We are planning a 3 week trip through France,Italy,Germany,London and are considering stopping in Barcelona for a day (coming from Bordeux and then traveling to Nice). I understand the trains to Barcelona are slower and it may take awhile traveling. I am just wondering if it is worth the effort (cutting out time from our other stops).

Barcelona is a vibrant exciting city but <BR>very congested, not easy to get round by <BR>car (there is a subway).If you go ,be sure to see some Gaudi buildings but <BR>it sounds like a long deviation for a quick look.

Dave, if you don't go now, be sure to plan a visit in the future. Barcelona is one of my favorite cities. I've visited it joyfully 4 times.

If you don't hate train travel and you get the guts of a day in Barcelona, I would say go for it. <BR> <BR>Buy the Pass to Modernism and use the giude it provides to take you round the city. I would be gobsmacked if you did not have a great day. <BR> <BR>Also, although I haven't done it, the scenery you must pass through from Bordeaux to Barcelona must be brilliant too.

Dave, <BR> <BR>Barcelona is, ideally, a 7-day city, but 24 hours is better than none at all. If nothing else, it will give you the appetite to return! <BR> <BR>A good way to get the most of your day is to use the Bus Turistic service (main stop at Placa Catalunya). It's a hop-on, hop-off service that takes you to the most interesting places. Headsets provide decent commentary on the places as you pass them. You can get off, wander about, then take the next bus. I'm sure there's a website somewhere that provides more details. The service is a bit tourist-y (by definition), but it's very convenient. <BR>If you're looking for a hotel, you could check out the Continental (www.hotelcontinental.com). It's on the Ramblas, which is the best place to be in Barcelona. As for a Ramblas-facing room ($85, approx). It ain't cheap, but it's worth it. <BR>Have Fun, <BR>Bobby <BR>Hong Kong

Overall Spain is just hard to navigate through by train so Barcelona may be out of the way. It is a very nice city and I would say if it isn't too much of a hassle, check it out for a day. We spent a couple of days there and that was plenty. You can get the feel for the city pretty quickly.

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We just spent 4 days/nights in Barcelona -- our first trip -- and we really had a nice time. <BR> <BR>My husband and I are mid-late thirties. <BR> <BR>We stayed at 2 different budget hotels in the Gothic quarter (Hotel Jardi: $35 US; Hotel Ingles $55 US -- both very simple but clean and pleasant AND NOT ON A BUSY CAR-FILLED STREET! We enjoyed our stay. <BR> <BR>Frankly, we had the best time just walking throught the old city and checking out the sights on foot. Very pedestrian-friendly area! And the real neighborhoods there are wonderful. <BR> <BR>Check out the ruins of the Roman temple right behind the Gothic Cathedral. Also Santa Maria del Mar church is lovely. <BR> <BR>Just stop and have a beer and some tapas in any of hundreds of little restaurants all over the old city. <BR> <BR>We preferred to stay off the Gran Via and the bigger boulevards. They weren't terribly special nor did they hold great attractions for us. <BR> <BR>PS: The Metro is fabulous (under $1 US), and makes getting around the city VERY easy and quick. <BR> <BR>