We will be going on the Cosmos Mediterranean Flavors 2013 Tour the second week of July. The tour starts in Madrid goes through France and ends in Rome. The hotel in Barcelona is the Abba Garden hotel. I'm looking for someone that's been on this tour to find out how easy it was to get to downtown in the evening from this hotel. I think this tour is new but it looks like it covers a lot of great places.

The hotel is not well located for walking around the city.

Why would someone have to have been on the tour to give advice about the hotel location?

I've not taken a Cosmos tour any place but I can tell you that the hotel is way out. Best to take a taxi to where you're going. You can look at a map to see where it is located.

Unfortunately given Cosmos is the lower end tours from Globus you'll find most of your hotels in far out suburbs of cities or in some cases outside of the city itself in a small town impossible to reach the city (at least this was my experience with them in Vienna, Florence and Venice). You're right to plan ahead and determine the location of your hotels so you can plan potential transportation in advance.

Adrienne, If someone had been on the tour then they would also know the length of time we would be at the hotel and if it makes sense to attempt to leave.

CathyM, I've been on several Cosmos tours and the downside is that hotels can be outside the city but many times there's not a comparable Globus tour to take. There have only been a couple of times I was too far to get from the hotel to the city in the evening. I've been to Venice a couple times on my own and this trip will go there also. I understand there's no way I will be going to Venice from the hotel with Cosmos. Venice is a great place at night when the masses are gone. The nice thing about Cosmos is you see a lot in a short time and you don't have to search for your hotels.

Thanks for the replies and sorry I'm late seeing them.

I have been on two Cosmos tours in Europe and although some of the hotels were in a suburb of the city we stayed in we found that in most cases a train station was close by and we could easily go into the city at night by train. Check out this option first before just accepting that the hotels are not accessible. Look on the local train sites or even local bus sites for each city. I don't know where Cathym stayed in Florence but the hotel we stayed at was about ten minutes by train to the central train station. I travel independently now but still feel that Cosmos are best value for money by far.

<< Adrienne, If someone had been on the tour then they would also know the length of time we would be at the hotel and if it makes sense to attempt to leave. >>

It is possible that someone has been on another tour and stayed at that hotel or has not been on a tour at all and stayed at that hotel or just knows the area. You also only asked how easy it is to get downtown, not how long it takes.

If you read your itinerary you'll see that dinner is not included the day you arrive in Barcelona so you will be at the hotel before dinner time and stay two nights.

The next day there is a half day tour of Barcelona. No need to go back to the hotel, just get off the bus at the last stop and start exploring on your own.

Of course it makes sense to leave and go into town.