Spain trip-Barcelona

Barcelona is easy to get around, we have never take a bus except when we took a city tour with Barcelona Day Tours.

No worries about language, English is widely spoken and understood.

Suggest that you use TripAdvisor.com and its map feature for "Things to do in Barcelona." You can pinpoint what you what to see and where it is located on the map. Don't miss the amazing cathedral Sagrada Famila. Be sure to go inside the cathedral and up in the towers.

Also, consider a day trip to Monserratt. You can do it on your own, take the train and go early.

Spent 5 days in Barcelona last May. We used our credit card and Apple pay everywhere, even at the bodegas. Did not use the bus except from the airport which was also online tickets.

We were there last summer. We used close to zero cash-everyone takes credit cards. Be sure your card has a chip that taps before you leave. Apple Pay is widely used so have that on your phone. Buses-would not think of it. Crowded, pickpockets. You can walk to almost anywhere, otherwise take a cab. Cheap, plentiful, all accept credit cards. Consider a tapas tour-you’ll visit great places, one fee, avoid the 4 deep at the bar phenomenon.

We spent six days in Barcelona in October 2022. We caught the metro more than the bus.

We bought a T-casual ticket (10 trips) from a ticket machine at the metro. The trips can be used on both the metro and the bus. When we were there masks were required on metro and buses. This might change very soon.

There aren't explanatory signs at bus stops - although there are timetables. We used Google maps to know which bus we needed.

A little Spanish is helpful but the official language is Catalan, not Spanish. Most signs at metro and train stations have Catalan, Spanish and English.

We used credit cards at all food places, cafes, museums, shops etc. We only used cash for one taxi ride (to use up our Euros before we flew home).

Barcelona also has a subway system, the Metro. It is very handy, so you may not need to use buses at all unless you decide to use public transportation to get to Parc Guell. Although I've taken buses from time to time for 50 years, I confess that I prefer subways because there's never any doubt where you have to go to board! As far as I know, you need to have some form of ticket before you board a bus or the Metro. It's the same ticket, and you'll find vending machines in all the Metro stations.

The airport bus is reasonably priced, runs frequently, and goes to Placa de Catalunya. There will be a vending machine at both ends of the trip; sometimes there's an employee there as well. I needed to know which terminal I was headed to before I bought my ticket back to the airport.

I've only used a taxi once or twice in Barcelona and don't remember what I paid. Folks on this forum have said taxi rates are relatively reasonable.

You have chosen an extremely convenient hotel location. If you have no mobility issues, you can walk east or southeast to the Barri Gotic, Picasso Museum, Palau de la Musica Catalana and other sights in that area. You can also walk northwest to Casa Mila, Casa Batllo and the surrounding area (the Eixample), which has some cool modernista architecture. La Sagrada Familia is due north of the plaza, about 1-1/2 miles away. Pick up a city map at your hotel or at the very helpful (but sometimes quite busy) tourist office located beneath Placa de Catalunya.

The Ramblas is a busy street you'll probably encounter more than once. Be aware that it is said to be Pickpocket Central. Barcelona has some of the world's most talented and hard-working pickpockets, unfortunately.

If your tour doesn't get you inside some of the places you want to see, you need to consider getting tickets a bit ahead of time. Barcelona is a lovely city and very, very popular. Ticket lines at some of the top sights can be extremely long. Vacation time is too valuable to stand in line for an hour or more--and perhaps learn, in the end, that the day's tickets are sold out. These are the problem sights I'm aware of:

La Sagrada Familia
Parc Guell
Casa Mila/La Pedrera
Casa Batllo
Picasso Museum
Palau de la Musica Catalana (English tours can sell out, and I think a tour is required)

You can book tickets online or--most likely--get them from the tourist office for a moderate service fee.

Folks on this forum have said taxi rates are relatively reasonable.

In October 2022, Gothic Quarter to airport taxi was €32 (based on meter) in the middle of the day and took around 40 minutes.

How many in your party? We bought one T-Familiar card loaded with 8 rides and the one card can be shared with more than one person. If you buy T-Casual with 10 rides, you have to have a card for each person. If you are only in Barcelona for 2 days, you will probably not use up all the rides. You can also buy individual tickets before you get on bus or metro. Going to Parc Guell is best by city bus because it will take you up the hill to the parc entrance. The metro stops at the bottom of the hill. Use google maps to give you approx times for bus/metro. If you keep the google maps on, you can see where you are in relation to destination and help decide when to get off bus.

No problem speaking English. I used google translate to translate menus and to speak a few phrases in Catalan. The waiters seem to get a kick out of my attempts to speak Catalan. Always good idea to get on their good side.

I am in midst of planning my first trip to Spain in April. I will be arriving in Barcelona. Here are some links that I used for information and to make decisions. I think you could find these helpful.

Metro Map to download. I’ve used this extensively in my planning and have made notes on which lines to use for my various activities.
https://www.tmb.cat/documents/20182/96078/Pl%C3%A0nol+xarxa+de+Metro/f5578f40-5a66-46ba-907c-cf31e0d368c0
T-Casual ticket for bus and metro. 10 rides for €11,35 (a single ride is €2,40)
https://www.tmb.cat/en/barcelona-fares-metro-bus/single-and-integrated/t-casual

More Metro/Bus info https://www.tmb.cat/en/home

If you are flying into Barcelona---Explanation of options upon arrival in Barcelona airport, transportation to city center:
https://www.barcelona.com/barcelona_city_guide/all_about/barcelona_airport_bcn/from_barcelona_airport_to_city_centre

For myself, I am taking the Aerobus, buying ticket from bus driver. Using the airport arrival information and the metro map, I determined which Aerobus stop to connect with the metro line (determined using the metro map linked above) that will take me closest to my hotel. I will buy the metro T-Casual card at the airport from a kiosk. The Aerobus is €8,90 so depending on how many of you are traveling, a more convenient taxi may be the better option.

Credit cards almost universal and tap and pay is best. Metro/Bus system is fast and convenient. Just got back. Great town. You can apparently pay for bus tickets with a tap and pay card, but the cost is 2.40 EUR per ride and no transfers allowed. So the T-10 saves money. There is also the "Hola" transport card at about 16 EUR for 2 days and available in 3, 4, and 5 day versions at slightly less per day cost. Also works on trains from the airport to city center.
https://www.tmb.cat/en/barcelona-fares-metro-bus/tickets-visit-barcelona

My Spanish is limited to "Hola" and "Gracias" and I had no problems.

https://www.barcelona-life.com/mnac
Beautiful and at night theres The magic Fountain
https://www.barcelona.cat/ca/que-pots-fer-a-bcn/font-magica