Novice Needing Barcelona Help!

*ThisIPromiseYou*

Long term lurker, new poster in desperate need of help!

It is my partner's 30th in a few months (summer time) and I want to take him to Barcelona for a few days in September/October time but I don't really know where to start?!! He's been to lots of places in Europe but not Barcelona and he's crazy on football so thought this was a good choice?

We have never been abroad together and all the trips away have been organised by him! I have never been abroad at all (do have passport etc) so although I've been searching flights and hotels for a few weeks I'm totally baffled!

Is September/October an ok time to go away? Would I be able to do 3 nights for under £350? Is 3 nights an ok amount of time?

We live in Scotland, Edinburgh is our closest airport but Ryanair flights for that time period seem to be expensive and the flights to Barcelona don't get us in till evening. I'd rather have a whole first day there which Jet2 offer from Glasgow. However, with the Jet2 flights they seem to be only 3 days apart or 5 days apart. Unless we went Thurs to Sun but they seem to be more expensive?

Would 2 days be too short? I can't afford 4 nights in a hotel?

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

benjus

Weather should still be quite warm and pleasant in October. How much time you need depends entirely on what you want to see. 3 days is perfectly fine for a city break, but don't expect to see everything there is to see of Barcelona. You'll have plenty of time for the major sights though, and some time to hang around in bars drinking the local Cava and eating tapas (El Xampanyet is a good, if rather popular, one).

wm3010

Hi, I'm not a football fan myself but think you can tour the Neucamp and it's supposed to be very good so should be perfect for a football fan.

September/October is a great time, we went in September last year and it was beautiful. 3 nights is not long in Barcelona but you could do a bit of sightseeing and just enjoy the atmosphere. Hotels were pricey though, so £350 might be a stretch. Hopefully someone who knows a bit more about it will be along soon with a hot tip for cheap accomodation. You could do 2 nights but I do think it would be really short.

bryanb

Everyone I know who has visited Barcelona has been mugged or robbed. Be very careful!

Doshwaster

bryanb wrote: »

Everyone I know who has visited Barcelona has been mugged or robbed. Be very careful!

That's a slight exaggeration - but it's true the central Barcelona, especially around Las Ramblas, is one of the worst area in Europe for pickpockets. Just be careful, leave any spare cash, cards and your passport in the hotel and you should be fine.

I've never been robbed myself but I've had a couple of close shaves and once had to dive into a bar behind a burly bouncer to get away from a couple of lads who were following me too closely.

wm3010

We read all the horror stories before we went too, and we were careful and left our passports at the hotel and made sure we left an emergency credit card there too. I was worried that the place would feel very unsafe. However, it didn't at all. We might have been lucky but I think there are things you can do to avoid being a target too, I found this website helpful:

http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/general/safety/barcelona-safety.html

To be honest, a lot of these tips would apply to most capital cities. My husband is French but not from Paris and commented that he had definitely felt more unsafe in Paris at certain times before.

jpsartre

*ThisIPromiseYou* wrote: »

We live in Scotland, Edinburgh is our closest airport but Ryanair flights for that time period seem to be expensive and the flights to Barcelona don't get us in till evening. I'd rather have a whole first day there which Jet2 offer from Glasgow. However, with the Jet2 flights they seem to be only 3 days apart or 5 days apart. Unless we went Thurs to Sun but they seem to be more expensive?

A couple of options spring to mind. Either fly out with Jet2 from Glasgow and back with Ryanair to Edinburgh or fly out from Edinburgh with BA which can get you into BNC earlier in the day (though requires a change of flight in London).

If the £350 you mention is supposed to be for 2 people and include both flights and hotel it sounds pretty optimistic to me though your budget will obviously depend a lot on the standard of accommodation you are looking for.

luci

If it is £350 total then I doubt it can be done from Scotland. Ryanair also go to BCN from Prestwick which is slightly cheaper than EDI. However the cheapest flight I can find are £140pp before fees.

Accommodation isn't cheap in Barcelona although there is a new Travelodge there which may be cheaper than most hotels.

warehouse

I went twice last year. First time one of our group got pickpocketed, 2nd time we all took big precautions and were fine. Be sensible and you'll have no problems.

On the football side, if you go to the stadium on the morning of any weekend match then you'll easily be able to buy tickets for the game, (unless it's against Real Madrid then you have no hope)! Easy city to get around, loads to see and do, weather will be good enough for a day or 2 on the beach. Have fun.

*ThisIPromiseYou*

Thanks everyone for your help so far!

£350 was just an estimated figure to see if it was achievable but as you have informed me it's not particularly realistic then I can manage to stretch to £500 although really don't want to go over this!

Thanks for all the advice, I'm taking it all on board.

unsure

"Everyone I know who has visited Barcelona has been mugged or robbed. Be very careful!"
Just to redress the balance, nobody I know who has been to Barcelona has been mugged or robbed (and we are talking at least a couple of dozen peope including five of us last summer)! Just don't flash your money around and take the usual precautions and you'll be absolutely fine. It's a great city with a fantastic transport network and loads to see and do, eat and drink. You'll have a great time.