. We had enough time to see all the things we wanted to see (note this tour does not go inside the Sagrada Familia, but we got a good look around all sides of the outside and Elena explained all the architecture to us). I definitely recommend both the company and this tour. It's the perfect tour if you don't have a lot of time to see Barcelona. We definitely got a good feel for the city and Gaudi's works. Also, there was another family with kids on the tour with us, approx 6, 8 and 10 years old, and the tour was definitely kid friendly with Elena making sure the boys were included and felt welcome.

 

 

Good to hear your positive recommendation. We are looking to book them for some yours when we are there next May.

Thanks for your input! [emoji4]

 

 

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[TennisLover]

We just returned from a cruise that stopped in Barcelona on Sunday, 8/28. We booked the Barcelona City Tour and Montserrat. A few others on our ship did the same, though we didn't do it as a group. Still, it worked out perfectly.

 

We were picked up from the ship exactly when we were told. The guide was excellent and, as promised, we got back to the ship in plenty of time.

 

It was very comfortable -- I liked it better than doing a tour with a coach bus with the cruise line. Plus, it was more cost-effective.

 

I would definitely recommend this company with confidence.

[BPCruiser]

We will have 3 full pre cruise days in Barcelona and were considering the Gerona/ Costa Brava tour with Barcelona Day Tours.

Has anyone done this Tour to comment your thoughts on it?

I have heard lovely things about Gerona.

Would love feedback from anyone who had been there. Thanks

 

 

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[Afloat]

Our tour of Barcelona and Montserrat was excellent.

 

We were picked up at our hotel at the appropriate time. Our guide Marta was excellent. She was very personable and informative. By the end of the tour we felt that we had made a new friend. I appreciated her willingness to take pictures of us. The pace of the tour was good. It felt relaxed but still afforded us the time to see the sights in Barcelona. It was great to see Parc Guell and we enjoyed the photo stops at La Pedrera, Sagrada Famila, and Montjuic. Montserrat was beautiful and once again Marta's narrative was excellent. She even got us a close up view, from the side, of the Black Madonna without waiting on line. We wished we also had time to take the funicular but there was a line. The bus driver drove well and we felt safe.

 

It was also a pleasure to deal with Barcelona Day Tours.. Reservations were easy to make and the descriptions of the tour and instructions were clear. I appreciated that my questions were answered quickly. I felt the tour was a good value for the price.

 

Barcelona Day Tours really enhanced our visit to Barcelona. I highly recommend them. We look forward to returning.