Barcelona or Rome
 

Hello,
My daughter just called and invited me to go to Europe in two weeks. Short notice, but I can't pass up the opportunity for a father-daughter trip. She is thinking of Barcelona or Rome and the trip will be seven days. I have been to Rome - and loved it - but never to Barcelona. Any guidance for choosing a destination? Maybe someone might have other great options.

With the euro high we will have to travel on a budget. Any suggestions for finding airfare deals or land/air packages?

Thank you.

Jeff

ok Jeff,

the fact you had to ask suggests that you were not overwhelmed with Rome the first time. Has you daughter been there? do you want to go to somewhere new for both of you?

Barcelona is nice - but possibly not for a whole week. Madrid and Barcelona would make a good pairing, or depending on the time of year that you are travelling, 3-4 days in Barcelona, then renting a car and touring the surrounding area for the rest of the time.

Finally, have she/you been to Paris? if the answer's no, that would be my suggestion for a 7 day trip.

hope this helps,

regards, ann

Paris or London. Each is easily worth seven days on a first visit. And I love both Rome and Barcelona.

another vote for Barcelona and Madrid.

Hi All,

Thanks for the quick response. Ann, I found Rome fascinating, but would prefer my daughter choose the destination. She hasn't been to either city. Whatever we choose, we'll likely get out into the country-side for a few days. Having biked through central Italy it would be great to show her some of the hill towns.

Paris would be great, but we have both been there and my daughter went to school in France for a semester.

So many wonderful options, it will be hard to go wrong. It is wonderful having this dilemma.

Thanks again.

Jeff

If your on a budget Barcelona all the way- it's so damn cheap. You also get the atmoshphere, art, beach, etc etc.

With only two weeks, doesn't the airfare determines where to go? You either get eaten alive by the last minutes high prices to fill the remaining few seats or last minutes incentives to fill the planes?

I just got back from a week in Barcelona and LOVED it. I could have easily spent another week there. If you do a Barcelona/Madrid combo, spend most of the time in Barcelona.

Rome is also great and one of my favorites.

For all things being equal (flight, prices, etc), I'd go with Barcelona just because you haven't been there before. But if cost and convenience vary considerably, I'd go with the better deal.

Well, to me there is really no comparison. Rome. But check airfares and go wherever cost less. Hotel and food cost is probably lower in Barcelona.

Two very different cities, and a tough choice if you must. Barcelona has plenty to keep you busy and wide variety of attractions plus plenty of nightlife. Architecture, museums, churches, narrow streets and of course Gaudi. There's a seafront but it will be pretty chilly now. If you like to swim, the 1992 Olympic pool is public, about 9 euros by the day.

Day trips include cava country, small coastal towns and Montserrat. And as noted above it's less expensive.

Rome stands on its own merits. I think it comes down to your wallet and what you and your daughter like to see and do. And it might be possible to do both cities - the flight would be short.

There is no right answer to this question, or rather no wrong one. Although I agree that checking airfares and schedules might be the deciding factor.

I find it helpful to read trip reports here for inspiration. They do convey a flavor of the places. I loved both cities. I give the edge to Barcelona for food, atmosphere, moderniste architecture, and nightlife. But Rome wins in the categories of ancient ruins and renaissance architecture and sheer volume of fascinating sites to visit.

If you prefer your daughter to choose the destination, I don't get what this thread is about.

Thanks for all the advice. Based on airfares/schedules, etc, we are going to Barcelona. Tentatively, we will spend about three days in the city then go off on day trips. Going to Montserrat sounds like a no brainer. Although it is winter, is it possible to drive up into the Pyrennees?

What key sights do you recommend in Barcelona?

Many thanks.

Jeff

In Barcelona, a good way to see the widely scattered sites is the Bus Turistic. It is a hop-on-hop-off bus with three routes. http://www.barcelonabusturistic.cat/...est/informacio

I found the Museum of the City of Barcelona fascinating. You go underground in the oldest part of the city and explore the Roman city underneath. I also found the maritime museum very interesting, and it is located in the old medieval shipyards.

There are many worthwhile Gaudi buildings to view and tour.

The Boqueria market building on Las Ramblas is a great colorful food market with a couple of lunch counters for fresh market breakfast and lunch foods.

The Picasso Museum has many of the artist's early works. The Miro Museum on Montjuic is interesting also.

You might be interested in my trip report:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm