A Beautiful City (Barcelona)

Member Name: mdhughes03

Product:	Barcelona
Date:	18/07/09 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to get around, Something for everyone

Disadvantages: Not many signposts for tourist attractions-best to take a street map

It's rare you can say this and actually mean it, but this is a city with something for everyone. There is glorious architecture aplenty, with Gaudi buildings throughout the city and the amazing gothic quarter housing the city's cathedral and of course Barcelona's favourite attraction the Temple de la Sagrada Familia. A church with design work by Gaudi which is slowly being built through donation money.

Like any large city, there is the usual McDonalds and Burger King but also many lovely tapas bars. For the best food, I would recommend heading down La Rambla to La Boqueria-a large undercover food market. There are plenty of places to eat inside and some lovely little eateries in the surrounding area-the perfect place to enjoy a hot chocolate and Churros, a must for any trip to Barcelona.

Although there is nothing nicer than ambling through the streets and alleyways, if you are trying to get to all corners of Barcelona in a short time, your best bet is the Metro-the underground train system which covers the whole city. The T-10 ticket is most useful, it allows you 10 journeys but it doesn't matter how many people use the ticket, so long as each person sends it through the ticket barrier separately.

If you do nothing else, take the Funicular train (part of the metro system so no extra cost) and head up Montjuic, one of the two mountains that overlook Barcelona. From here you can take a walk around some of the Olympic sites but I would recommend catching the cable car to the top of the hill. It is 8 Euros for a return ticket and worth every cent! The view from the cable car is amazing and once you get higher there are almost 360-degree views over the port, all the way to Mount Tibdabo. Once at the top there is a castle, which is free to visit. It has a military museum and gift shop but the best part is at the top. Climb the steps and you will come out onto a big flat yard complete with turrets and the best possible views of Barcelona. We could have spent hours up here just soaking up the sun and watching the ferries leaving for Mallorca. You can see most of the famous landmarks from up here too. Without doubt this was the best part of any of the trips I've made to Barcelona.

We flew cheaply using Ryanair, landing at Girona airport. It's about 1 hour 20 minutes from the city centre, however the other barcelona airport is still about an hour away so you're no worse off really. Sagales bus company do a shuttle into the city for 21 Euros return. Their bus times coincide with Ryanair flight times and we found it excellent value for money. You arrive at Barcelona Estacio de Nord bus station which is near the L'arc de triomf metro stop for easy onward travel to your hotel. I highly recommend Guillermo Tell hotel as great value for money in a safe neighbourhood away from all the noise.

Football fans will enjoy a trip to the Nou Camp and Parc Guell is another must for great views. Make a trip to the Majic Fountain of Montjuic to see a light and water display you'll never forget, very romantic! All in all a wonderful city, no matter what you are looking for out of your trip.

Summary: Cheap to get to, short flight time, lots to see