Four UNESCO sites near or in Barcelona
 

Good morning

More plotting.

I see that there are four UNESCO sites in or fairly close to Barcelona.

Tarragona
Poblet Monastery
Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau (right in Barcelona)
Gaudi properties also in Barcelona

Tarragona looks like it is easy to reach by train.
Poblet Monastery looks to be a bit further afield but also reachable by public transport. I don't plan to have a car in Spain.

Any tips for any of the above? Should I visit Tarragona/Poblet Monastery solo/by train, or would you recommend a guide?

Thank you.

We went to Tarragona on our last visit in May. it is an easy and pleasant day trip.
Enjoyed the visit very much.
Avoid returning to Barcelona on Sunday evening...the trains are often so full it is hard to find a seat.

Palau de Musica and Hospital San Pau are fabulous.
One of the Gaudi buildings not often mentioned here is Palau Guell just of Ramblas.
Stunning!
Not familiar with the Monastery.

The Monastery of Poblet is a possible day-trip using public transportation, if you leave early enough in the day. The Regional train, 07:03 departure from Sants, will get you to Lespluga de Francoli at 09:12. You take a taxi or walk to the Monastery from there.

I've taken tours at Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau and would recommend both. The hospital was under construction last year (limited part open to the public) to bring it back to its original state to comply with UNESCO rules but I've read a recent post stating that the reconstruction is almost finished.

I also went to Parc Guell, Palau Guell, La Pedrera, Casa Batllo, and Sagrada Familia and recommend all of them. You need advanced tickets to all but Palau Guell which doesn't see many visitors.

Thank you for the tips!

I wonder if a driver to Poblet Monastery would be reasonably priced or not.

It's a short taxi ride, so yes, the price should be reasonable.

Taxi Andreu. Tel. 609 323 242
Taxi Morlans. Tel. 606 443 744

http://www.larutadelcister.info/en/l...-francol%C3%AD

We LOVE Tarragona--will completely fill up your long day (we had a car to get there, but we didn't use car IN Tarragona--used it to see the aqueduct, though)

We just bought a pass for bunch of Roman sites (got it at the ampitheater) and a map and explored on our own.

This link has good info and mentions a couple passes

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/tr...anted=all&_r=0

Tarragona does need a full day. I was there half a day and it was too little time. If you take the bus to the aqueduct, ask the driver to tell you when to get off. It is VERY easy to miss the stop. I got help from a really nice local girl, after I missed the stop. Also note that the bus route is circular and you get back on at the same stop. And wear sensible shoes, no heels.