my wife and i will have 3 days in barcelona before our cruise will start, what historical places should we visit in barcelona and what restaurants will you suggest
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
I like the walking tour of the Gothic Quarter given by the tourist information center. It's not expensive and well done. After the walking tour, plan to spend at least most of the day exploring the sights in the quarter.
The only restaurant I would recommend in Barcelona is El Xampanyet. It's the only restaurant we visited that felt local. I had a list of recommended Tapas places when I went. They all turned out to be chains and really nothing special.
Dinner is very late in Spain, at least 9 pm. Tapas starts earlier, maybe 7:30. Don't skip lunch or you will end up at a cafeteria or McDonald's for dinner because they'll be the only places serving food.
Posted by
FL USA
1527 posts
historical recommendations:
Sagrada Familia - we easily can spend three hours there, be sure and go up one of the towers. reserve your tickets on line to avoid lines.
Parc Guell - take a simple picnic lunch, plan two hours. best to take a cab to access the park. Tip: start at the far north side and walk down to the south side (which is the most common tourist entrance) Keep an eye out for El Corte Ingles dept stores (there is a huge one on plaza catalunya in the basement is a full grocery store. Also, bathrooms are located on the third floor in the corners of the store.
Palau Musica - a hidden gem offering air conditioning! Informative tour and you have several opportunities to sit and relax. A great place to get away from the heat. Plan 1 1/2 hours
Casa Battlo - incredible example of Gaudi's work. plan two hours. Tip: along the street in front of and to the sides of the Casa are entrances to interior malls which are catacomb of local shops. You have to search for the entries, but makes for a fun shopping experience and also a cool place to dive out of the heat.
Avoid Ramblas, not what it used to be and a huge pick pocket paradise. Do be wise with securing your wallet/purse. Do not fear for being mugged. Pickpocketing is a professional cottage industry.
Getting to the cruise dock is ez and quick, unless you are dying to get on the ship then take your time and use the full day. We have cruised out of Barcelona.
Be sure and force yourself to stay up late to mingle with the locals, you should be getting back to your hotel around 2 a.m.
Restaurants, we do our best to get outside of tourists zones to eat in order to find local experiences. We have given up on trying to plan a trip so we find a specific restaurant as we find it more rewarding to explore.
However, highly recommend using trip advisor to find a tapas tour. A great way to be lead to explore food, drinks and people via the use of a local expert. Hunt through the opportunities, check out the recommendations and select one as a method to learning how to get out and about and stay out late. We meet folks from all over the world via this method.
There is a huge menu of opportunities to explore, but please take the time to get out of the tourist zone and find a sidewalk cafe to order a pitcher of sangria and watch the locals flow by.
Posted by
Downingtown, USA
2365 posts
We enjoyed the Cathedral and the lovely area out front. It was great to see the geese inside and to go to the rooftop. We also enjoyed Las Ramblas for the stalls selling everything, the animated living sculptures,etc. however, as said, it is pick pocket heaven. But we did feel safe there. Also enjoyed La Bogureia, sorry about spelling,but it was great adventure to see stalls selling everything. We also took cable car which provided good view of the city. I think it started down by the waterfront but not sure. Enjoy.
Posted by
St. Joe Beach FL
9 posts
Hello Edward -
Three yeas ago I took two of the tours led by staff from the Tourist Office - Gothic Quarter and Picasso's Barcelona - and they were very well done and relatively inexpensive. I wanted to do a third - Gaudi - but they only conducted that tour on Friday's and I was never free to go on a Friday. Last year I did two Runner Bean tours Gothic Quarter and Gaudi - and I was equally pleased with them both. Surprisingly the TI's Gothic Quarter tour and Runner Bean's were different enough that I thoroughly enjoyed them both. Runner Bean operates on a very interesting philosophy There is no fixed price for their tours. After the tour is completed, you pay the guide whatever you felt the tour was worth to you.
Posted by
Stuart, Florida, USA
26 posts
Ramblas is fun-just be smart about pickpockets. The cruise terminal is too far to walk to. We saw people dragging their luggage over a long/large bridge to get there and were very glad to have opted for a cab. Parc Guell is fun with really cool sculptures. My favorite museum/place to visit in Barcelona was MUHBA Placa del Rei. It is housed above a Roman street with ruins and artifacts. I believe it's in RS guide book and can be found on Trip Advisor. It's cheap to get into and alot of fun. It was difficult to find so maybe get some help with this. Well worth it! Have a great time
Posted by
LaGrange, Ga, USA
1178 posts
One of the best authentic restaurants in Spain, bar none:
http://www.racodelavila.com/eng/index.cfm
off the tourist tract, but in a safe neighbor hood easily reached by the subway system or by taxi. Check out its web page.
Another good one, near the Cathedral is
http://www.berniesdiner.com/en/ Bernies Dinner....great for lunch...and not expected in Barcleona
For a lighter fare, this one at the rear of Maria del Mar church is excellent...Sit inside at the bar if possible in the evening to see some fantastic bar tenders at work. Crepes Bcn. fun and delicious.