Eight Hours Ashore in Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona port from the air..
Barcelona - second largest Spanish city and proud capital of Catalonia is one of the largest cruise ports in the world with 9 cruise berths. If you cruise the Mediterranean you are sure to end up with a day ashore here and to be honest you will probably be back more than once! Which is probably a good thing as, although it is a wonderfully convenient port, this vibrant and exciting city is so full of things to see and do, that eight hours is only going to give you a chance to see a little of the city!
The port is only 16km from the Airport - about 15 minutes by taxi - but if your cruise starts or ends here I would definitely suggest tacking a night or two on before your cruise to really get a chance to explore. If you are cruising here and have just eight hours in port then you need to have a bit of a think…
This is one of the themes that I return to again and again - especially in The Confident portExplorer - have a look at all the options available and then make some firm decisions about what you want to do ashore. There will be cruise excursions that promise ‘Barcelona Highlights’ and suchlike but it will definitely be nothing more than looking at the city painted with the very broadest of brushstrokes. Similarly the usual standard of the HOHO bus it not that easy here because the city is so large and because parts of it are so old that there is no access - quite often you will sit in traffic for miles only to reach somewhere you could have walked to in half the time! The port has Taxis available at the cruise terminal - taxis are metered iand the only extra is fixed price supplement of €4.30 to and from both the airport and cruise port.
There is a Port Shuttle bus to the Columbus Monument in Placa del Porta de la Pau - which is perfectly situated between the tourist port and the foot of the probably the most famous Tourist street in town, La Rambla. The shuttle stop is convenient for local buses, the Metro and the HOHO - There is a second Taxi rank here but although you won’t pay the fixed €4.30 supplement of €4.30 you will pay for the shuttle so you will get away quicker if you take a cab from the Cruise Terminal.
cafe at the Maritime museum
If you’re not too sure about heading far there is plenty to see and do within fifteen minutes walk of the shuttle! The Columbus Monument right in front of you has a lift to the viewing terrace - Columbus is pointing out to sea but definitely not towards America - there’s a great view if you fancy a trip up there! The maritime museum is on the opposite side of the roundabout and its an interesting place to spend an hour or so with a nice shaded orange tree covered terrace for refreshments.
Boat trip base and the Rambla de Mare Bridge beyond
You can take short boat trips out from the harbour here or walk across the Rambla de Mare bridge to a shopping mall with the ubiquitous fast food joints. The Barcelona Aquarium is just beyond which is a popular destination for kids, also an Imax and one the the first submarines ever built - the Ictineo II. This is not the best way to reach the beach - for that, walk on, past the Museum of Catalonian history and right round the edge of the port! The area here is called Barceloneta - a great place to eat local sea food as it is still a traditional fishing area even tough it is sandwiched between the commercial port and the flashy modern port built for the olympics in 1992.
Although Barcelona is on the sea and has a beach it is not a seaside town - it is a wealthy, stylish, cosmopolitan city - locals frown very heavily at tourists dressed for the beach visiting the Cathedral or one of the super smart, upmarket restaurants or bars so do not get fooled by the nearness of the beach into thinking you can wander in shorts and a bikini top! While we’re on the subject local people are very pro Catalan independence - Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and you will see the red and yellow Catalan Flag flown widely. Many people speak Catalan - this is one of the five official languages of Spain and local really hate it being referred to as a dialect. Catalan is actually closer to French and was not influenced by Arabic in the same way as during the Moorish conquests, so whereas many Spanish words have the prefix al from the Arabic, Catalan words do not – so artichokes are alcachofas in Spanish but carxofes in Catalan.
If you ask anyone about Barcelona, the two places they will proably mention first mention are the Sagrada Familia and La Rambla but there is a lot more to Barcelona than that and of course if they are a football fan they will also mention Camp Nou. And thats why I say that you should have a real think and plan ahead because trying to do all those three any justice in one day would be pretty impossible - even with pre-booked tickets!
Camp Nou
FC Barcelona - ‘Barca’ is the richest football club in the world with a huge fan base, the club is supporter owned. Camp Nou stadium is a complete tourist experience with a Museum and Trophy exhibition. There are various levels of tour available - on one you even get to walk on the pitch and come away with a personalised FC Barcelona shirt. If you have footballing fans to consider this definitely needs planning and pre-booking!
Visible from Camp Nou but about an hour and a half walk away ( take Metro or taxi) is the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia - this astounding (and frankly, quite bonkers) church is the work of the Catalan architect Antonio Gaudi. Designed in 1882 it is due for completion in 2026 - the 100th anniversary of his death in 1926 following a tram accident.
It is absolutely essential to prebook tickets to go inside the Sagrada Familia- there are different timed entries for the church interior and for extension ticket for the lift to the bell towers. Make sure you join the right queue… It really is an absolutely jaw dropping experience - Gaudis imagination but have been incredible - his use of modern stained glass techniques means that the interior has a constantly varying wash of colour and light that changes with the time of year and the weather - I honestly think you could visit on every trip to Barcelona and not get bored!
Although the Sagrada Familia is his most obvious work there are many, many other examples in Barcelona and you could have an awesome day choosing to visit some of them - Casa Batlló and La Pedrera apartments are both on on Passeig de Gràcia, Park Güell - a park of ceramic extravaganza in the north of the city - a park of ceramic extravaganza and imagination! ALL of these need pre- booking to access but Gaudi can be also be found in the more mainstream parts of the city too - the elegant Plaça Reial square contains a fountain and lamp-posts designed by him early in his career and elsewhere you will spot tiles and even drain covers that are his work!
One of Gaudi earliest inputs to the city is at the Ciutadella Park where he designed the Cascade fountain for the 1888 World Exhibition Exhibition - as well as the fountain, this beautiful park also house the Catalonian Parliament, Barcelona Zoo, The Science Museum and a boating lake - a great place to take kids!
On the other side of the city and right above the cruise port is MontJuic which was the main site for the 1992 Olympics when it was heavily modernised and improved. This is a great place to visit when its very hot as it is high above the town and a bit cooler! You can easily spend a whole day there - main features are the National Art Museum, The Joan Miro Foundation - displaying art by this famous Catalonian painter, modern art at the Caixa Forum , also an outdoor theatre, scenic local swimming pool with a stunning view over the city, the Olympic Stadium and a ‘Magic fountain’ - which sadly is an illuminated evening only experience! The Poble Espanyol is a sort of theme park, arts and craft centre with glass blowing and cafes. A popular stop for cruise coach tours its all very touristy and fake!
In complete contrast to the large and forbidding Castle of Montjuic which has a sad past. It was used as a prison and interrogation centre in the dark days of Francos rule when Barcelona was basically punished for its opposition to him - at the end of the Spanish Civil War 4000 Catalan nationalists were shot nearby. Today the castle is an international centre for peace and you can walk the battlements and photograph your ship below.
As you can imagine the Montjuic site is huge - and all of these sites are linked together by a series of exterior escalators and cable cars - including the little red cabine that you can see swinging above the port. These go from Montjuic to the beach and makes a nice round trip - Taxi up to Monjuic - spend some time there - off at the fist stop - the World trade centre and back to the shuttle stop or carry onacross to the beach and then walk or taxi back - its not far as the crow flies but it is quite a walk around the harbour! Sadly it isn’t an option to use the local shareable bike scheme Bicing in Barcelona as it is for residents only.
The heart of Modern Barcelona is probably the Place de Catalunya, the airport shuttle buses operate from here and there is a huge tourist information centre. Any demonstration or celebration tend to centre here - you never know what you will find! There is a huge branch of the Spanish chain store El Corte Ingles which has a really good food hall/ cafe / snack bar/ terrance on the top floor with amazing views. Great place to buy foodie souvenirs too…
El Corte Ingles view to Sagrada Famnilia and beyond
El Corte Ingles foodhall
I would suggest that if you want to visit La Rambla that you start from this end rather than from the port end. It is a long wide street featuring a mosaic by Joan Miro - full of cafes, restaurants, stalls, street performers and flower kiosks - the ‘top' end is slightly quieter, less crowded and not quiet so much of tourist tat. La Rambla is one of the places it pays to be particularly alert and be careful with your possessions - especially when seated at a cafe. In all honesty I’m not sure that Barcelona is any worse than any other city for this type of pretty crime but is certainly is a problem and especially in this area so just be careful and leave any unnecessary valuables on board.
Heading down La Ramla on the right is one of my favourite spots La Boqueria Market. It is packed full of stall from seafood and meat to cheese and ‘fast food’ like Crepes!
Unusually the market is open 8.00 until 8.00 - it is surrounded by small bars and restaurants so perfect for lunch or an afternoon snack but also wonderful to visit for just local colour and for shopping for food related souvenirs - they have amazing selections of dried mushrooms, herbs and spice and we usually buy some nuts, cheese and sausage to nibble on the balcony.
The Old town or Barri Gotic is off to the left as you head down to the port - its narrow shady streets weave and wander unlike the american style grid system you find in the rest of the city. It is the site of the original Roman settlement of Barcino and there are exacted remains of that in the Museu d’Historia. Towering over the streets is the ornate Romanesque Cathedral with its gothic cloisters that dates back to 1298.
Gothic Quarter
Other points of interest in the area are The Palau de la Musica designed by Domenech i Montaner, the Picasso museum, the Catalan Government buildings in Place de Sant Jaume and the Palau Real - the royal palace where Ferdinand and Isabella received Columbus after his voyage to the New World in 1492.
As you can see there is an enormous amount to do in Barcelona itself - this is just the quickest run through of just some of the things you could do! So have a good think, make a plan, book tickets ahead and have a great time!
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Happy portExploring!
Cathy
xx
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