stoweflake

I am at the point of planning the Barcelona part of our trip and was wondering how the weather will be in mid-late December? Do you think 3 full days is too much to stay when it will not be beach weather?
How much Guadi is too much? I getting worried that after visiting granada, seville and cordova that I will not like barcelona, particularly in december.
If you can, please help us with this portion of the trip. As always thank you

JulieVikmanis

We have been to Barcelona in February of the past two years and I've booked 9 days there after Christmas, so I'm banking on decent weather. In Dec. they average 50 degrees with ave. high of 57 and low of 42. Highest on record 73 and lowest 28. So nice walking around weather. 3 days should be fine and it's certainly not too much. The Gaudi (and contemporaries) architecture is fantastic and there's plenty of other things to see in the city as well.

Barcelona is very different from the other cities you are visiting and will provide a nice contrast. See my trip report entitled Trip Report--Costa Brava & Barcelona. Also get yourself a Knopf Mapguide to Barcelona. It lays out the town by area with sights, restaurants and shopping. You'll find plenty to do for 3 days and you'll probably wish you had more time there. Enjoy

travel_buzzing

Barcelona's beautiful in december, the christmas market is actually pleasant and native, the only time i enjoy walking up the ramblas is with their christmas decorations.
3 days would be enough to take in this stuff, nevermind doing all the sightseeing.
its also sunny, clear and cold (usually) but still pleasant. usually snaps in jan feb a bit.
Also, less tourists and drunken foreigners about so it's actually a nicer time to be here.

travel_buzzing

Gaudí- the three staple ones are Güell park, Sagrada Familia, Casa Batlló (according to me).
Much more of Gaudí design is hidden in the streetlamps, the pavement etc so you'll probably enjoy it without acknowledging it.

zeppole

I don't like Barcelona, in large part because I'm no great fan of Gaudi. But if you quickly tire of Gaudi, the Palau di Musica (not Gaudi) is one of the most beautiful buildings in Spain, and there are interesting museums. In addition, some of my favorite places in Spain are easy day trips by public transportation -- like Girona and Vic. (And there are beach towns I like, but I'm not sure I'd head to them in December.)

But all that said, if you are rushing Granada (you should definitely take a night visit of the Alhambra) or Sevilla, or think you might like to linger in the white towns, I would.

I won't disagree with Julie that Barcelona will be a "contrast" but it's a contrast I didn't find very rewarding. I willingly went to Barcelona because I thought seeing Gaudi's work in 3-dimensions would change my opinion of it. It didn't. I found other Catalonian artwork a great deal more interesting. I made a point of going back to Barcelona to see if I'd just gotten on the wrong side of it the first time, and might just enjoy the town, and I didn't.

But it's no exaggeration to say that seeing the intersection of Moorish and Christian and Jewish ideas in Andalucia changed the way I looked at history and the world today -- and I pine to go back there and go deeper.

One of the risks of traveling is discovering you don't like someplace other people adore. But in my opinion, if you linger in Andalusia and save Barcelona for another trip, I doubt you'll regret it.

danon

"I don't like Barcelona, in large part because I'm no great fan of Gaudi. "


Picasso Museum
Museum of Modern Art
Maritime Museum
Miro Museum
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya
Barcelona City Museum

just to name a few...

Barcelona has much more to offer than just Gaudi - it is a great city : a bit of Paris , a bit of Nice ...
easy to walk around, 2000 years of history, great markets and food,
easy day trips etc...
It is different than Granada , Cordoba and Seville - but in a good way!

zeppole

Yes, "large" doesn't mean "all" does it?

I don't care for the "drunken foreigners" mentioned by some one else in this thread, nor the pickpockets, nor the general dirtiness, nor the Picasso Museum.

For people keen on Catalonian art, a visit to the National Museum of Catalonian art will be very rewarding -- but Vic is revelation.

Barcelona is a great city -- but I could fill a small book with descriptions of why I don't like some of the world's great cities. (Please note I said "some" not all.) Stoweflake might be like me and not find it rewarding to spend time and money in Barcelona, especially at the expense of other parts of Spain, parts that I, for one, find breathtaking beautiful in a way in which Barcelona simply cannot compete.

danon

There is a great diversity of geography, scenery, language, cuisine , history, art etc. to be found in Spain.

Some travelers adore "green Spain", some visit for the beaches, many love its great museums and big cities, others prefer lingering in small towns.

Spending more than a day in Girona for one person would be " a waste of time" for others, it is a place to "explore" for weeks.

There is no objectivity when it comes to personal likes and dislikes.

zeppole

Hey, no kidding. I've been immensely grateful to hear all points of view on the internet about travel destinations, in particular negative comments about heavily promoted travel destinations. It has saved a heap of money over the past few years.

stoweflake

Hey everyone, thanks for your responses. I think I may be on the same page as zeppole but my traveling student daughter would like to end up in Barcelona with the family. oh joy
anyway, I am curious about the Guadi I will like the cool weather as Julie says and intend to check out your trip report. If the "city" is too much after two days I'll escape to sitges perhaps. travel_buzzing, thanks for the heads up on the street lamps.

Iregeo

Hi Stoweflake. I am a lover of Sevilla and Cordoba, having been there many years ago. That said, I spent 5 nights in Barcelonoa late last December and absolutely LOVED it.

No doubt, it is so different from what you will experience in the south of Spain. It is, in my opinion, more cosmopolitan, with a distinct flavor and flair.

The weather was great (for us)...hi 50's/low 60's during the day...in the 40's at night. We had no rain.

The people were great, the food, excellent and affordable (with advance planning) and the major sites were beautiful. As someone said above, don't miss the Palau de la Musica. It is really something to see!

Have a great time.

Nikki

I went to Barcelona in February and had a great time. Loved Barcelona, it has many more attractions than the beach and Gaudi. There is a wonderful cultural scene, great food in restaurants and markets, fascinating historical sights.

You might be interested in my trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34955177

annhig

ttt for my [hopefully] up-coming trip between Christmas and New Year.

stoweflake

thanks. I feel better now. Wasn't sure I was going to like Barcelona. I've been having difficulties finding a decently priced place to stay for four. Anyone recommend a small hotel or hostal?

stoweflake

nikki I love your trip report. I'm even reading shadow of the wind. Maybe I'll try habitat for a rental.

danon

"Maybe I'll try habitat for a rental."

we stayed at a Habitat apt. a few weeks ago . It was a very nice spot in a great location .

sasha_g

I will also be in Barcelona this year end, and was just wondering if anyone has any ideas as to how to spend the new years' eve in Barcelona.

JulieVikmanis

We too will be in Barcelona over the New Year holidays, arriving Dec. 26 and departing 9 days later, staying in a Habitat Apartment, I think based on reading about Nikki's experience with them. We booked NYEve dinner at Set Portes because it's large, traditional, took my reservation request and because it's close by the port where we hope to go after dinner to view fireworks.

Annhig and Sasha-G, maybe we can schedule a mini-get together while we're all there. Any interest?

Iregeo

stoweflake, I stayed at the same Habitat Apartment where Nikki stayed, but prior to booking, I was considering this:

http://www.anticespai.com/en/index.htm

sahsh_g and JulieVikmanis, last NYE my husband and I had a lovely, albeit quiet evening at Cinq Sentits. There are many reviews of this restaurant here and on
Chowhound. Here's the excerpt from my trip report regarding the restaurant:

Cinc Sentits, aribau 58, Eixample

This was our splurge, on New Year's Eve. A lovely, tiny restaurant (12 tables?) run by a woman, her son the chef, and her very personable daughter who serves. A minimalist dining room, excellent food, wine and service, for an overall lovely, albeit quiet evening. While my husband and I wore "dressy casual", I was surprised to see many here in (neat) jeans.

I would love to share with you our 6 course tasting menu with wine pairings...if I can locate the menu! For NYE, food, wine and champagne/cava was 150E per person.
Highly recommended, for a splurge.

BTW, I, too, had booked Set Portes for NYE, but cancelled on securing Cinq Sentits. Did go another day, and would be nice...more action...for NYE.

JulieVikmanis

irego, thanks for the response. We ate at Cinq Sentis and loved it two years ago when we were in Barcelona in February. It's lovely and has excellent food and we may repeat with our son this time but thought Set Portes would be more of a scene for NYEve. I kind of like to reserve really good restaurants for quieter nights and do something likely to be a bit more convivial for holidays. This way I finally get to see Set Portes, which is kind of a historic place, but without "wasting" an otherwise good dining evening on a place where the food may not quite be up to the history and decor (or the standards of a place like Cinq Sentis.)

BTW we did the wine pairing menu there and I've never gotten such a complete and helpful explanation of why and how the wine complements the food for each course. The English speaking daughter (?) is terrific.