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Question Suggestions before Med Cruise from Barcelona
Old 05-17-2017, 03:40 PM   #1
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Question Suggestions before Med Cruise from Barcelona

Next Spring we are taking a Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona, and then a back to back transatlantic return trip to NY.

At first I thought, we could fly into Barcelona a week ahead of the cruise to see Barcelona, but I thought maybe I'm missing something better and you worldly travelers could suggest a better alternative.

I suspect flying into some other city, for a few days, then train to .... and end up at Barcelona ?

I'm willing to fly over up to around 10 days prior to the cruise.

Any suggestions for our trip ?
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Old 05-17-2017, 06:52 PM   #2
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There is tons to do in and near Barcelona. Spending a week there is well worth it.
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Old 05-18-2017, 12:11 AM   #3
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One week in Barcelona will be just right imo.
Public transport is good, even to and from airport.
We have stayed last year at H10cubic, great place but make sure that you get a room with real outside window.
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Old 05-18-2017, 01:18 AM   #4
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Another vote for a week in Barcelona. Been there, done that and want to do it again
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Old 05-18-2017, 08:01 AM   #5
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And yet another vote to base yourself in Barcelona pre-cruise. Get Rick Steves' Barcelona travel book, and it will not only help you plan our your time there, but suggest easy side trips.
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Old 05-18-2017, 08:15 AM   #6
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For a different vibe, Southern Spain (the Andalucia region) might be worth a visit. Smaller towns than Barcelona with a more varied history (don't think Moors/Muslims made there way all the way up to Barcelona whereas they controlled S. Spain for 700 years). Different architecture, different feel. The weather will be perfect in the April/early May timeframe you'll likely be there (it gets hot in S Spain around June-August, similar to southeastern US). Barcelona might still be chilly??

However you'll likely visit Malaga (coastal town in Andalucia) on your cruise so you might get a taste of Andalucia like it or not!

In a month, we're heading to Andalucia for a week and a half as part of our big 9 week vacation in Europe. We opted to skip the bigger Spanish cities of Madrid and Barcelona to see something different in Andalucia. We're doing 2 days in Malaga (where our flight from Portugal lands - basically a stopover ), 3 days in Granada (El Alhambra!!), and 4 days in Seville.

I checked Seville to Barcelona and there's an 11 hour train connection for €25/person or a 1.5 hr flight on Ryanair for €20 (plus another €25-50 for checked bags probably ).

Disclosure: I've never been to Europe before.
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Old 05-18-2017, 08:30 AM   #7
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I just returned from five days in Barcelona post TA cruise. Barcelona was chilly in the morning and then it warms up . We did not need jackets only a long sleeved top and a scarf.Monseratt is a must do .We did use Rick Steve's book and his restaurant recommendations were spot on . There is so much to see and do in Barcelona that a week will fly by. Just visting the Sagrada Familia takes half a day to really see and appreciate it .
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Old 05-18-2017, 09:28 AM   #8
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For a different vibe, Southern Spain (the Andalucia region) might be worth a visit. Smaller towns than Barcelona with a more varied history (don't think Moors/Muslims made there way all the way up to Barcelona whereas they controlled S. Spain for 700 years). Different architecture, different feel. The weather will be perfect in the April/early May timeframe you'll likely be there (it gets hot in S Spain around June-August, similar to southeastern US). Barcelona might still be chilly??

However you'll likely visit Malaga (coastal town in Andalucia) on your cruise so you might get a taste of Andalucia like it or not!

In a month, we're heading to Andalucia for a week and a half as part of our big 9 week vacation in Europe. We opted to skip the bigger Spanish cities of Madrid and Barcelona to see something different in Andalucia. We're doing 2 days in Malaga (where our flight from Portugal lands - basically a stopover ), 3 days in Granada (El Alhambra!!), and 4 days in Seville.

I checked Seville to Barcelona and there's an 11 hour train connection for €25/person or a 1.5 hr flight on Ryanair for €20 (plus another €25-50 for checked bags probably ).

Disclosure: I've never been to Europe before.
I checked and there is a fast train from Seville to Barcelona that takes just 5.5 hours, and looks pretty comfy. We would have a large bag and a carryon each, so even at $99 ea. the train is probably cheaper than flying.

This made me think, how are you getting around Europe on your trip ? Did you post your trip plans already ?
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Old 05-18-2017, 09:30 AM   #9
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Which airport is closer to Andalucia? I'm going to be fly in from London.
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Old 05-18-2017, 09:35 AM   #10
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And yet another vote to base yourself in Barcelona pre-cruise. Get Rick Steves' Barcelona travel book, and it will not only help you plan our your time there, but suggest easy side trips.
I do have Rick's book, and I do seem to remember that he said 3 days was all you needed to see Barcelona.
Which means side trips would be needed to fill in other days.
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Old 05-18-2017, 09:36 AM   #11
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Which airport is closer to Andalusia? I'm going to be fly in from London.
Seville and Malaga both have airports. SVQ and AGP I think. Granada also has an airport but not sure how big or how many flights they have. We're flying into Malaga from Lisbon on a propellor plane (might be holding livestock on my lap lol). Seville to Milan on a regular jet on Ryanair.

Bus service is pretty comprehensive down there. Alsa seems to be the carrier of choice (or it was for us anyway). Advance purchase tix around €5/person for 2-3 hr bus ride.
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Old 05-18-2017, 09:41 AM   #12
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I just returned from five days in Barcelona post TA cruise. Barcelona was chilly in the morning and then it warms up . We did not need jackets only a long sleeved top and a scarf.Monseratt is a must do .We did use Rick Steve's book and his restaurant recommendations were spot on . There is so much to see and do in Barcelona that a week will fly by. Just visting the Sagrada Familia takes half a day to really see and appreciate it .
Did you need to book in advance for the Sagrada Familia ?

What about hotel recommendations, I'm hoping for something $100/night or less but safe, does not have to be fancy.
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Old 05-18-2017, 09:44 AM   #13
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There are countless opportunities for travel is Spain.

You may also want to look at flying into Rome, Paris, or some other city. Spend a few days there, and than grab a flight to Barcelona and spend some time there.
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Old 05-18-2017, 09:59 AM   #14
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Did you need to book in advance for the Sagrada Familia ?

What about hotel recommendations, I'm hoping for something $100/night or less but safe, does not have to be fancy.
Rick Steve's book said three days but that is with every minute crammed full .You will want some time to just sip wine in a sidewalk cafe . Wine is 2 euros. Book Sagrada Familia ahead of time or you will be waiting forever .There are tons of Hotels in Barcelona but for $100 or less you may need to look at air B&B's.
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Old 05-18-2017, 10:55 AM   #15
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I checked and there is a fast train from Seville to Barcelona that takes just 5.5 hours, and looks pretty comfy. We would have a large bag and a carryon each, so even at $99 ea. the train is probably cheaper than flying.

This made me think, how are you getting around Europe on your trip ? Did you post your trip plans already ?
Check the low cost carriers Ryanair and Easyjet as they pretty often offer fares of €10-30 but checked bags are about the cost of a whole ticket. Of course the train stations are usually easier to deal with than airports since they are more centrally located and you can show up a few minutes before your departure (sometimes 30+ minutes or more required if it's an international high speed train or a sleeper train). Airport seems to be 2+ hours ahead of time to board the plane. 5.5h on a train is probably the same total travel time as 2+ hrs waiting at the airport, 1.5 hr flight, and a pair of airport shuttles, so for me it would come down to cost and whether I wanted to pay more for the experience of watching the scenery go by at ground elevation vs. in the air.

Within Europe, we're visiting at least 8 countries and staying in 14 different cities. Between cities, we're flying on 2 segments, taking the bus on 4 segments, train on 5 segments, and one way rental car on 2 segments. Basically whatever provided the best combo of cost, convenience, schedule, and scenery.

Surprisingly, cost was probably the least relevant consideration since with advance purchase tickets, costs are incredibly tiny for our family. We paid $190 for the five Seville to Milan air tickets, otherwise paid $30-80 total for all other tickets including some all-day first class train travel that includes a nice 3 hour stopover in Cologne for some downtown touring. On several occasions we paid a little extra for a much faster method of transport or a more convenient departure/arrival time.

I have a detailed article on my blog from a couple months ago outlining all travel plans and costs for the nine weeks (can't link here due to forum rules against self promotion; link to blog is in my profile however).

Edit: forgot to mention the option to go to Morocco. Ryanair had some dirt cheap flights (I think from Seville, but check from Barcelona) to Morocco. Maybe $10-20 each way. We almost went for that but didn't want to overschedule ourselves this time around. Something I would definitely do if the stars align later on.
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Old 05-18-2017, 01:58 PM   #16
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I love Spain. We usually tag onto the end of a cruise instead of doing the Transatlantic because that ocean crossing isn't within our plans yet.

A couple of thoughts...

As others have mentioned, low cost carriers have opened the range of affordable hops in Europe. In addition to the usual suspects Ryanair and Easyjet, check out Vueling which is the Spanish LCC. We flew on them from Rome to Barcelona post one of our cruises and they're not bad even though they were delayed.

If you want to stick with trains, I think the furthest I'd go is Paris. We went from Barcelona to Paris once and that was a long day (which was compounded by various issues).

Prior to our Eastern Med cruise last year, we were tossing around another trip to Spain but with a focus on the food mecca of San Sebastian.

Keep an eye out for general and transportation strikes that can mess up your plans.
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Old 05-18-2017, 04:27 PM   #17
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Last year we spent 9 days in Barcelona following a transatlantic cruise. Plenty to see and do. We did take a side trip to Montserrat and wineries. I don't think a week is too long. Check out airbnb based on your budget.
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Old 05-18-2017, 04:27 PM   #18
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I have British Airline Avios to fly free and first class among European cities. The best part is no tax as long as you don't go through London.
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Old 05-18-2017, 04:39 PM   #19
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Last year we spent 9 days in Barcelona following a transatlantic cruise. Plenty to see and do. We did take a side trip to Montserrat and wineries. I don't think a week is too long. Check out airbnb based on your budget.
I did check out airbnb base on your comment, and comment of others above, actually went to Fuego's blog and read on his airbnb adventure (Quebec City).

Then I looked for a random day and found some very high rated ones with over 300 reviews, and the prices were in the $25->$40 range which is a lot cheaper than some nice hotels at over $200.

We will definitely go to Montserrat as a day trip.
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Old 05-18-2017, 04:51 PM   #20
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I do have Rick's book, and I do seem to remember that he said 3 days was all you needed to see Barcelona.
Which means side trips would be needed to fill in other days.
That honestly would be a rush/whirlwind. And there are some nice side trips - seeing Montserrat, visiting nearby wineries - the area specializes in cava - Spanish sparkling wine. You can visit Figueros, and some other nearby historic cities or coastal towns, even Tarragona. Lots of day trip options. And even things like cooking classes.

We didn't try to visit Andalusia from Barcelona - too far. We plan to spend several weeks exploring that region next year.

We spent 6 nights in Barcelona last year and we were very busy!!!
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