Trip to Barcelona - Advice please

northerngeezer

Hi,

I'm thinking of taking my family (6 members in total) to Barcelona in mid August for around 7 days.

Flying from Leeds/Bradford via RyanAir hopefully.

Is Escape Prepaid card best to pay for flights ?
Any good cheap central hotel recommendations ?
Is 7 days too much/too less ?

I would appreciate any advice/comments

Thanks

getmore4less

Learn the public transport system cheap and easy to get about.

have a good look round this site
http://www.tmb.cat/en/home

Use the bus( http://www.tmb.cat/en/linia-de-bus/-/bus/46 ) or train to get into the city very cheap on the combined tickets.

taxi is €25-€30

Consider a day out to Montseratt by train.

Might be better looking at apartments.

Doshwaster

7 days sounds a lot if you are just going to be in Barcelona itself but there is plenty to do as day trips in the area if you have a car or, if not, public transport is very good.

Just be warned the central touristy areas of Barcelona (around Las Ramblas and the Port Olympic) are very expensive but you don't have to go far away from these areas to get some good value. Some central areas can turn quite seedy at night and become swarming with pickpockets.

As for a "good cheap central" hotel, well you can probably have "good and central", "cheap and central" but getting all 3 criteria together is going to be difficult. It depends on what you call "cheap" and what your idea of "good" is. I would avoid anywhere too central as they can be expensive for what you get - you would be probably better off stopping slightly further out. The Metro makes getting around the city fast, cheap and easy.

Lynsey

Doshwaster wrote: »

Just be warned the central touristy areas of Barcelona (around Las Ramblas and the Port Olympic) are very expensive but you don't have to go far away from these areas to get some good value.

Agree, and one cheap place is:
http://www.canpaixano.com/en/dins/dins.html

AKA as "The secret cava bar".
On first impressions it looks like a dump, a garage even with the floor littlered with pieces of paper (serviettes), but traditionally the more littered the floor, the more busy it's been............and it gets busy, especially in the evenings.

It could be a bit imtimidating at first glance, but "those in the know" and the locals know what a find this place is.

Not easy to find (being like a garage), but at the very bottom of La Rambla (going down), cross over the road on the port side and go left.

Well worth a visit - pure Catalan experience and lovely cheap cava.
You used to be only able to buy a bottle if you bought some food (sandwiches etc.) - not too sure if that is still the case, but you can still purchase small "copas".

Lynsey

northerngeezer

Thanks.

Any hotel recommendations.

By the way do Ryanair tickets get more expensive the longer you leave it. I checked some dates yesterday and today the same dates seem a bit more expensive?

Pollycat

Check which airport Ryanair fly into from the UK.

We flew from East Midlands into Girona.
It's about 1 hour (I think) from the city centre but there is a good, fast bus service.

We had 4 days there and pretty much 'did' everything but it was a bit hectic.

I found these websites helpful in planning what we wanted to do/see:
http://www.aboutbarcelona.com/
http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/
http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/_yjDI930XstkPCp-zDcXBww
http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/maps/barcelona-map.html

Doshwaster

northerngeezer wrote: »

Thanks.

Any hotel recommendations.

By the way do Ryanair tickets get more expensive the longer you leave it. I checked some dates yesterday and today the same dates seem a bit more expensive?

Without knowing your budget, if you have a party of 6 (especially if you have children) then you are probably better off looking for an apartment.

Yes, flights do tend to get more expensive the closer to departure date you get. Especially on the popular routes. If you see an acceptable price then buy it there and then and don't look again.

Just be aware that Ryanair fly into Reus and Girona which are miles from Barcelona itself so you need to factor in the cost of transfers. The actual Barcelona airport used by Easyjet and other airlines is much closer to the city.

northerngeezer

Ryanair now fly into Barcelona El Prat Airport from Leeds/Bradford which I believe is approx 7.5 miles from the centre.

I have 3 kids 16,12 and 11 with me

Doshwaster

northerngeezer wrote: »

Ryanair now fly into Barcelona El Prat Airport from Leeds/Bradford which I believe is approx 7.5 miles from the centre.

Well, I didn't know that. In which case then I would choose that flight all other things being equal as the transfer into the city is so much easier. The Metro doesn't run to the airport but there is a mainline railway station though it's often easiest just to jump in a taxi.

phatbear

No need for a taxi there is an airport bus which stops at placa da catalunya, which is at the top of la ramblas, from there you can jump on the metro to get to your hotel

mcduff16

Every person that I know that has been to Barcelona (all at different times of the year and different age groups) has either been mugged or pickpocketed so really be careful where you put your wallet etc.