I'm looking at flights from Paris to Barcelona on Skyscanner. The cheapest is a $93 flight, but it does not arrive at Barcelona until 11:30 pm. I'm not sure where we are staying in Barcelona yet, but I imagine it will be city centre. I see that night buses run from the airport to city centre, but after reading about all of the pickpockets, is it a good idea to arrive in Barcelona after midnight and try to get to our hotel/apartment? Or should we bite the bullet, pay the $160 plane cost and arrive earlier, or just take a taxi from the airport? Or, would you fork over more money and time and go TGV route? I like the idea of the train, but trying to be frugal here.
Posted by
FL USA
1520 posts
T'was me I would not seek to arrive at the airport at midnight and then pay for a "night" of accommodations when you most likely won't arrive till 1a.m.
The TGV is an excellent form of travel and provides ease of travel accompanied by wonderful views. Check out the web site The Man in Seat 61 for a better perspective of this option.
If we are striving to make use of daylight at our current location we also seek to arrive prior to dusk at out next location. This helps us w orientation and settling in without being overtired. We are willing to pay more for travel in order to achieve journey effectiveness at our destinations.
Finally, Spain stays up very late and I encourage you to take advantage of living like a local. Do eat late (after 9/10'p.m. and stay out till 2/3 a.m.) as this maximizes your experiences. Snack on some tapas early in the evening to quell the stomach growling.
Regarding pickpockets, it has become a cottage industry and is part of needing to be diligent of how to avoid being a victim. Take the time to learn the countermeasures. An effective method is to ask each of your travel partners to keep and eye on each other. Pickpockets are savvy and know there are plenty of prey available so they will move on to an easier target.
If you seek to save some money and are in Barcelona for three nights then i recommend renting an apt. We find the advantages to be cost savings, more space, a kitchen and the experience of being more among locals. We deliberately seek to avoid the tourist zones in order to obtain better values for the rent and also for avoiding high tourist zone drink and food prices. Eat and drink among the locals to save money and savor being part of reality. Language is really not an issue. Keep in mind Barcelona offers an excellent metro system. Try Airbnb to study rental options and pay close attention to the reviews. We strive to stay in apts as our first choice for accommodations.