Whether you plan to visit Spain with a purely sightseeing trip or your main priority are the holiday tours- spending several days on the way to explore Barcelona and surroundings is definitely worth it. And in case if you don’t plan to blow the budget, you might prefer to arrange a tour yourself. Thus, you will save not only money but also time. And besides, when independent traveler, you can avoid tourist “rush hour” and enjoy the sights which are not crowded.
If you are staying in a seaside town, then getting to Barcelona easiest way is to use Renfe trains. Sometimes, though, you will have to reach the railway station by bus. In small towns, cashiers rarely speak English, but close to the little window there is always a schedule and you can just poke a finger to the desired destination. In Barcelona, it will be “Catalonia Square” (Placa de Catalunya). If you are going to visit Barcelona regularly or you have a big company, it will be more profitable to buy a ticket for 10 trips. The ticket can be used by everyone and the savings will be significant.
In Barcelona, it is possible to navigate on foot, only occasionally resorting to the metro. If you are not a lover of walking – get a ticket for bus travel. Open-top platform double-dockers move by several routes, passing near the major attractions. Having a ticket, you can enter and exit them at any stop. In addition, buses are equipped with audio guide, including in English, so that the time spent on the bus will be quite beneficial. Another nice feature is that the bus ticket is enclosed with the booklet of discount for visiting museums. In the town there are two competing companies: Bus Turistic and Barcelona Tours, but there are no fundamental differences between those two. One day ticket will cost 22 Euros while for two days you will have to pay 29 Euros.
If you decide to walk around the city on foot – you will not be able to do so without a map. Maps and guidebooks of Barcelona in multiple languages are being sold on every corner. The same exact maps can be taken from most of the hotels or the Tourist Information Center (located on the Plaza Catalunya).
To look into the Gothic Quarter, Parc Güell and Casa Milà, a gift tracker is not required. All major attractions are marked on tourist maps and to most of them can be walked from Plaza Catalunya.
And thus let’s refer to the spots which are considered to be non-accessible for the individual visit and are always included in various individual tours organized by tour agencies.
Mount Tibidabo
In addition to the oldest amusement park in Barcelona, there is a quite beautiful temple on the mountain with a huge statue of Christ crowning lofty peak. In just two Euros the dear elevator will take you to the upper terrace of the buildings, from which you can climb to the statue yourself. View of the city from the top of the mountain is simply spectacular. That’s why getting here is simply worth it.
In Catalunya square you can take the bus “Tibidabo”, which will take you directly to the mountain. And you can choose a little more complicated, but more interesting route. Once you arrive at the station to the last brown line stop, entitled “Tibidabo”, go to the road and ignoring the expensive travel option “Blue Tram” boldly go walking along the rail. On the way, do not forget to admire the beautiful villas of local oligarchs which are very different in style. As soon as the tram rails will go to the left, look in the opposite direction and you will see the gate leading into the park. Once in the park, follow signs to “funicular”, and after 10 minutes you will get to the bus stop that can take you to the summit of Mount Tibidabo. On the way back go to Park Guell, which is located nearby.
Montserrat
Located in 50 km from Barcelona, the monastery is a place for pilgrimage for Catholics around the world. In addition, the surrounding nature here is so great, that the Spanish government announced these places to be preserved area. For the convenience of tourists about a dozen hiking trails of various levels of complexity are laid on the mountain. All of them are equipped with a detailed list and getting lost is impossible. Go get to one of this trips it is best with the first train FGC, which departs from the station to the Square of Spain at 8.30 am. Only in this case you can manage to admire the monastery and its surroundings without the crowds of tourists, which after a couple of hours are brought by sightseeing buses.
To purchase tickets in advance you should decide whether you want to climb the mountain by cable car or on the knob and, accordingly, to buy a machine or a combined ticket for Tren + Aeri, or Tren + Cremallera. In the first case, change to the cable-way will be done at the station Monserrat-Aeri, and the second at one stop later – at station Monistrol de M. Having reached the journey’s end, look into the temple, and then take a stroll through one or more hiking trails.
Dali Museum
The museum of the great artist is located in the small town of Figueres and reaching it is not that difficult. Trains to that direction run every 20-30 minutes from Barcelona’s main train station Barcelona-Sans. In the city, getting off the train, go to the main flow of tourists to the city center and after 10 minutes you will reach the desired destination. By the way, in addition to Dalí Museum in Figueres, there are other fun activities here. First, within walking distance of the museum is the biggest fortress in Europe, Castel de Sant Ferran, on the territory of which you can walk for free. If you want extreme, you can go in for a boat trip through the flooded cellars under the castle.
On the way back you can stop in a beautiful Spanish town of Girona, where there are numerous medieval buildings until now.
Tarragona
The train from the central station of Barcelona to this wonderfully cozy town is about an hour. Tickets must be taken until Tarragona, although the train may go further: to Zaragoza or Tortosa. When the map of the city is already obtained from the closest tourist office near the station, you can boldly set out to explore Roman ruins, and just enjoy the pleasant town.
And remember that on Monday, most museums do not work!
