Barcelona itinerary check

The Montjuic funicular is OK, but the Teleferic (cable car) is the outstanding thing, with its great views. The funicular takes you to the base of the cable car, so it's easy to do both.

Otherwise, sounds good! Of course everyone will have different priorities, but I think you're doing a lot of great things in the time you have, particularly since you (wisely) don't want to rush around and pack your days too tightly. Of things not on your list, I personally loved the MNAC and Casa Batllo, but you're doing other things I didn't, so it all evens out.

We really enjoyed Barcelona. We were there in December with a tour group so were able to see the highlights with the group. We did have a lot of free time and that is when we used the Hop On Hop Off Bus. We thought that was an easy way to get around. That might be a nice way to get around especially in the heat. Two day passes are available. If you like Guadi, you might consider Park Guell. You would need advance tickets for a timed admission. It was an uphill walk from the Hop On Hop Off Bus Stop. Have fun!

Waits for the hop-on/hop-off buses in the summer can be horrendous, though I assume it's not a common thing. I myself observed a line of what could have been 200 people at Plaza Catalunya. I'd plan to use public transportation instead, because it's likely to be more efficient.

My visit to Sant Pau did not coincide with an English-tour time, which I think was just once a day last year. I was perfectly happy just to look at the funky/glorious buildings and read the explanatory information posted in English, which seemed sufficient to me.

Although I would try to take the tour if returning to Barcelona, someone on this board posted recently that ther family didn't enjpy the sight. Much of the problem seemed to be that the guide for their tour spoke heavily-accented English that they had a hard time understanding, so I guess that's an additional factor to consider.

Just to clarify the situation on Montjuic: The Miro Museum is part way up, so you should do it after taking the funicular. I think you'll finf far more food options around the Picasso Museum, so I wouldn't plan to wait and eat on Montjuic. There's some sort of cafe in front of the MNAC, but I don't know whether it offers anything other than beverages.

Hi creevyie

Short bits and pieces:

Totally agree with Ann: hohos in summer can be horrendous... long queues at the stops are the norm, especially near key attractions. The service is quite well staffed and you have many buses, but still, the number of tourists in the city keeps growing and growing. So, I always advise against using hohos as means to get from A to B, not only they're always full but they're awfully expensive compared to any other public transportation means -which, for those coming from cities where these are no-go, over here are inexpensive, clean, efficient and safe... pretty much all Barcelonians use them. You can purchase a T-10 travel card offering you 10 journeys on metro/train/bus/tramway in the city for 10€, and if you prefer an all-day unlimited pass, the HolaBCN card for 2,3,4 or 5 days is also cheaper than a day or 2-day pass with the hoho. IMHO hohos are good for spending 3 or 4 hours driving thru the city so you get a better grip on where most attractions are and also a glimpse of those other attractions you won´t be able to visit due to lack of time. Also, they allow having a feeling on different neighbourhoods of the city.

I also concur on the option to visit Sant Pau on your own. This is a city well used to receive tourism so most places, especially attractions, have information panels in at least three languages: Catalan -the local language, Spanish and English, and sometimes also in French. I grant you that a tour visit always brings a different "view" on the attraction, but still...

In general terms, I think your schedule is well balanced and perfectly doable. When I travel I tend to have my bucket list A and my bucket list B, just in case I can't do something on A, or for when I end up having unexpected free time between different visits. Given the sheer number of things to see in Barcelona, I would suggest you do the same...

About funicular in Montjuïc: don't keep your expectations too high on this particular one, it's simply a means of transportation but has no impressive or special features or views. Also, talking about Montjuïc, as I've mentioned before, it's a hill full or museums, stadiums and parks but no residential nor commercial premises.

When exactly are you visiting in August? From 15th to 21st you have the Festes de Gràcia, a festival of one of the most iconic neighbourhoods of Barcelona. They celebrate this year the 200th anniversary of this festival which has been going on almost uninterruptedly since 1817. So if you're around, I'd plan for a visit to the area. The programme will not be online until it gets closer to the date, but the official site is here: http://www.festamajordegracia.cat/ Expect music, popular lunches, castellers and other traditional Catalan displays of heritage (ie. ball the bastons: http://infocatalonia.eu/w/Vs39y , correfocs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iXROi2CJn4 etc, also in a junior version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPvdnL77vfk ) Among other things to see, one of the most visited is the Street Decoration Contest in which several streets of the neighbourhood compete to obtain the prize to the best decoration. Everything is done by hand by the neighbours, no commercial brands or anything... that's precisely the point: neighbourly friendly competition. See a video of a previous year here: http://infocatalonia.eu/w/FZHgQ A drawback though is the number of visitors... expect lots of them. Ah yes, no tickets, no reservations needed, as most popular folk festivals here, everything is free to attend.

Expect heat, a lot of it and humidity so don't plan for a too tight schedule because you won't meet it. This year is bound to be one of the hottest for a long time, at the beginning of June we're having already typical days of August.

Enjoy!

We did a Devour Spain Food Tour in Seville. We loved it. They operate in Barcelona, too:

http://devourbarcelonafoodtours.com/

Hey. Nice job. Looks good. Have a great time.

Echoing others above ....
I'm not sure why anyone would bother with a HOHO bus, especially if you are staying centrally near Placa Catalunya. All major sights are within reasonable walking distance, with Sagrada Familia about 1 mile from Passeig de Gracia, and the foot of Montjuic a similar distance from Las Ramblas. Park Guell remains the only real exception, of course, and is quite a hike.

The 1€ city map sold by the tourist office (more complete than the free one) marks a lot of buildings with modernista exteriors. It's useful to check that as you're walking around, particularly in the Eixample area; you may find you're within a block of a building you can check out. Most are not open to the public, so you needn't feel bad about just walking by.

Thanks Harold – have added the cable car to my list! Experience has taught me to “stop and smell the roses” especially in the heat!

Thanks Rolanda – normally a big fan of HOHO but read a lot on this forum on the crowds in August so will probably skip it for this trip.

Thank you Ann (for the reply to my question and all your advice on this forum!) Wondered if Sant Pau would be OK without guide so thanks for the reassurance (also read the post on difficult to understand guide). Monjuic advice and 1€ city map duly noted :)

Thanks Enric! Will go with the T10 travel card and walking! Thanks to this forum I have plan B and C …. :D Will do my best to compensate for the heat with plenty of beverages! I read your previous post on Festes de Gràcia, and have persuaded my family to come back to Barcelona on the Friday so we can all enjoy this !

Thanks Bill – Tapas tour is now on Monday! Park Güell and MNAC are high up on my Plan B itinerary! Like the idea of wandering through the Barri Gotic without tour but we have had such fabulous walking tours in other cities that really enhanced our understanding of the city so will give RunnerBean a chance!

Thanks NP – like the look of that tour currently trying to decide between the two!

Thanks David – started to plan my next trip to Australia need to find a good forum .....

Thank you Keith – my partner is delighted to hear that there is another funicular in Barcelona!! La Pedrera is one of the places that keeps being moved from Plan A to Plan B….

Ahh, for those funicular enthusiasts out there... there's a third one in Barcelona which connects the neighbourhoods of Sarrià and Vallvidrera, located on the slopes of the Collserola ridge. It's aptly named Funicular de Vallvidrera and you can see some o its characteristics here. It can be ridden with a T-10 travel-card and, to do so you'd have to take the metro to Peu del Funicular and from there the funicular would take you to Vallvidrera, a nice town-like neighbourhood. Map of the metro here -follow dark blue line to the north and you'll find it.

Another treat, in this case for vintage tramway enthusiasts, is the Tramvia Blau (Blue Tram), one of the few tram lines that have been uninterruptedly in service since 1904 and that connects Plaça Kennedy in the north part of Sant Gervasi neighbourhood with the funicular station to Tibidabo amusement park on the top of Collserola ridge, north of the city. To get to Plaça Kennedy, take L7 to terminus (Av. Tibidabo). It's a very nice area to stroll, with several gardens and magnificent houses. It's also the way to CosmoCaixa, a must for kids and adults alike. Note however the tramway does not operate all year round, in winter a bus services the line.

Echoing some of the other comments about Funiculars. The one up Tibidabo is much better than that up Montjuic. The view and experience. As mentioned above, you get to the base of the funicular by taking a sweet little antique blue tram from further down, which just adds to the experience. At the square between the two are a couple of good bars (Mirabe and Mirablau) with amazing views across the city too - good for a cold beer on the way back down - and at the top of the funicular there's a church, an antiquey amusement park (more Tivoli or perhaps Coney Island than Disneyland) and you can also walk along to Collserola, where a glass lift takes you to the top of the communications tower for an even more impressive view (although check opening times for this)

Also, for a truly epic funicular, there's the Montserrat Monastery a little to the north of Barcelona. Perhaps something to check out on your way up to Girona. Well worth a visit for the surreal mountainscapes, old monastery tucked into a crevice in the mountains and two funiculars that switchback their way up near vertical mountainsides.

Not sure if you've already booked your tapas tour, but I did this one recently and loved it! Nuria, my guide, was fantastic, and she helped me through the rest of the week find places to eat. There are a couple different tours in Barcelona named some variation of "Food Lover(s)," but this is the one I did and recommend: http://foodloverscompany.com/