Barcelona-excursion or own?

[melly]

Hi everyone,I will be sailing on Carnival Freedom in September,and was wondering can we reach Barcelona's main attractions or center of town by walking or do we need to book an excursion?

[Hank]

Hi Melly, You can find an awful lot of info on Barcelona by just searching on the Web, but I will give you some help. The cruise port is just across the bay from the main part of Barcelona and its possible to walk from the ship to the Columbus Statute at the base of the Ramblas in about 25 minutes. You can also take a taxi from the ship to anywhere downtown for about 6 or 7 Euroes, take the shuttle bus from the cruise port for about $5, or take the public bus that stops right in front of the cruise terminal (just across the road) for about 1 Euro. Once at the Ramblas (the main street for tourists) you can walk to lots of places in that area including the Gothic Quarter. To get to Sagrada Familia (the Gaudi Cathedral) you can take a taxi (about $10), walk it in about 30 min, or use local transportation. There is also a decent subway system that can get you to more distant places. If you do a little research (just read any guide book at Borders) you can easily handle Barcelona on your own.

Hank

[NancyN]

The Hop On - Hop Off is an excellent way to see the sites of Barcelona. If memory serves me correctly, busses run about every 10-15 minutes in the circuitous route. It stops at Columbus Square which Hank has already told you is in walkable distance from the ship.
Nancy