Limited Time in Barcelona - What to do?

[MattnDJsMom]

Hi Everyone,

 

Our flight lands in Barcelona @ 9:15 a.m. and our ship doesn't sail until 5:00 p.m. I assume it is too early to go straight to the port from the airport.

Do we have time to see anything in Barcelona before heading to the port??

 

We would appreciate any suggestions.

 

Thanks so much!

[papcx]

Hi Mom.

 

Barcelona's a great city. We'll defiantly be going back at some point.

 

Walk las Ramblas, soak up the atmosphere!

 

Have a coffee,

 

 

Or a beer!

 

 

A great way to start a cruise.

[MeHeartCruising]

Your 9:15 arrival actually isn't all that early to go directly to the port. We landed at 8:30 and went directly there by taxi. We arrived around 9:30 after we got luggage and the taxi. By 10:00 they took our luggage. By 10:30 we were in the building waiting to board. By 11:30 or so, we were on board.

 

But, you could probably drop your bags off and go back into town to sightsee some. That was our plan. However, we found ourselves tired from the overnight flight and did not have the energy to venture back out that morning (it was very hot in July).

Edited January 28, 2014 by MeHeartCruising

[MattnDJsMom]

Thanks so much!! I am sure we will be tired from the flight as well but just wanted to know what our options were. :)

[RollieUK]

You could book a car with one of the private transport companies to meet you at the airport and ask them to give you a short tour around the city on the way to the port.

 

Of course, you will not see anything in detail or inside anywhere but at least you will get a flavour of the city.

Edited January 29, 2014 by RollieUK

[Turtles06]

You could book a car with one of the private transport companies to meet you at the airport and ask them to give you a short tour around the city on the way to the port.

 

Of course, you will not see anything in detail or inside anywhere but at least you will get a flavour of the city.

 

I think this is an excellent idea, unless you just want to go straight to the ship and unwind. It's about a half hour from the airport to "downtown" Barcelona, and you'll need transport from the airport in any event. Barcelona Day Tours in fact offers a short tour from the airport before dropping you at the ship. (We haven't used them yet, but they get high marks on here. We are booked with them for a tour this fall, and they've been very easy to deal with.)

 

http://www.barcelonadaytours.com/barcelona-airport-tour/

 

Have a great trip!

[dolittle]

In Oct we landed around the same time took the Aero bus (4euros) to the top of Las Ramblas slowly walked all the way down to the water sat down had some great adult slushess. It was so nice we just sat there with our bags (the kind that roll) and took it all in ,walked to the port bus (about 200 yards) paid our 2 euros got to the ship around 3:00 P.M. no line ,no wait bought our 2 bottles of wine and walked on the ship ,room was ready. Best embark ever.All thanks to the info from this site.

Edited January 30, 2014 by dolittle

[travlergirlkv]

Hello everyone,

I will be traveling to Barcelona in May with family and going on the Norweigan Epic Cruise on May 25th. I will be arriving two days early so that we can appreciate the city however my question is especially for those seasoned travelers who has been in this part of this world to provide some advice. It appears the flights have been very $$$, I have seen tickets from $1330 to 1500 (and this appears to be the price). I am not sure to purchase the airfares now or closer to the departure date, however I am concern it may increase.

Another question is, that the ship docks at 0600am and if I book a flight for 1025 am would that be cutting it close or will it be possible to get there at least by 0800am?

Information I gathered is that the airport is 20KM which is 12 miles away from port. If we port by 0600 will customers be able to disembark immediately after? Please help....

The threads on Europe's cruises have been very informative especially with dealing with the Euros, using the ATM's, contacting ones own banks. This is going to be exciting trip.

Thanks

Kimberly

[BigJon]

Hi Everyone,

 

Our flight lands in Barcelona @ 9:15 a.m. and our ship doesn't sail until 5:00 p.m. I assume it is too early to go straight to the port from the airport.

Do we have time to see anything in Barcelona before heading to the port??

 

We would appreciate any suggestions.

 

Thanks so much!

 

Now let me start off by saying, I haven't been to Barcelona.....yet! I have a Disney Cruise in May, and it ends in Barcelona, and I have a few hours before my flight leaves. So I've been doing a lot of research on what to do in Barcelona. I would recommend (like a previous poster) to go straight to the ship via a taxi. Then you could drop off your luggage at the ship, and then take a blue bus (from the port to the Columbus statue). Near the Columbus statue, you could do a Hop on Hop off bus tour. This tour lasts about 2 hours (if you ride it straight thru). and you can get off whenever you like, and then you can get off back near the port......jonathan

[MattnDJsMom]

Thank you so much!! This is exactly what I was looking for!! Hopefully we won't be too tired from the trip over!! Thanks again!!!

 

 

I think this is an excellent idea, unless you just want to go straight to the ship and unwind. It's about a half hour from the airport to "downtown" Barcelona, and you'll need transport from the airport in any event. Barcelona Day Tours in fact offers a short tour from the airport before dropping you at the ship. (We haven't used them yet, but they get high marks on here. We are booked with them for a tour this fall, and they've been very easy to deal with.)

 

http://www.barcelonadaytours.com/barcelona-airport-tour/

 

Have a great trip!

[MattnDJsMom]

Thanks everyone! We really appreciate your feedback. Glad to know that it isn't too early to go to the port in case we just want to rest.

 

Happy Sailing!!!

Maureen

[Hlitner]

Hi Everyone,

 

Our flight lands in Barcelona @ 9:15 a.m. and our ship doesn't sail until 5:00 p.m. I assume it is too early to go straight to the port from the airport.

Do we have time to see anything in Barcelona before heading to the port??

 

We would appreciate any suggestions.

 

Thanks so much!

 

Ok, so here is what you do (and yes, we have been to Barcelona many many times). Assuming your plane lands on time (these days it is never a good bet) it will take you around an hour before you will be off the plane, through immigration, have your luggage, and are ready to go. At that point just go outside and grab a taxi to the port. You are going to pay in Euros, so if you do not have Euros make sure to get a bunch at one of the airport ATMs.

 

Take the taxi directly to the port (this should cost about 32-38 Euros) and by the time you arrive it will be nearly 11am. You can then check your luggage and we would suggest just waiting until you can board so you can dump your carry-on valuables safetly in your cabin. At that point, if you still have the energy, you can go over to the Ramblas (or anywhere else high on your priority meter). You have several ways to get into town including walking (it takes about 25 min from ship to the base of the Ramblas), shuttle bus (the price varies depending on the cruise line), taxi or the local bus which stops right across from the port (assuming you are tied-up at the main cruise port).

 

You will probably need to be back on board before 4 since you must attend the boat drill. So this means you would have to head back to the port no later then 3:30 (and we are assuming you would grab a taxi). This means you will likely have no more then 3 hours to enjoy Barcelona which really limits your options. Our recommendation would be to simply go to the Ramblas, walk along this wonderful pedestrian street (take strict precautions against pick pockets and purse snatchers) and just soak up the atmosphere. If you decide to sit at one of the cafes make sure you check the prices (before you sit) as some of the cafes can have ridiculous prices while others are quite reasonable.

 

Hank

[Pet Nit Noy]

Hi Everyone,

 

Our flight lands in Barcelona @ 9:15 a.m. and our ship doesn't sail until 5:00 p.m. I assume it is too early to go straight to the port from the airport.

Do we have time to see anything in Barcelona before heading to the port??

 

We would appreciate any suggestions.

 

Thanks so much!

 

You've already gotten responses reassuring you that you'll have time to see a bit of Barcelona itself. However, those replies have focused on seeing La Ramblas. There's no middle ground about La Ramblas; it's got as many detractors as cheerleaders. Do yourself a favor and do some research about what matters most to you in Barcelona. Food? Gaudi's architecture? History? Then come back to this board for detailed suggestions as to how to scratch your particular itch.

 

For example...

 

... you could satisfy your food interest by visiting the Boqueria Market -- sightseeing among the food stalls and eating at the little counters scattered throughout the market -- just a half block off La Rambla.

 

You could book a timed entrance into Sagrada Familia in advance.

 

http://sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/docs_serveis/infoTarifesInd.php

 

Just accept the fact that you will be tired from an overnight flight, but that you'll make the time zone adjustment faster if you walk, especially in the sunlight, than if you sit in in the waiting room or nap onboard the ship.

[BCNWriter]

@MattnDJsMom

 

I'm glad you want to sneak into the city for a few hours. It's an amazing place. My wife and I are from Florida, but we've been living in BCN for six months now and we love it.

 

Some creative ideas (some of which have been mentioned) are:

 

1. Take a free walking tour with Runner Bean Tours. They give great tours through the Gothic Quarter, which is right smack in the middle of Barcelona's Old City. The tours last about 2 hours. You can go to their website and book a spot in advance. Guides take donations at the end of the tour.

 

2. Stop into La Boqueria market. It's quite an experience, partly because it's jam-packed with people, and partly because it's jam-packed with the bright colors and lively aromas of Barcelona life. Pick up some tasty fruit cups if you want the tourist experience. Snag some cones of cured meat or small bags of olives if you want to eat like a Spaniard.

 

3. See Sagrada Familia. The church is as amazing as people say it is. You won't forget it!

 

I suggest doing two of the three...it will give you time to experience the city without feeling rushed.

 

If you have any questions, you can message me or shoot me an email at james.duren at gmail . com.

 

-J.R.

Barcelona Experience

[ref303]

BCN Writer,

 

I am planning to arrive in Barcelona in April & would like to spend 4-6 weeks there & visiting other cities in a reasonable economic manner. What are your best suggestions?:confused:

[BCNWriter]

BCN Writer,

 

I am planning to arrive in Barcelona in April & would like to spend 4-6 weeks there & visiting other cities in a reasonable economic manner. What are your best suggestions?:confused:

@ref303, good to hear from you! The weather is pretty awesome in April...not to cold, not too hot. With 4-6 weeks to explore the area, you can get a lot accomplished. What other cities do you plan on visiting?

 

I don't know much about other cities in Spain, as most of my experience and research pertains to Catalunya. I'll say this, in response to you asking for my best suggestions:

 

1. Give yourself time to enjoy Barcelona. It's a beautiful, multi-faceted city that deserves at least a good week. Get yourself a metro pass (30,50, or 70 trips depending on how long you are staying).

 

2. One of the easiest ways is to break down the city into its cultural chunks: art, food, sea and mountains, shopping and history. There's plenty to see and experience in each of these categories.

 

3. Enjoy Catalonia. Tarragona and Sitges to the south, along with Girona, Besalu, Tossa del Mar and Figueres to the north are great cities to visit.

 

4. If you are interested in driving around Catalonia, car rentals are pretty cheap. Www.rentalcars.com is a great site that we use all the time. Buy insurance on the car through rentalcars.com and you'll be set.

 

5. As far as sites: Sagrada Familia, Montjuic and Tibidabo are great, and they're all accessible by public transportation. Poble Sec is a great neighbrhood for delicious, non-touristy tapas. The rambla in Poble Nou is also a non-toursity, up-and-coming area in Barcelona you should visit.

 

I don't want to bog you down too much. If you have any more questions, just ask. As for transportation, my wife and I pretty much are experts and we can help you with finding the fastest routes to places in the city.

 

-BCNWriter

[MattnDJsMom]

Thank you so much James. These are great ideas. We still haven't decided what we are going to do yet. As much as I would love to see Barcelona, we will be so busy exploring new places on our cruise that we may just need to rest before we continue on our journey.

 

@MattnDJsMom

 

I'm glad you want to sneak into the city for a few hours. It's an amazing place. My wife and I are from Florida, but we've been living in BCN for six months now and we love it.

 

Some creative ideas (some of which have been mentioned) are:

 

1. Take a free walking tour with Runner Bean Tours. They give great tours through the Gothic Quarter, which is right smack in the middle of Barcelona's Old City. The tours last about 2 hours. You can go to their website and book a spot in advance. Guides take donations at the end of the tour.

 

2. Stop into La Boqueria market. It's quite an experience, partly because it's jam-packed with people, and partly because it's jam-packed with the bright colors and lively aromas of Barcelona life. Pick up some tasty fruit cups if you want the tourist experience. Snag some cones of cured meat or small bags of olives if you want to eat like a Spaniard.

 

3. See Sagrada Familia. The church is as amazing as people say it is. You won't forget it!

 

I suggest doing two of the three...it will give you time to experience the city without feeling rushed.

 

If you have any questions, you can message me or shoot me an email at james.duren at gmail . com.

 

-J.R.

Barcelona Experience

[nickie2000]

ok now as for your flight ow $1300 and more that is expensive, i live in canada usually travel in september and when i did spain paid $1000.00 so i personally don't think it will go higher chances are maybe it will come lower i don't know how long your willing to wait to booke the flight,,,my thought as for the return you ask for early disembarkation its a 30 minute drive to airport by cab so if you off ship between 7-7;30 you'll be at airport by 8;00 that's 2 1/2 hours cutting it close but doable,, i would personally if there's a flight book it for 11;00 11;30 but if not 10;30 ur safe but u must be off ship ASAP lol enjoy

[nickie2000]

was our first day 3 hours after checking into our hotel walking LA RAMBLAS we got robbed... so just beware,, they even snatch cameras off your shoulders so carry something very cheap,, no purse everything carry in front of your chest.. they are quick and work in groups but besides that its a beautiful city to visit...