I haven't been to Barcelona but I'm doing research as I'm planning to go there for my next trip. After reading lots of information I do not see how you can visit all those sights in 4 hours unless it's a drive by. And have time to buy souvenirs and explore at a comfortable pace.

I hope Barcelona experts will let you know if it's possible.

This description and price is from the tour company.

I figured that out but it doesn't mean that it's enough time to actually see everything. This is just my opinion.

Will you be there on the 7th?

"I do not see how you can visit all those sights in 4 hours unless it's a drive by."
I agree 100%. That is a warning to anyone who reads this. However, is that what you want, a drive by?

now why in the world did they delete my post that TonyBishop quoted? REALLY! WHY?

@suec1. I really do not know. It was quite sensible, I thought. There is no evidence of a moderator having deleted a post.

But...my quote was from a post by adrienne, not suec1. Maybe that has something to do with it.

suec - was your post on another Barcelona thread? About the Olympics, perhaps?

The editors always put a note when they delete a post.

ooops, maybe there was a posting malfunction! As others have questioned, 4 hours for all these sites? I would be sure to ask what places are you really going to VISIT, not just drive by.

Also I suggested that the best place to find others to share this drive by was on the roll call for your cruise over on Cruise Critic. But again, it would be best to get some more specifics so there will not be disappointment over the content of the tour.

I don't think any post was deleted from this thread. When one is zapped there is an automatic blurb saying a post(s) was deleted.

ccarlson: It is physically impossible to 'visit' those places in 4 hours. It is just possible to drive past them and stop now and then to take a photo. Sounds like a terrible tour IMO.

I fly to Barcelona for work quite frequently and layover 24-48 hours at a time. There is no way that you can see and "do" these sights in 4 hours.You would be better off taking the on/off bus and just driving by to see these sights for alot less money-say around 24 euros a piece.
Park Guell and Sagrada Familia deserve walking around to see them.Las Ramblas and the entire walk down to the sea takes awhile to enjoy the statue people,shop,,etc.You aren't really seeing Barcelona if you are driving by in traffic..just saying! Personally,can you go a day earlier to get your cruise and actually see the city on your own? It is very easy to get around and enjoying the food,wine,people,history and culture would make your enjoy the city more.

"ooops, maybe there was a posting malfunction!"
Yes, I agree that there must have been a malfunction, but not a posting malfunction.

A lot of the places mentioned as being "on the tour" are just plazas or monuments that you really can just drive by, not too memorable, IMHO. For the real sights, that is not enough time.

Looking at only the three major Gaudi works: It takes 15-20 minutes just to drive to Park Guell, an hour or so to walk and explore a bit and 15-20 minutes back. Sagrada Familia took at least an hour+ just to walk through and see a bit of the info on construction and design. It took about half an hour to get tickets for la Pedrera and another hour to tour, go out on the roof, etc. That is over four hours already.

Twenty-thirty minutes for walk on the Ramblas.

The beach? No way!

Thank you everyone. It is a custom tour so we can do whatever we want. Perhaps that is why she listed EVERYTHING. I had listed the tour on Cruise Critic also. Sassafrass - thanks for the advice. If anyone wants to share what we should absolutely see in those 4 hours - I am all ears. The Casa batllo House of Bones sounds very interesting to me.

Have you looked at photos on the internet? The Sagrada Familia is the thing to see. Check out Park Guell - it's so interesting. The Ramblas should also be seen. I can't wait to go to Barcelona and see all these things up close!

How much you see depends on your sightseeing speed. I sightsee at Sassafrass's speed and plan on at least an hour for Sagrada Familia and probably more for the Parc.

The tour specifics you listed mentioned driver/guide. I would make sure you get a guide and not just a driver. There's a distinction. You'll want someone to explain the sights and their significance to you.

ccarlson, you will love Barcelona, we were there for a one-day port stop many years back. There is absolutely no way that you would be able to see all those sights in one day. Are you going to fly into BCN the day b4 your cruise departs? As others have mentioned, you would want to visit Park Guell and other historical sights. We visited The Ramblas and spent quite a bit of time there browsing and shopping. The street performers were so interesting to watch.

You should really plan out your itinerary. Four hours is not enough time! You might also email a couple of other guides and ask them what is possible to see in 4 hr., w/ pickup at the port, etc. They will be honest w/ you. As noted, make sure it is a guide vs a driver as there is a huge difference. I have the name of a tour guide my friend has used several times in BCN.

Did you list on the CC boards Roll Call for your cruise or just in the general ship's thread? You would probably get a response if you did list it on Roll Call by date of your cruise. Private tours always fill very quickly. Could be that others saw what you listed for 4 hrs. and knew it was not possible to do all that in 4 hr. 8 hr. is not long enough in BCN. Rethink that tour.

I'm going to kind of disagree about "seeing" those things in 4 hours. Yes, it will mostly be a drive by, but you will get a feel of the city in all directions You will want to get out at the S. Familia, but not have time to go in unless there is NO LINE.

Parque Guell.. MAYBE you want to walk around there and take photos.

Everything else will be a drive by.

I would have no desire to walk down Las ramblas.. but it will probably be a traffic jam.

You could not do this in the tour bus in such a short time as this private tour would cover part of both loops.

Frankly, if you want to go IN anyplace, why not take a taxi from the port/hotel to THAT place. Then take another taxi to another place when you are done.. and taxi hop around the city?It will not cost you anywhere near the 320E private tour and you will have time to enjoy what you most like, stop at a café.. roam the gift shop at the museum or what have you.

Don't be afraid to do that..

Last time we were in Barc, we did as Lincasanova suggested and took a taxi to the place we wanted to see the most, did that, then another taxi, etc. It was easy and much cheaper. Places that were close together, we walked. There is also a good bus service in Barc, but taxis were easier and quicker for us.

However, we had been before and did not want a drive by tour.

Is this tour including the cost of tickets into any of the major sights?

I doubt it Sassafrass.. I do these type tours for people in Valencia sometimes and sometimes it is all they really want. So, each to his own. But i doubt entrance fees are included due to the wording.

I did list it on Cruise Critics but have not had any response yet. Thought I might have a broader audience on this forum. We are arriving on the 6th from the west coast so we may be somewhat jet lagged the next day and NOT want to do a lot of walking around. However, I am taking all of your comments and trying to decide the plan. 4 hours is about all we have before boarding.

Not meaning to offend, but not quite clear on your posting with cruisecritic.com. Did you post in the roll call thread for your particular cruise? There are hundreds of postings for sharing excursions on the roll calls of the bigger ships. Did you look to see if others were already doing such a tour and were looking for people to join them? I would think the chance of finding others to join you who are also on your ship, and will be there at the same time, would be much greater than here.

As to what you see, just my opinion, of course, but with only four hours, for Barc, I would not do a drive around thing. In another city, I might suggest differently, but Sagrada Familia is one of the most unique buildings in the world, a guaranteed unforgetable sight to experience, rather than driving by a lot of buildings, statues, etc., that you will probably forget. I would at least do that, then decide how to spend the left over time.

I did post in roll call for our particular cruise. We are on a small ship.

Thanks for the advice on Sagrada Familia!

FYI...the tour operator just emailed me this:

Park Guell you spend about 35 mins and at the Sagrada Familia you'll spend about 40 mins touring the outside

Parc Guell, 35 minutes - OK.

Sagrada Familia, 40 minutes on the outside? No, no. While the outside is interesting, the inside is spectacular! Models of the construction are in a separate area inside and are really amazing. The outside gives you absolutely no idea of the inside. The same is true for Casa Mila, though the outside is so lovely, it is worth seeing just that.

Ok - I will let her know to modify it. Thanks!

Hello CCarlson,
Barcelona is a walking city. I'm an occasional private tour guide myself and i just spent 9 hours the other day with 2 american visitors. We did the main Gaudi sites, had a Tapas lunch and did the old Medieval city. We took a couple taxis, the metro/subway twice(which they loved!)and walked a lot!

Depends what you want to experience... just seeing many things and taking tons of photos or getting the real feel of the city.

I'd suggest you don't miss Sagrada Familia (buy the tickets online in ServiCaixa to avoid lines but they'll give you a 1 hour frame to enter) and Park Guell.. then go stroll around the Gothic Quarter and the Ramblas.

Hope you love my city! Un abrazo!

Thanks Sandra!