Hi starrystarry,
in madrid we moved around on our own coz it's quite easy to do so to navigate with a map.
Like i said....u can spend time to check out
www.madridman.com that offers loads of great advice from fellow spain lovers. i got great info from readers there. In barcelona we bought passes for the 'hon on and hop off' tour bus that dropped us at different hot spots to explore. pls see see some info i got from fellow spain lover as follows:
Guide to Barcelona
Transfer from the airport into the CITY: Aeroport del Prat: 12 Kms southwest of city Tourist offices, banks, and luggage storage, ATMs in terminals.
Aerobus: this is how I usually go. Simple, easy, leaves every 15 min. from 6 to midnight, 6:30 week days and holidays, and only takes 25-30 minutes to the Placa de Catalunya. From there you can catch a taxi to your hotel. Departs from right outside the international terminal. Luggage racks. It makes intermediate stops at Placa Espanya and Placa Universitat. To return to airport from Placa Catalunya, Aerobus departures from 5:30 a.m. Monday to Friday and from 6 a.m. weekdays and holidays. Cost: 3 Euros
Train: It takes about 20 minutes to get into the city from the station, but the station is a long walk from the terminal. Trains stop at all major train stations, Sants, plus Placa Catalunya and depart every 1/2-hour. Ticket costs 2,30 Euros. The Aerobus is the better option unless you’re immediately connecting from the airport to a regional train.
City Transportation:
Taxis: Can be hailed only at the official taxi stops.
Metro: Of very limited use to a tourist, but the single fare cost is only 1 Euro, and T-dÃa, a one day pass for unlimited travel, costs 4,60 Euros, 2-dIes goes for 7,60, 3-dies for 10,80 Euros.
Bus: Same price as the metro and special day cards are valid for both bus and metro.
Sightseeing:
Hop on-Hop off, do it your way bus tours:
The very easiest, least labor/walking intensive, time-consuming way of seeing all the city attractions is to buy a ticket for the Bus Turistic. The visitor who tries to see all of BCN’s attractions his own way by foot/bus/metro wins the “dumb tourist of the year awardâ€. I’ve tried it and learned the hard way. BCN’s attractions are incredibly spread out, and some are not easily accessible by metro. For example, to reach the National Museum of Romanesque Art, you could take the metro to the Placa de Espanya stop and walk, but you’ll be walking uphill, climbing for the next 15 to 20 minutes. Even though there are escalators (“people moversâ€) to take you to the top, the last tier of escalators is a little hard to find and sometimes are non-functioning, or being worked on. Just take the Bus Turistic. I recommend buying the 2-day pass and doing your sightseeing leisurely over the next two days, doing the northern (red) circuit on the 1st day and the southern (blue), on the second.
If you’re short on time, the whole tour, north and south, can be done in a single day. There are 27 possible stops along the way. It will take you through the Olympic Port as well, plus a stop in front of the Parque de la Ciudadella, for an optional visit to the zoo, to see the famous “Copito de Nieveâ€, BCN’s albino gorilla, who’s getting quite old. Just start at the Placa Catalunya on the red (northern) route, then get off the bus at the Francesc Macia - Diagonal stop to switch to the southern blue route. Easy. TAKE THE VERY FIRST BUS; LEAVING THE PLACA CATALUNYA RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE EL CORTE INGLES PROMPTLY AT 9 A.M. YOU WON’T REGRET THE EARLY START! BY MID-MORNING, THESE BUSSES GET QUITE CROWDED. One-day pass costs 14 Euros Bus comes by every 10 to 15 minutes. We never had to wait long, even in June.
You’ll be given a little book of explanations of the sites and a booklet chock full of discounts for tours/museum entrances/cable car/â€Las Golondrinas†boat tour (not a bad way to spend 40 min. on a steamy summer’s day), etc. There’s a very limited commentary by hostesses on board in several languages. Take your guidebook along with you for maximum enjoyment.
You can read more here:
www.tmb.net/eng/fes_turisme/festurisme_bus.jsp
Another discount card is the Articket, which gives you free entrance to 6 museums for 15 euros; however, you must have an interest in visiting all 6 for it to be worthwhile.
Seedy Areas to Avoid:
Avoid the lower El Raval quarter behind the lower Ramblas, particularly at night. Escudellers street, just off of and east of the Ramblas is another place to avoid at night, as well as the nearby Placa George Orwell that attracts a druggy crowd. Watch your belongings at all times when strolling down the Ramblas, or in the Old Quarter, Ciutat Vella. In fact, leave all your valuables in hotel safe; just carry a copy of your passport and essential credit cards in a neck pouch. Beware of Gypsies, don’t accept flowers, become involved in any card or dice games, ignore those who spill something on your clothing, or point to a stain and offer to clean it for you. While doing so, they’ll be picking your pocket!
Major sightseeing attractions:
GaudÃ’s Modernist works, the Catalán Art Nouveau: Sagrada Familia church, a giant, open construction site where you can climb to the top of one of the spires, but elevators weren’t functioning on my last visit, can be reached easily by metro. His Palau Guell in the Raval quarter on Carrer Nou de la Rambla, 3, right off the Ramblas. Open Monday to Saturday from 10 am – 1 pm and 4 –7 pm. Guided tours in English for 2,50 Euros. His 50-acre Parc Guell. Delightful, particularly if you have kids in tow. You can visit his house/museum Monday – Sunday, 10 am - 5:45 pm for 3 Euros. The park encompasses fanciful gatehouses, fountains, arched and elevated walkways and viewing terraces, Casa Batlló on the Passeig de Gracia, 43 and Casa Milá, nicknamed La Pedrera, “the stone quarryâ€, on Passeig de Gracia, 92. Make sure to visit the roof at Passeig de Gracia for an up-close view of the surreal chimneys, Monday - Sunday, 10 am – 8 pm, 6 euros. Note the famous block to the left as you go north on the Passeig de Gracia. It’s called the Mansana de la Discordia, block of discord, where you’ll see three wildly contrasting works in a row from the three great Modernist architects: Gaudi, Domenech I Montaner and Puig I Cadafalch.
The wonderful Museu Picasso: The new museum is housed in a medieval mansion on pretty, mansion filled Carrer Montcada in El Born, to the east of the Barri Gotic. Strong on his very early works, as young as 12! Plus his blue period, a bit of his rose period and the series based on Velázquez’s Las Meninas. You can expect long lines, so go early. Open Tuesday to Saturday and holidays from 10 am – 8 pm, Sundays 10 am – 3 pm. Tickets are 4,80 Euros each. Closed Mondays. First Sun of the month is free.
A walk through the Barri Gotic: The Cathedral La Seu, open from 8:30 am - 1:30 pm and 4 - 7:30 pm. You can watch the locals form circles and see them dance the “sardanaâ€, the Catalán national dance prohibited during the Franco regime, on Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. and on Sunday mornings an noon front of the cathedral. Walk from the cathedral square to the Placa Saint Jaume, where the Generalitat, the Parliament of Catalunya, seat of the autonomous government, and the Ajuntament, the city hall, are located. You can also visit the Baroque salons of the city hall.
Las Ramblas: Take a stroll down the teeming, always lively and sometimes outrageous, pickpocket filled Las Ramblas, from north to south, from the Placa Catalunya to the statue of Columbus at the port. You’ll see human statues, vendors selling canaries and flowers, the largest newspaper kiosks in the world, card games (DON’T PARTICIPATE!), jugglers, etc. On the right side of the Ramblas heading south, you’ll find the glorious BoquerÃa food market, officially called the Mercat de Sant Josep. It opens at 8 am daily. A feast of the senses. Go in. Immediately to your right you’ll see a little “hole in the wall†food counter with a sign above that says “Pinocho†with a drawing of Pinocchio. This is a local legend, Juanito Bayan’s famous luncheonette, known to all the foodies of the world. Grab a seat, there are only about 16 bar stools, and order what the locals are having, or just have Juan, he’ll be the ever-smiling one with the bow tie, cook up something special for you. This short order chef has been acclaimed in all the gourmet and travel magazines. Best time to go is between 10 am and 12 noon. His food couldn't be fresher and it'll be 3 deep at the bar at lunchtime, waiting for his little treats. His recipe for scrambled eggs with shrimp was recently published in the 100 best of Saveur magazine in a short piece "The Most Food from the Smallest Kitchen in the Best Market in Europe".
Also, a bit further below, on the right side going down the Ramblas, is the Gran Teatre del Liceu opera house built in 1847. It was destroyed by fire in 1861 and again in 1994 before being refurbished to perfection and reopened a few years ago. Take a guided tour of this lovely, neoclassical building with Baroque décor. There are guided visits daily for 5 euros. Or better yet, see a live performance. The box seats have wonderful antechambers. In olden days each family decorated his antechamber in an individual style. The stage takes up 70% of the hall. Up in the nosebleed section there was a “clacâ€, students who could watch the performances for just a few pesetas each, but had the obligation to applaud furiously at the end. There’s also a beautiful “Hall of Mirrors†where the elite met to socialize between acts.
The theater houses 2,300 spectators. I attended a piano recital of Alicia de Larrocha, but missed purchasing tickets for Tristan und Isolde. They sell out far in advance, but last-minute return tickets are put on sale the day of the performance at 2 pm. There are totally blind seats, no view, that go for 5,25 Euros. The most expensive are 120 – 130 Euros for the opening night of an opera. The salesladies are very nice to deal with, very helpful and their web site is superb.
www.liceubarcelona.com
Palau de la Musica Catalana: Off the Via Laeietana is a lavishly decorated Art Nouveau music palace built in 1905, the work of a Gaidà contemporary and other famous Modernista architect, Domenech I Montaner. The delightful guided tours, in several different languages, leave every hour and last about 50 minutes, including a 20-minute video. There’s an English language tour at 11 am. Go to the Palau store across the street to see the schedule of tours and languages, English, Spanish and Catalan, as it varies, then buy your tickets inside the Palau itself way ahead of time. Only 55 people are allowed in at a time and sell out fast! You can even call the box office ahead of time to reserve a place. Check
www.palaumusica.org. This will be one of the highlights of your visit! The Palau is a bit smaller than the Liceu, holding only 2,000 spectators. The guide will explain to you how they can hide the first 3 - 5 rows of seats. They’re now expanding the Palau once again and working on the organ, which hasn’t been played in 20 years. It should be ready for next season. 600 more spectators will be able to attend concerts in a subterranean concert hall.
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya: Take the funicular up to Monjuic, or the Bus Turistic will take you there, and then you can take the funicular back down, to visit this amazing Romanesque, Gothic art Museum. Tour the Gothic side first, as it takes longer to see because it’s filled with European masters, two Goya’s, a Velázquez, Zurbarán, Rubens, Titian and Tintoretto. One the Romanesque side you’ll see the apses of several Romanesque churches from the Pyrenees. Tues-Sat 10-7, Sun. and holidays, 10-2:30 4,80 euros. First Thurs of month free, plus the Fundació Miró, filled with Mire’s works from 1917 to 1978. It’s the largest single collection of his work in the world and building is filled with airiness and light. Also works by Calder, Henry Moore, Duchamp, Leger, and Max Ernst. Delightful. Concentrates on his final years. Tuesday – Saturday from 10 am – 7 pm and Thursdays till 9:30 during the summer. Open Sundays from 10 am - 2:30 pm. There is a Café on the premises.
Barri Gotic: While in the Barri Gotic, stroll over to the hip, happening, constantly gentrifying, think Soho, El Born district. Or see after your visit to the Picasso Museum. Be sure to visit the pretty Santa MarÃa del Mar basilica on the Placa Santa MarÃa. Open daily from 9 am - 1:30 pm, 4:30 – 8 pm. Catalan Gothic. Then go for tapas at many of the trendy bars in the area, or a great seafood lunch at the counter of lively Cal Pep.
For soccer fans: the Campo Nou stadium, home of Barça. Can stop and visit on the Bus Turistic route. Monday – Friday, 9:30 am - 1:30 pm and 4:30 - 7:30 pm. For museum: Monday –Saturday, 10:30 am - 6:30 pm, Sundays from 10 am – 2 pm.
