Benidorm?
Barcelona - what to do, what to see
- Thread starter cisamcgu
- Start date
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Sounds horrendous, I suggest you never go to a city again.
[QUOTE 4993818, member: 45"]A colleague convinced me once that Benidorm wasn't deserving of its reputation. He said that it was a cosmopolitan city where well-dressed locals gathered in the evenings to dance and be Spanish. So we visited.
It was when I was passed by the 20-something, tattooed skinhead British lad driving a tandem mobility scooter with his girlfriend on the back that I had second thoughts. As soon as we'd bought our son's fake Barcelona kit we were out of there.[/QUOTE]
To be fair there's an old part that is quite nice. The main part is like everything I imagine the top of the M1 to be.
It was when I was passed by the 20-something, tattooed skinhead British lad driving a tandem mobility scooter with his girlfriend on the back that I had second thoughts. As soon as we'd bought our son's fake Barcelona kit we were out of there.[/QUOTE]
To be fair there's an old part that is quite nice. The main part is like everything I imagine the top of the M1 to be.
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cisamcgu
Legendary Member
- Location
- Merseyside-ish
Thank you everyone, it has given my lots of things to think about
I've been umpteen times as I was lucky enough to have pal who lived in BCN, there is not enough time in week to see what you "should" see, and if you try to see too much you'll regret not just enjoying the feel of the city, IMO anyway.
It's a compact City and very hard to get lost, up and you are going towards the mountains, down, to the sea, and the center is only bisected by two major roads north to south and if you are not on Las Ramblas, then you east of it and are on Via Laietana
I'd definitely junk the bike tour and just hire a bike, you can go along the seafront (for miles, to Badalona even if you like) and there are plenty of cycle lanes, I'd also not bother going in any attractions, you don't have much time for ticket buying & queues.
Things I'd do. (Some have been suggested)
Ride around.
See Sagrada Familia, ride up there and around it.
Ride onto Gracia for look, away from most tourists.
Junk bike.
Cable car across port (great views), or the funicular (easier) up to Montjuic for a wander, the views and the Olympic Stadium.
Potter around in Born, in the triangle between the Picasso Museum, Santa Caterina market and the Santa Maria del mar church.
Take time to sit down and have beer in Place Reial and people watch.
Sit down and have beer in the seedy side (Raval Ramblas) and people watch. Heading south is a big bronze cat, past & at the bottom, go left, in 100 yards you are in a square (Place de Salvador Segui). Something funny is usually kicking off there and I like to watch from Bar Filmax, Bar El Cayote or Bar Robador.
You can have a great time just wandering, without seeing anything that you "should" tbh.
In fact, l'd avoid Las Ramblas (like Blackpool prom) and it's immediate surroundings, including La Boqueria (Go to Caterina instead), no wonder there is an "anti-tourist vibe, it's become like a theme park city, I think I'd fall over in shock if I met Spaniard in a bar, never mind a real live Catalan. I preferred it pre-olympics.......a shithole.
Levo-Lon
Guru
Levo-Lon
Guru
I was pleasantly suprised with Tarragona , found the most beautiful church / cathedral up a tiny narrow street.
I was stunned at the riches and beauty of it , no way would that be possible in blighty with tea leafs.
Further you get away from tourist places the better Spain seems to get..i know its sights that draw us in but its got so much more when you wander off the beaten track
I was stunned at the riches and beauty of it , no way would that be possible in blighty with tea leafs.
Further you get away from tourist places the better Spain seems to get..i know its sights that draw us in but its got so much more when you wander off the beaten track
threebikesmcginty
Corn Fed Hick...
- Location
- ...on the slake
The Gaudi apartment block is a thing of wonder.
@MossCommuter is quite right though, the tour bus stuff is a great way to see just about everything if you've limited time, we always use them.
@MossCommuter is quite right though, the tour bus stuff is a great way to see just about everything if you've limited time, we always use them.
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cisamcgu
Legendary Member
- Location
- Merseyside-ish
Well, I got back last night and Barcelona is a stunning place.
Sagrada Familia : Rather weird looking from the outside, but the inside - Wow - it took my breath away; it was utterly, utterly fabulous
Lunch by the beach : watching the waves
Bike tour : excellent value, friendly guide, learned where everything was on the first day
Las Ramblas : Wasn't pick-pocketed, but found it all a bit "samey", same stalls selling the same stuff all the way up
Cathedral : They keep geese
Gothic bits : Nice to wander and drink a coffee
Olympic park : Superb
Taxis : Eye-wateringly expensive
Lots of other things, thank you all for your suggestions
Sagrada Familia : Rather weird looking from the outside, but the inside - Wow - it took my breath away; it was utterly, utterly fabulous
Lunch by the beach : watching the waves
Bike tour : excellent value, friendly guide, learned where everything was on the first day
Las Ramblas : Wasn't pick-pocketed, but found it all a bit "samey", same stalls selling the same stuff all the way up
Cathedral : They keep geese
Gothic bits : Nice to wander and drink a coffee
Olympic park : Superb
Taxis : Eye-wateringly expensive
Lots of other things, thank you all for your suggestions
Levo-Lon
Guru
Profpointy
Legendary Member
As well as the Sagrada Familia already mentioned, which is truly fantastic. The towers seem to have been nicked off Gormenghast or Mordor, but are well worth climbing.
There's Gaudi's flats "Pedrada" - and they've kept the show flat as it were as a museum, decked out in suitable furniture etc as might suit a bourgeois family of the time. Really good. There are a few other Gaudi buildings open to the public too.
The aquarium is also fantastic and takes several hours to go round
There's Gaudi's flats "Pedrada" - and they've kept the show flat as it were as a museum, decked out in suitable furniture etc as might suit a bourgeois family of the time. Really good. There are a few other Gaudi buildings open to the public too.
The aquarium is also fantastic and takes several hours to go round
swee'pea99
Squire
Reminds me of Bill Bryson on Cologne Cathedral: “It is absolutely immense, over 500 feet long and more than 200 feet wide…It can hold 40,000 people. You can understand why it took 700 years to build – and that was with German workers. In Britain they would still be digging the foundations.”
Profpointy
Legendary Member
At the risk of being serious it's being paid for by donations, so I'd imagine the work-rate is limited by the money-coming-in-rate.
Having seen recent pictures of it a lot seems to have been done since I was there 15 years or so back
