Hotels in Venice and Barcelona
 

Thanks for your help with my prior questions. Because I have Hilton points, I booked Hilton Garden Inn in Venice and Barcelona Hilton in Barcelona. If I get more points posted in time, I can switch to Hilton Molino Stucky Venice. Any info on these three properties? How convenient to major sights?

We can walk around pretty well, but will need some help with luggage, so I guess a train or bus is out for airport or port transfers but okay for everything else. How expensive are shuttles or cabs from the airports and the ports from each location. Do we need to book in advance, or are they readily available? We have a cruise booked from Venice to Barcelona and are spending an extra day in each city. What are the must see sights in each city and how can we get there? Do we need tour guides or can we do the sights on our own? Thanks for you help.

We found Barcelona and Venice very easy to tour on our own. Get a guidebook, read about each city, sl;ect what most interests you, plot those spots on a map, and you're off!

eurocheapo.com great budget city guides xport info for both cities both are easily self guided.Try to change to the Molino
Stuky is is the 5 star property on Giudecca better than
the Garden Inn miles away from the City at the airport.
You will be ok in Barcelona.

venice-tourism.com try to visit San Marco at 8AM

B4 the tour buses arrive very uncrowded both are

wonderful cities... I have done your route on Princess

had an awesome journey hope you are headed to

www.santorini.com ikies.com best sunsets in the world.

Congrats!

www.booking.com will have honest recent reviews on all hotels

you might check for more details there... do not forget to

ask nicely for your mandatory free HHonors upgrades to best

available some times get club floors even suites that way for

FREE! particularly in Europe sometimes I must talk to the

manager but unless 100% booked I get upgraded everywhere.

In Venice, there are no shuttles or cabs - only to Piazzale Roma. Do you realize, there are no streets for cars, only canals? Water taxis are expensive.

We were able to get the Molina Stucky. I am really excited about this. It looks like it was a very old building that was rehabed. I love old architecture. What is the best way to get there from the airport? Hubby just had heart surgery so schlepping luggage is out for him. We will need help. Thanks.

Stayed at the Hilton Digonal Mar in Barcelona. A bit futher from downtown than the Barcelona Hilton, but it still very easy to get around on foot or subway. Just be careful of pickpockets on the subway. That's the time I had the issue in Barcelona, everytime I use the subway I have had some young kds make a try for m stuff, but I'm always on the alert and have so far not had anything stolen.

One day in Barcelona is cutting it pretty tight. Actually its not enough but if thats all you have then don't miss the Sagrada familia, the Gaudi cathedral still in progress. We had three days in Bar. and that was OK but if you can't do more that one then I think the must see is the SF.

Actually we are arriving in Venice on Wed morning after an all night flight and begin our cruise on Friday morning. Our cruise ship arrives in Barcelona on Tues at 5 am and we leave for home on Thurs morning. So about a day and a half in Venice and 2 days in Barcelona.

Does anyone have an itineray for us to follow so we don't back track. Once we are out and about in the morning, we won't go back to the hotel until we fall over with exhaustion. We want to see everything we can.

Well in Barcelona there is a hop on, hop off bus which begins in the Ramblas area in the main square. They have two routes which take you to the major POI's. We did one the 1st day and the other the 2nd. It was perfect for us. :-)