Barcelona

[Green Tribe]

I am looking for some info on travelling to Barcelona. Myself and 2 friends want to go somewhere for a few days (4) about the 15th December. We can only fly from Glasgow Int'l or Glasgow Prestwick. We have found only Barcelona £47 return ryanair Prestwick-Gerona. This seems best option. We know it is a popular destination but will not be busy as it is December unless for shoppers. Anyone been, where to stay, visit places, things to see outside Barca. Any info would be great. Cheers!

GT :D

[hynzy]

howya green tribe, ya i was in Barcelona in June. It's an unreal city, great buzz around the place. the main part of the is 'la Ramblas'. It is a km long street, it's brilliant. when i was there i stayed in Hotel Cristal Palace, which is just up the round from Plaza de Catalunya which is the top of the Ramblas. It is a good hotel and i got it fairly cheap. Hope that helps

[sligoman]

Hope that helpsAnd if that doesn't then this (http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/?go=jN7uAYLx/oIJaWVXDb8ZU93ygJVYK+5QT9vyIue/wAW6Ddhyha4vOJgiNq9k7Tgo) should;)

[Dodge]

Been a few times. Stayed in these hotels (http;//www.hoteles-catalonia.com) Look for special offers.

ramblas is geat for walking donw during the day but stay away from it at night. Gothic quarter is cool. Most of the expensive shops are an a street called Passeig de Cracia which runs up from placa Catalunya which is the centre of everything.

Make sure you visit Parc Guell. Gaudi designed, its the most unbelievable thing ou'll ever see. The amount of work put into the detail... Oh and its free.

[Green Tribe]

Cheers lads, I've heard bits and pieces from some people who've been already. Me and 1 of the other girls have been to Madrid already and we both loved it, would go there again but no direct flight from Glasgow-Madrid. Cannot wait for this, I need a change of scenery and a break. Just good to hear from others, sometimes can really help. :)

[Dodge]

Oh and the other thing. Be VERY careful about your belongings. Pickpocketing is rife.. if you're carrying abag on the subway, hold it tight and make sure nobody can open it. And it goes without saying a trip to the nou camp is a must...

[Green Tribe]

Oh and the other thing. Be VERY careful about your belongings. Pickpocketing is rife.. if you're carrying abag on the subway, hold it tight and make sure nobody can open it. And it goes without saying a trip to the nou camp is a must...

yes, much to the other 2 girl's annoyance I shall be dragging them to the Nou Camp, people say it is amazing. Also heard about Barca being a pickpocket's paradise, swift kick in the nuts to anyone trying to mug us! :D

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=0042 :eek: Not bad!

[el tk]

Yeah the Nou Camp is class, there's a tourist bus that goes around most of the main attractions which is pretty good.

[Green Tribe]

Ok, getting to an important topic for me - food :D I imagine there are many great places to eat, anyone know of a particular one they remember, good local food, esp seafood, slurp! :)

[Drumcondra Red]

Local food?? There's a great Abra in Drumcondra!!! :D

[hynzy]

Wed 21 Dec FC Barcelona - - Celta
I regularly go on to the barca website, and if it intersts you which im sure it will Barcelona have a home game on the 21st of dec, if your der you shouldn't miss it, even if the girls were with you dey would love it, it would be amazing to see a game in d Camp Nou.

[Green Tribe]

Wed 21 Dec FC Barcelona - - Celta
I regularly go on to the barca website, and if it intersts you which im sure it will Barcelona have a home game on the 21st of dec, if your der you shouldn't miss it, even if the girls were with you dey would love it, it would be amazing to see a game in d Camp Nou.

ballax, i'm getting my dates mixed up, we only can go 15-18th Dec. will check if there is a game then ;)

Sh!te, they play away on the Sunday

[Dodge]

For pubs/clubs head to the Olympic Port, its basically a row of Pubs and Clubs and the biggest one in Barca is Baja Beach Club. The trendier bars/restaurents are all on passeig de Gracia. Couldn't tell you anywhere we ate but all seemed reasonable. Seafood s definitely the Catalan dish so you'll have plenty of choice.

Oh and I kow loads of non Football fans who've been to the Nou Camp nd been awe struck...

[Green Tribe]

Local food?? There's a great Abra in Drumcondra!!! :D

Oh well, we'll just come to Drumcondra for the weekend....:rolleyes:

[tiktok]

We know it is a popular destination but will not be busy as it is December unless for shoppers. Anyone been, where to stay, visit places, things to see outside Barca. Any info would be great.

Things to see

La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's Cathedral still under construction, It's absolutely breathtaking, do the tour (even though it's a building site inside) if only for the artist's models to see what it will eventually look like.
Parc Gueill, Gaudi's park, home of the world's longest Park Bench
AFAIK. Nice little wander, can be tricky to find though. Great City views from it.
Camp Nou If you can catch a game, brilliant, if not, it's still worth visiting, fantastioc stadium and stadium tour.
La Ramblas Complete touriost trap, avoid the shops and restaurants on it but it has to be walked, artists/street entertainers/bird sellers right the way along.
The olympic plaza On a nice day it looks beautiful, have a wander around it on your way top the Joan Miro Gallery, a wonderful if underrated artist and the cablecar which will take you on a cool trip over Barcelona.
Beach/Port area Great for a moring stroll

Where to eat

I've been there a few times, eaten in loads of places. IMO there are only two must visits.....
Los Caracoles, in the Barri Gothic off La Ramblas, another place to visit, lots of winding old streets, best restaurant in Barca, real old school feel to it, looks like a bar from the outside before the bring you through the kitchen, food, atmosphere and people are brilliant.
7 portes (http://www.7portes.com/ing/index_7portes.htm), if you like seafood, book in advance at the weekend.

Where to Drink
as Dodge said, the Port area.

Shopping
Av. Diagonal, gop to the top of La Ramblas onto Pl. de Catalunya, turn right and you can't miss it. My other half loved it, spent hours there.

[Green Tribe]

Thanks everybody, you've been a great help... :)

[noby]

As was mentioned, I would recommend getting the bus tour ticket. We got a two-day one. There's a north route and south route; you can hop on and off; it'll pass most places you'll want to see, and it's handy for getting your bearings.