Barcelona for two days before Mediterranean Cruise
 

My family and I will be arriving in Barcelona on the 11th of June for a cruise that departs Barcelona on the 14th. It will be my husband and I and 3 of our children ages 24, 19 and 12. We would like to see and experience a little snapshot of Barcelona. Any ideas for hotel, dining, etc. Should we stay in the center of things or on the coast? Four to five star hotels are preferred.

Thank you!

Barcelona is a fantastic city and you're right when you call it a snapshot. You won't see enough of the place in such a short time.

Because of this, I'd stay centrally as you really only have two full days. I've got a four page doc. for the main sights, food etc. that I can e-mail to you. Let me know if you'd like it.

I would suggest you hang out in Barcelona and do sight seeing there itself (centre of things as you referred to it) There are way too many things to explore. I suggest you opt for one of those <a href="http://www.easycar.com">car hire</a> companies and set off to discover Barcelona on your own! Make some time to visit world-renowned Gran Teatre del Liceu opera theatre!

Thank you lifeman! yes, I would greatly appreciate the doc for Barcelona. My email is [email protected]

Thank you Jason! I will look into your suggestion.

Go and download Maribel's Guide on Barcelona. Maribel is a longtime poster here and her guides are invaluable.
http://www.maribelsguides.com/#barcelona

i too will be in barcelona for two days in Sept before my cruise.
Can you please send me information as well to [email protected]

Thank you everyone! I downloaded your suggestions Eric! Thank you! I will have a lot of reading to do on the flight. Also, Maribelsguides looks great too!

No problem all. My guide is a lot smaller than Maribel's fantastic pdf, which runs to 50+ pages. However, mine has got a lot of info packed in and is easier to carry!

?? Don't know how that came out as not me, but it was me!

My fave things were the Gaudi architecture, ramblas (with a detour to market and duomo) and the chocolate museum.

There is a hop on/off tour bus as well-might give you a quick look around so you can decide what to look at more closely.

Barca is my favorite city in the world. First stop is always lunch at Los Caracoles, and then if we also manage to fit in paella at Set Portes we consider it a successful trip meal-wise. Tour as many Gaudi buildings as you can fit into your schedule, and eat fresh fried chiperones every chance you get, and you will have fabulous memories!

I strongly suggest you do not rent a car if you are just going to sightsee in Barcelona. The hop-on/off bus takes you all around the city, and is a great way to see sights that are widely scattered. There is also an extensive bus system and metro, and taxis are plentiful.