Bank Holiday Weekend in Barcelona - advice?
Discussion
OK so having secretly organised a weekend in Dublin for Valentines Day and a week to NYC for the other halfs 21, thoughts are turning to my plans for my birthday in Barcelona, Bank Holiday w/e in August (I like to plan in advance ha!)
Always been very keen to go, we will look to fly out early doors Fri mornign and fly back late on the Monday so should ahve plenty of time there
ONly things I knwo I want to do for sure are a tour of the Camp Nou (need pre-booking?) and have a good look round the Segrada Familia (can you tour inside yet? If so, can you pre-book?) but what else should I not miss? The missus will no doubt want to take in some shopping as well!
Wheres a good place to stay for a relatively cheap but good vlaue and good location?
And finally, any recommendations for an upmarket restaurant for dinner on my birthday?
Cheers!
Always been very keen to go, we will look to fly out early doors Fri mornign and fly back late on the Monday so should ahve plenty of time there
ONly things I knwo I want to do for sure are a tour of the Camp Nou (need pre-booking?) and have a good look round the Segrada Familia (can you tour inside yet? If so, can you pre-book?) but what else should I not miss? The missus will no doubt want to take in some shopping as well!
Wheres a good place to stay for a relatively cheap but good vlaue and good location?
And finally, any recommendations for an upmarket restaurant for dinner on my birthday?
Cheers!
Spent 6 days over there in November had a great time.
Stayed in an apartment 2 mins off La Rambla & about 5 mins from La Boqueria the biggest indoor food market in Europe. (I have a link if you need it)
A few links for you …..
http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/
http://www.barcelona-tourist-travel-guide.com/inde...
Sub page on Restaurants
http://www.barcelona-tourist-travel-guide.com/barc...
You'll find all types of cuisine available at various prices, in fact you'll be spoilt for choice.
In fact although I've been there on three previous occasions we have decided that there is still more to see so we are going back late spring this year for another 5-6 days.
HTH.
Stayed in an apartment 2 mins off La Rambla & about 5 mins from La Boqueria the biggest indoor food market in Europe. (I have a link if you need it)
A few links for you …..
http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/
http://www.barcelona-tourist-travel-guide.com/inde...
Sub page on Restaurants
http://www.barcelona-tourist-travel-guide.com/barc...
You'll find all types of cuisine available at various prices, in fact you'll be spoilt for choice.
In fact although I've been there on three previous occasions we have decided that there is still more to see so we are going back late spring this year for another 5-6 days.
HTH.
http://www.loscaracoles.es/ A bit touristy but good fun all the same!
No need to book Nou Camp tour, just turn up, amazing place though you will need a couple of hours there as there is the Tour and the Museum and also the Club shop its around £20 of the top of my head for the Nou camp.
The segrada cathedral is open too look around and is an amazing place, in the week the builders are there so you can watch them do there thing, also you can get a lift up one of the towers which is amazing (i wouldnt go up there if you dont like heights its around 80m if i remember correctly, and the stair case on the way down is an open spiral type no handrail, my girlfriend was in tears hehe) this is around £15 too look around and go up the top, its well worth it.
For the shopping i would reccomend going to the "diagonal" all types of designer shops Boss, Armani, Gucci etc etc along with your normal shops, also they have just built at the port at the bottom of the "la ramblas" a really nice shopping centre (its over the bridge).
I would reccomend using there public transport (its amazing!) get the train from the airport to the "sants" station and then using the tube to get everywhere, you can get all around the city in 10-15 minutes, I would buy what they call a T 10 ticket, its about £7 and you get 10 journeys out of it so you can swap lines etc, you can share one between people.
There might be a pre season game or cup game in August I would DEFINATLEY reccomend going there if your even remotley into football (guessing you are if you want to do the stadium tour) even my Mrs loved it
The segrada cathedral is open too look around and is an amazing place, in the week the builders are there so you can watch them do there thing, also you can get a lift up one of the towers which is amazing (i wouldnt go up there if you dont like heights its around 80m if i remember correctly, and the stair case on the way down is an open spiral type no handrail, my girlfriend was in tears hehe) this is around £15 too look around and go up the top, its well worth it.
For the shopping i would reccomend going to the "diagonal" all types of designer shops Boss, Armani, Gucci etc etc along with your normal shops, also they have just built at the port at the bottom of the "la ramblas" a really nice shopping centre (its over the bridge).
I would reccomend using there public transport (its amazing!) get the train from the airport to the "sants" station and then using the tube to get everywhere, you can get all around the city in 10-15 minutes, I would buy what they call a T 10 ticket, its about £7 and you get 10 journeys out of it so you can swap lines etc, you can share one between people.
There might be a pre season game or cup game in August I would DEFINATLEY reccomend going there if your even remotley into football (guessing you are if you want to do the stadium tour) even my Mrs loved it
I´ve lived in Barcelona for about 6 months now and can probably help.
- Sundays - Only the shops by the harbour and tourist shops on La Ramblas will be open - Suggest you use this day for the open top bus tour (red route) It goes past Casa Mila, casa battillo, Sagrada familla, parc Guell and camp Nou. Restaurants / cafes are open and you can get sandwiches etc.
- Camp Nou - open all the time, stadium tour is excellent
- Sagrada - at weekends it´s quite dull, but as previously mentioned go in the week and you´ll see them working on it. costs extra to go in the lifts and get there early... lift queues can be up to 3 hours!!
- Mont Juic is excellent, Olympic stadium is worth 15 mins of your time and is free to go in, also worth going to the Olympic museum which is €3 in, right next door to the stadium (if you like sport)Castle at the top of Mont Juic will give great views. Walkable, but cable car is excellent too. Also great to see Olympic diving pool where you get the view of what the divers looked at... scary!
- for shopping, Diagonal has been mentioned, Gracia is ok, but finding the local shops, you have to wander the streets. I quite like Rambla Cataluyna which is parallel to Paseig de Gracia, but locals shop elsewhere.
- On Sunday, if you don´t want to do the bus tour, get a train to Sitges where the shops are open and the beach will be rammed! Good food places too and you can use your T10 which you picked up at the airport for €7.85 and provides 10 trips on the metro/train.
- Off the beaten track, food places are more reasonable.. and in my opinion much better. Dinner starts at 9pm or later.
- In August, it will be Scorchio!! so shorts and t-shirt, even at night where you will be outside probably.
T-J-K
Apologies for my spelling of the tourist sights.... most are wrong, but you get the idea
- Sundays - Only the shops by the harbour and tourist shops on La Ramblas will be open - Suggest you use this day for the open top bus tour (red route) It goes past Casa Mila, casa battillo, Sagrada familla, parc Guell and camp Nou. Restaurants / cafes are open and you can get sandwiches etc.
- Camp Nou - open all the time, stadium tour is excellent
- Sagrada - at weekends it´s quite dull, but as previously mentioned go in the week and you´ll see them working on it. costs extra to go in the lifts and get there early... lift queues can be up to 3 hours!!
- Mont Juic is excellent, Olympic stadium is worth 15 mins of your time and is free to go in, also worth going to the Olympic museum which is €3 in, right next door to the stadium (if you like sport)Castle at the top of Mont Juic will give great views. Walkable, but cable car is excellent too. Also great to see Olympic diving pool where you get the view of what the divers looked at... scary!
- for shopping, Diagonal has been mentioned, Gracia is ok, but finding the local shops, you have to wander the streets. I quite like Rambla Cataluyna which is parallel to Paseig de Gracia, but locals shop elsewhere.
- On Sunday, if you don´t want to do the bus tour, get a train to Sitges where the shops are open and the beach will be rammed! Good food places too and you can use your T10 which you picked up at the airport for €7.85 and provides 10 trips on the metro/train.
- Off the beaten track, food places are more reasonable.. and in my opinion much better. Dinner starts at 9pm or later.
- In August, it will be Scorchio!! so shorts and t-shirt, even at night where you will be outside probably.
T-J-K
Apologies for my spelling of the tourist sights.... most are wrong, but you get the idea
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