We found a low airfare from Athens to Oakland that entails an 18 hour layover in Barcelona - arriving at 5 pm and departing at 11 am. We're trying to figure out the best means of transportation to and from the airport, where our hotel would best be located to capitalize on the tourist sites and also ease of getting back to the airport at 9 am (on a Sunday), where we should eat dinner and what one or two sites we could squeeze in? Thanks for your input!
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
12036 posts
Might be best to put this in "Spain", not 'Italy'
Sure hope you got a super deal on the airfare.
Posted by
Washington DC
28437 posts
What time of year will this be? That will have a massive effect on when it gets dark.
The aerobus from the airport runs very frequently, but I believe taxis are not very expensive, especially since there are two of you. Enric can probably provide details.
The aerobus terminates at Placa Catalunya, which is a very convenient location for lodgings, being a short walk from both the Barri Gotic medieval district and the modernista sights concentrated in the Eixample. However, with the short time you have, you could budget for taxis and stay in a different area. The Metro is very useful, but you won't see anything while underground, and you will have very few hours of daylight. It will probably be close to 7 PM, if not later, by the time you get to your hotel.
Fortunately for you, Barcelona eats late; you'll be able to walk into a (not fully reserved) eating establishment at 11 PM and get dinner. In the meantime, I'd take advantage of any remaining sunlight to do exterior sightseeing, concentrating on La Sagrada Familia, the Block of Discord, La Pedrera/Casa Mila and the Barri Gotic (which will be hopping after dark, I assume). You can also consider the Magic Fountain at the base of Montjuic.
I believe two of the Gaudi sites (Casa Mila and Casa Batllo) have evening hours, but even then you probably cannot just walk up and buy a ticket for immediate entry. The tickets are quite expensive (over €20 per person), and you wouldn't know what time to choose as your entry time, what with the vagaries of air transportation. And doing justice to one of those sites takes about 90 minites, so I think walk-by sightseeing is the best way to go.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Post this in Spain, not Italy.