Barcelona & Florence (with kids)

amc1

Hi guys, only there for a day at each. Can anyone recommened the must-sees, bearing in mind we have teenagers with us. Thanks for your help.

Devon_Lad_2

For Florence maybe the following:

The Uffizi Gallery first thing - you can book tickets online so no need to queue and it'll be quieter in the morning.
After finished there walk to the Piazza della Signoria for lots of statues and a great fountain.
Go out of the square to the west along Via Vaccherecchia and then turn left and walk towards the river past lovely leather shops.
The bridge directly ahead is the Ponte Vecchio and is populated by jewellery shops - it's alovely site and the view up and down the river is beautiful.
Go back over the bridge on the other side of the road and then back into the city this time going north. You will go past many shops, the covered leather/cloth market (go and rub the boars nose for luck!), past the Piazza della republica (often have a merry go round and lots of artists here) and then you will come to the Baptistry and the Cathederal.
For a treat head down the right side of the Cathederal and go down the first alley on your left. Hidden down there is an ice cream palour called 'Grom' - the best ice cream you will eat in Italy.
Heading away from the Cathederal square to the north will bring you to the street markets and many places to eat.
Not sure how much you'd want to squeeze in - hope that gives you some ideas!

jules888

Went in 2005 to Barcelona with 2 sons aged 7 and 9 then ,went on train from Salou and had 2 days there staying overnight.As big footie fans went to the footie stadium for a look round,to the zoo which is pretty big.The aquarium in the centre was good too and the sagrada familia cathedral.

zagfles

jules888 wrote: »

Went in 2005 to Barcelona with 2 sons aged 7 and 9 then ,went on train from Salou and had 2 days there staying overnight.As big footie fans went to the footie stadium for a look round,to the zoo which is pretty big.The aquarium in the centre was good too and the sagrada familia cathedral.

Agreed - look out for discounts for the aquarium as it can be expensive otherwise. If you're only there for a day you could get a guided bus tour of the city - these are expensive for what it is but you'll see all the sights...

barcelonacat

As Zagfles said, the bus tour might be a good idea if you have just one day. Other main attractions I would recommend:
- Camp Nou stadium
- Parc Guell
- Sagrada Familia
- Obviously a stroll down the Ramblas!

I've never visited the aquarium or zoo, but they might be good for teenagers. There is also a new rock museum at Plaça d'Espanya (might have a few too many oldies for the teens though!). The Montjuic area (close to Plaça d'Espanya) is lovely - it has the National Museum of Art of Catalonia and from there you can take a walk past the Olympic Pool to the cable car, takes around 20 minutes, and you can take the car down to the port or beach, where you could hire some bikes to explore that area.

If it's your first visit then you might be as well to stick to the main attractions, it just depends what you enjoy doing really.

Also, even though the bus tours can be pricey you do get a discount booklet for money off food, museum entrance, etc. and an extra tip is that you could book the bus tickets in advance through a site like Expedia and use Quidco to get some cashback. I did this when I took my parents for a visit and got a tenner back - very MSE!