tali2

Hello,

We are a Canadian couple about to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary...So we want to take 1 week and discover a city. Our choices are either London or Barcelona, at the end of September. I know both are different but I just can't decide! London is a 5 hr flight, but I am afraid it will be rainy and cool. Barcelona is warmer but much further...I love history, so that would be my main focus...any advice?

Dukey

London is a five hour flight from where?

I've been to both cities several times. The end of September would be, IMO, a perfect time for London.

zeppole

It's not that much further. And London will most likely be rainy and cool and Barcelona most likely sunny and warm.

It would be easy to feel like you'd really gotten below the surface in Barcelona in one week, and not hardly at all in London.

It's harder to unearth the history of Barcelona -- it was actively supressed by the Spanish dictatorship in this century But it is an extremely rich history, nonetheless, and you might very much enjoy a day trip to the Episcopal Museum in Vic, which against all odds has preserved the riches of Catalonian culture, dating back to the Greeks. It's an extraordinary museum, a must for a history lover.

http://www.museuepiscopalvic.com/museu.asp?idm=EN

Of course, history tourism is right up front in London, and a big part of its commercial tourist industry. But have you looked at costs in London recently? You have to be extremely motivated to go.

yk

There's a lot more history in London than in Barcelona.

However, Barcelona isn't really that much farther than London by plane from Canada.

Barcelona is the most expensive city in Spain, so it won't be that much cheaper compared to London.

Weather most likely will be better in Barcelona.

zeppole

>>There's a lot more history in London than in Barcelona.<<

Really? Barcelona was a major trading port in the Mediterranean long before London was more than mud huts, and it was at the heart of a confluence on not only an amazing assortment of Mediterranean cultures -- Greek, Roman, North African and later Etruscan -- but also French and Flemish, as is reflected in its art.

More recently it was not only the birthplace of not only Modernismo (or Art Deco) but also of Pablo Picasso, Miro, Mies van der Rohe, etc.

Half a cheer for the British empire and its forward march in Anglicizing the world, but its parochialism doesn't hold a candle to the rich multiculturism of the mediterranean, of which Barcelona is an indispensible part -- and guess what? I don't even like the town.

Visitors to Barcelona will find a far greater range of good accommodations and good eats in all price categories. I don't blink at taking a trip to Barcelona. I really have to think twice about whether I have enough I want to do in London to justify those hideously expensive costs for food and hotels.

zeppole

Sorry -- that should have been:

Greek, Etruscan, Roman, North African and later Catholic --

yk

I won't try to argue with you, zeppole. London was also part of the Roman empire, so there are Roman remains to see (just like Barcelona). When I say "more history", I meant there's more to see in London. Just the Tower of London can occupy 1/2 day. Plus, one can easily do various daytrips outside of London (Cambridge, Oxford, Windsor, Hampton Court; just to name a few), all equally fascinating.

I have been to London over a dozen times, and there're still so much I have yet to see and visit.

I think the biggest costs in London are lodging and transport. However, one can find cheap food easily in London, especially ethnic food like Indian, Asian.

Don't get me wrong, I had a good time in Barcelona when I was there earlier this year. But if I were given a chance to go to either place, I'd not hesitate for a moment to go back to London, even for the umpteenth time.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

danon

Having visited both( more than once), I would go to
Barcelona for more relaxing time, better food and less expensive holiday.

London is a huge - so much to see, loads of history, but some find it rather overwhelming on the first visit.

It depends on the type of holiday you are looking for.
Also, there are direct flights to London from major cities in Canada, but not to Barcelona.
And , of course ,the language ....

jamikins

Well I live in London so I am biased, but I have been here 1 year and still have sooo much more to see. I think the infrastructure for tourism is so great here. And like yk I think there is just so much to see.

Barcelona I think would take a few days...London a lifetime...

danon

"Barcelona I think would take a few days...London a lifetime... "

I have lived in London long time ago and visited many times since.
Yes, it would take a lifetime
to see all the museum, churches, galleries , tethers, markets, etc.

Lately ,as a tourist with a limited time and budget, I have found London less and less attractive.

suec1

I would think the choice comes down to personal preference. I have been to Europe about 20 times and I keep returning to Spain, Italy and France. I went to London one time only because my daughter was studying there and I have no desire to go again - thats just me. London, the UK, they are just not "different" enough for my liking. So obviously my choice for you is Barcelona. There are several apartment rental agencies in Barcelona with many choices of places to stay for very reasonable rates. And there is certainly plenty of history, culture and art. Good day trips too, Tarragona to the south with Roman ruins. Plus the food in Barcelona is much more exciting to me, so again, I vote for Barcelona! I spent five nights there in May and I can't wait for the opportunity to go again.

zeppole

yk, right. I understand. Wish I could say I had a good time in Barcelona! Most people do, but I didn't. I did have a good time outside the city in Catalonia, however.

But I also should correct my implication that Mies van der Rohe was born in Barcelona, rather than just having worked there with great success.

zeppole

>>I think the infrastructure for tourism is so great here.<<

Barcelona's widely imitated hop-on-hop-off base is fantastic for tourists, and its subway system, and access to its airport are all first rate.

jamikins

I guess I didnt really mean that...I meant that the tourist attractions (tower, hampton court, windsor, westminster abbey, st pauls) are all very tourist friendly. Everything is in English which makes it easier for english tourists (not that I expect that in non-english speaking countries) and the theatre is top notch. I could fill a months vacation with lovely things. And it doesnt have to be expensive. There are lovely parks to sit and have a picnic and there are tonnes of take aways. I just think its a very easy city to be a tourist it.

I've been to Barcelona and just didnt find it like that. I didnt really like it. But like I said, I am biased. tali2 you cant really go wrong, just depends on your interests!

Happy planning (I find its almost as fun as the travelling itself!)

janisj

I lost my post in the short Fodors outage - so I won't repeat the whole thing.

Just that those two cities are real apples and oranges for sure. Either one would make for a great anniversary celebration. You just need to decide which style of trip you want.

My choice would be London (if it wasn't Paris) first and Barcelona (if it wasn't Venice) second.

September is pretty nice weather-wise in London. Sometimes I think posters make comments based on one visit or a friend's second hand account. London's average high in Sept is around 62ºF/17ºC and low about 50ºF/10ºC - not so terrible IMO. And it is normally a fairly dry month.

If you like theatre, concerts, "English-ness" - choose London. If you want closer to beachy weather and "Spanish-ness" - choose Barcelona.

danon

"If you like theatre, concerts, "English-ness" - choose London. If you want closer to beachy weather and "Spanish-ness" - choose Barcelona."

as for English- ness in London - there are more people from around the world living in London than you can imagine. Many areas do not look too "English"....

Barcelona is much less (of what most perceive as ) "Spanish' than let's say Seville - it is very Mediterranean, the language is Catalan, there is a great mix of new and old, it is easily walkable
and the food is to die for ( cheap too).

janisj

oh sheesh - for holiday makers "English-ness" and Spanish-ness" are pretty typical criteria. Sometimes folks are just toooooo literal around here!

Only the OP can decide if they want to go to England or to Spain . . . . . . .

danon

"Only the OP can decide if they want to go to England or to Spain . . . . . . .



sorry. I was being picky....

Although I prefer Barcelona (and Spain ) to London (and England )for my holidays , I would
suggest London to them because of the ease of travel from Canada, language ,and the fact that London is one of those cities ( like Paris, Rome, New York) on every ones list of "must sees".

flanneruk

I suppose it probably is only about 5 hrs to London from Halifax - and not much longer from Ottawa. In practice, it's still overnight for most people - so London means you arrive at your hotel (which you probably can't check into) in midmorning, whereas Barcelona means you have the same experience, after changing planes at Heathrow or Frankfurt, about midday.

There IS a daytime AC flight from Toronto to London, and if that's convenient for you (from memory it leaves YYZ around 0900) I personally would choose London just to avoid an overnight flight.

If that's not an issue, and you say it's history that counts, then it comes down to what you mean by history. As someone with a historical obsession, I'm a great deal more interested in New York or Bombay than I am in Madrid or San Francisco, and enjoy time in those former British possessions far more than in the realms of hispanidad: New York and Bombay share my history - just as you share London's.

As a Canadian, that shared history might be an attraction for you, or you might be more intrigued by the slightly alien - and really not that easily uncovered - history of Barcelona.

If - and forgive the presumption here - you've not thought about the distinction, I strongly recommend London, unless you've got Spanish blood. There's an ENORMOUS difference between seeing a copy of Magna Carta, which ultimately helped determine your country's way of government, and being impressed - in a kind of objective way - by the church wallpaintings in the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.

For people with other criteria, I'd strongly recommend Barcelona. As you've described your priorities, London is probably the right place for most Canadians with similar interests.

jamikins

I agree with flanneruk...as a fellow CDN I am in awe of all the history that directly relates to our CDN history...