BARCELONA TOURS AND MUSEUMS
2015
Option 1: Barcelona Half Day Bike Tour – 4 Hours - $33 per person
This cycling tour is suitable for all ages and is not the least bit strenuous. You will ride at a relaxed pace, with no hills to conquer, and stops are made every few hundred yards at points of interest to take photos and hear the fascinating history and stories of Barcelona from your excellent guide. You'll have the use of a comfortable and easy-to-ride bike, and gain useful tips and advice about what to do and see while you're visiting Barcelona.
The tour begins with a brief introduction to the history of Barcelona before heading to the tour shop to collect the bikes. Some of the sights on the bike tour include:
· Placa Sant Jaume
· Placa del Rei
· La Catedral
· La Sagrada Familia
· Parc de la Ciutadella
· Also Palau de la Musica Catalana, Arc del Triomf, Plaza de Toros Monumental, Vila Olímpica, Barceloneta beach, Port Vell, El Borne, Basilica de la Santa Maria del Mar and more!
Barcelona Beach Break:
Late in the tour we take a break at an outdoor beach bar to relax for a bit and to enjoy the opportunity to mingle with your fellow bikers, while taking in the sights and atmosphere of the Mediterranean. Remember to bring a swim suit if you want to take a dip in the sea and some extra spending cash for food and drinks
Option 2: Montserrat, Colonia Guell and Gaudi Crypt – Day Trip – 8 hours - $82 per person
Start your day trip from Barcelona at Colonia Güell, a small worker's village built in 1882. Here, enjoy a guided visit of Antoni Gaudí's crypt, an impressive church, which Gaudí built but never fully finished. Be impressed by the stunning architecture, which is similar to Gaudí’s most famous work – the beautiful Sagrada Familia in Barcelona.
Your next stop is Montserrat, a craggy mountain outside of Barcelona. Montserrat is home to a Benedictine monastery founded in the 11th century and provides a mystical backdrop for the Virgin of Montserrat, the patron saint of Catalonia who is enshrined in the monastery's Royal Basilica.
Also at Montserrat, ride to the top of the mountain on the rack railway, and enjoy the panoramic views. You will have free time to explore Montserrat on your own and have lunch in one of the restaurants to taste the Spanish cuisine. Your guide will always be there to answer any questions.
Option 3: Best of Barcelona Tour including Sagrada Familia – ½ Day - $110 per person
Start with a drive to Barcelona's famous hill of Montjuïc, the site of the 1992 Olympic Games, which offers excellent views over the city. After a brief stop at the Catalunya National Art Museum, continue down to Plaça Espanya and on past the modernist buildings of the Eixample area.
On your way to the Sagrada Famlia, you’ll go through Passeig de Gracia, home to designer stores and two of Barcelona’s most renowned Antonio Gaudí buildings – La Pedrera and Casa Batlló. You’ll also stop at the Hospital de Sant Pau, one of the greatest symbols of the modernist architecture in Barcelona and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Skip the line at La Sagrada Familia and avoid the very long queues. Your guide will lead you straight into the magnificent interior of this famous structure for a guided visit.
You’ll then head to the oldest part of Barcelona, the Gothic Quarter, where you’ll leave the bus and enjoy a stroll through the narrow streets of medieval Barcelona. From there, travel back to the early Middle Ages, visiting the Jewish Quarter, the Royal Palace, the original 2,000-year-old Roman temple and part of the Cathedral.
Continue to the Born district, where you’ll have free time for a quick lunch before heading to the magnificent Santa Maria del Mar church, one of the most beautiful in Barcelona, where your tour ends at approximately 1pm.
Do you want to visit Park Güell and La Pedrera?
Upgrade to the full-day tour of Barcelona, and you'll continue to Park Güell. Enjoy a guided tour of the famous city garden, where you’ll be introduced to some of Gaudí’s most bizarre creations. Finally, you’ll visit one of Gaudí’s most famous buildings, La Pedrera (1-hour). You will skip the line again, and have an hour to visit interior of the building. Your tour will then end at approximately 4.30pm.
Option 4: Skip the Lines: Barcelona Sagrada Familia Tickets – 1 Hour Tour but you can stay as long as you like after the tour has ended. $44 per person
By pre-booking this Sagrada Familia skip-the-line ticket, you can avoid the long lines (which can take more than two hours!) and go straight inside Antoni Gaudí's Gothic masterpiece – one of Barcelona’s most popular attractions. These special Sagrada Familia tickets include the standard ticket price plus a fast-track access fee, worth every penny when you see how many travelers are lined up outside. After skipping the line, you will have a one-hour guided tour of la Sagrada Familia, which includes a visit to the museum.
You will visit the astonishing interior of this church, which is one of the most visited buildings in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was consecrated and proclaimed a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI. Designed by Antoni Gaudí as a Latin cross plan with five aisles, this church is extremely rich in ornamentation and symbolism, and has vaults that reach 230 feet (70 meters).
You will also visit la Sagrada Familia museum, where you will see drawings, plaster models and pictures about the history and development of the basilica from its early beginnings in 1882, when its construction begun, to the present day. Its anticipated completion date is 2026, the centennial of Gaudí's death. The museum will also give you valuable information about Gaudi´s life and career.
After the guided tour, you can continue exploring at your leisure.
Option 5: Barcelona Walking Tour – Picasso to Picasso Museum – 2 Hours - $30 per person
Your Picasso Walking Tour includes a guided visit to the Picasso Museum which honors his talent and is Barcelona's most visited museum. Your tour will end at the museum and you are welcome to spend additional time here at your leisure.
Some of the places you may visit during this Barcelona Walking Tour include:
· Quatre Gats Cafe
· Frisos del Col legi d'Arquitectes
· Sala Parés
· Escudellers Blancs
· Carrer Avinyó
· Carrer de la Plata
· Porxos d'En Xifre
· Llotja de Mar
· La Ribera Quarter
· Museu Picasso
Option 6: Barcelona Museum Pass – At your leisure - $42 per person
Each ticket booklet is packed with useful information, including hours of operation, transport and contact information, plus insider tips so you can get the most out of your visit to Barcelona. It's all you need to see the best of one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Your Barcelona Museum Pass includes tickets to the following must-see attractions:
· National Art Museum of Catalonia (Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya)
· Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona)
· The Fundation Joan Miro (Fundació Joan Miró)
· Fundacio Antoni Tapies (Fundació Antoni Tàpies)
· Barcelona Contemporary Culture Centre (Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona)
· La Pedrera ( Fundació Caixa Catalunya)
· Picasso Museum (Museu Picasso)
Option 7: Girona and Cost Brava Small Group Day Trip – All Day - $110 per person. This tour came highly recommended. I know it’s not on your list but thought you might like to look at it.
Leaving Barcelona, you will head to Girona, a city with a long history, believed to be founded around 76 BC. The river Onyar neatly divides the city in two, separating the old town from the new. The city has a rich architectural heritage and you can see evidence of this in its the cathedral founded in 1038 an the Roman walls which you can stroll along when they are open or wander the narrow streets of the old town.
Continue to the Santuari dels Angels, this spot offers panoramic views of the whole Girona region and is the spot Salvador Dali chose for his wedding. From here you will make your way to Pals, a small city that grew from a fortress. Stop here for lunch before you head to the fishing village of Calella de Palafrugell.
The clean lines of the whitewashed houses here will be evident here and you'll have time to explore the rocky coastline or perhaps even take a dip in the inviting waters before returning to Barcelona.
Option 8: FC Barcelona Football Stadium Tour and Museum Tickets – 1 ½ hours - $32 per person
Take this once in a lifetime opportunity to walk in the footsteps of famous players such as Kubala, Cruyff, Maradona, Guardiola and Ronaldinho. Your tour of Camp Nou starts with a visit to the Visitor's team changing room and a walk through the famous tunnel onto the pitch. Walk on the grass and enjoy a panoramic view of the stadium. You will also visit the Chapel, TV Room, Press Room, Fundacio Zone and the Presidential Box.
Your tour also includes a skip the line visit to Barcelona FC Football Museum. Start the tour with a panoramic view of the stadium from the grandstand, then take a look back over the long history of the club. Admire the trophies, photographs, sports equipment and team kits from over the years as you wander though this impressive museum. There is also an audio-visual display available.
Option 9: Barcelona Card – At your leisure: For 2 days $48 per person, For 3 days $61 per person and for 4 days $72 per person – This is new and something one of my previous clients really wanted while in Barcelona as it allows you to jump on and off the bus system.
See and do everything Barcelona has to offer with this great value city sightseeing and discount card. Choose from 2, 3, 4 or 5 consecutive day passes and receive free entry, great discounts and offers to Barcelona's major attractions. Whether you prefer museums or galleries, cathedrals or shopping - Barcelona has it all. The Barcelona Card offers FREE ENTRY to over 20 of the city's top visitor attractions (including the Chocolate Museum and Park Guell), free transport around Barcelona, and access to over 90 special offers in shops, restaurants, museums and much more.
Highlights
· Free full-color Barcelona guidebook with city and metro maps
· Free admission to over 20 top Barcelona attractions
· Choose from 2, 3, 4 and 5 consecutive day passes
· See Gaudi's breathtaking architecture in Barcelona
· Discounted entry to the Casa Gaudi Museum and Picasso Museum
· Free unlimited travel on Barcelona public transport including metro, city buses and train service from the city center to Barcelona Airport
· Discounts at many shops, restaurants and attractions