Barcelona Tips

JOOLZ

Am going to Barcelona next weekend on the Ryan Air 2p return and would really appreciate any tips on places to see / eat. have only one and a half days really as returning back on Sunday AM.

Thanks in advance of your replies

girders

Was there in December for 3 nights. Highlights to fit in a day... i'd use the Bus Touristic hop on hop off - say ticket €17 or €21 for 2 days if you can fit anything in the next morning.

Sagrada Familla is *the* thing to see, wonderful both inside and out, but do this as early as possible as it gets busy. Get the lift up a tower and the stairs down stopping to admire the views/carvings along the way. Allow 2 hours for this. The rest of these suggestions should take about an hour each.

Le pedrera - Gaudi building, now a bank with a fantastic roof terrace and good exhibition on the top floor. Great ice cream shop just outside it too!

Parc Guell - Gaudi designed park - nice buildings from the outside and an open air market place area with small stalls etc. (nice tapas bar on the right hand side as you walk up the hill from the Bus Touristic stop)

Palau Musica de catalunya - Stunning concert hall with guided tours - beautiful architecture and features inside. Tours are scheduled by language and last about an hour but you'll need to check the timings for the English ones.

Nou camp - Barcelona FC. Great to wander round but isn't really a "guided tour", you just follow round the signposted walks but they do let you see everything. Museum is great too.

Las Ramblas - Have a walk around but careful of your wallet. Don't let anyone give you a flower either - its part of a pickpocketing scam. Bustling and busy but wouldn't want to spend any time there.

Plenty of good museums also but you'll not fit them in over a day.
Best suggestions foodwise is to avoid teh tourist places and stay away from Las ramblas. Lunch is the main meal of teh day for the locals (after 1pm). Walk a few blocks away and choose a smaller place where the menu isn't in English and choose the Menu of the Dai (Menu del Dai ?) which will be great value - we paid 3 courses for €9 in one place and because we tried a little catalan and were eating off teh tourist track they wouldn't even let us pay for our drinks. be warned though any English spoken will be halting and you may be ordering "blind"

Fantastic city - sure you'll love it.

TBeckett100

funny we must be on the same flights, first one from stansted to girona on saturday and the 1pmish one back on sunday?

los caracoles is a good restaurant in barca, very popular. type it into google!

TBeckett100

did you get your free hotel by the way Joolz

pedro3gb

I'd do everything you can as above but probably miss the park. Unless you get near on the tourist bus, its not really6 near a metro. You can get a direct bus from Catalunya Square though.

Place to eat - try Els Quatre Gats on Montsio 3 - really good 3 course lunch with wine for €10 in fact as above, most places do a three course lunch for €8 - 10.

If you go down the Ramblas towards the sea, turn left along Paseo Colon and then left again onto Parque you will come to a brilliant Chilean restaurant called Xeroga - again that is only €8 for lunch.

Just off the Ramblas is a really good cocktail bar called Boadas but dont go in if scruffy. Its on C Tallers - one of the best bars.

Another good bar is Ginger on C Palma St Just near cathedral - great music at night (opens around 7.30) with good range of Tapas and drinks.

Even better bar just round corner from Ginger is L'ascensor on Bellafila - you go in by sliding lift doors aside and inside is a really atmospheric bar with arched ceilings, great wines and beers, good music - bags of atmosphere.

For good tapas with pictures of everything on sale go to Txapella on Passeig de Gracia. Its not far up on right hand side from Catalunya Square and most tapas are €.95 to 1.5 so you can get a good selection for less than a fiver with drinks.

I could go on.

Pedro

JOOLZ

I am still waiting on easyJet - still haven't taken any money from Visa so thinking let's wait and see if money comes off and then I'll argue !! Have got the website where hotel is so much cheaper screen dumped so can't see how they can disagree - would love them to come back to me as already shopping around for next freebie.

Web site is brill - saving a fortune - thanks to everyone

Christal_2

Joolz, if it helps, last time when my hubby did the claim thing, easyjet didn't take the money off for a week or so, but they will send you an email just to confirm that your claim is accepted, and they will refund the money AFTER you complete the stay.

gooismeid

There's a lovely, tiny, stylish tapas bar called Onofre on the carrer de les Magdalenas in the Barri Gotic (just off the via Laietana near the Palau de la Musica Catalana) - it's a bit off the main tourist drag so you don't get the normal tourist-type menu, and you can buy a staggering range of wines by the glass. We found it an ideal place for chilling out after a hard day's sightseeing!

Christal_2

Didn't mean to hijack the post, but I'm going to Barcelona this weekend, and Someone told me before that there is a big outlet centre (like Bicester) located somewhere near Barcelona, and it has loads of brand things, but I don't know the exact address and how to get there, can anyone share some light on this?

TBeckett100

Oh Cristal - i can help you i have been a few time. Roca Village - very much like Bicester.

Let em consult the web for the masterplan in bus timetables. brb

DKLS

The Ultra romantic (No kids) Traditional Catalan restaurant is :

CAN CORTADA Avda de l'Estatut de Catalunya s/n Tel.+34934272315

ou can visit the following web page ( also in english ) to find out more choices http://www.bcnrestaurantes.com/