Spain
 

We are going on an Oceana Cruise the end of August. We have picked a few of their tours, but need advice on a couple others. Is it worth taking a tour to Santiago de Compostela? Also we only have one day in Barcelona. Should we just walk around the city or take one of their tours? Should we take a tour while in Mahon?
Thank you in advance,
Barbara

It is hard to know what you would consider "worth it."

Santiago de Compostelo was an interesting stop, but not a highlight, for me. However your interests may be different. For me, knowing how long it would take to travel there and what other options there are would factor into my decision making.

Barcelona has many interesting sights and is well worth visiting. We barely scratched the surface of what we'd like and were there four days. I recommend doing a little research and deciding if there are places you'd really like to see. For me, the highlight was visiting the Sagrada Família. Even thought I've visited many cathedrals and churches and can get a bit "churched out," this one was fascinating. We did a guided tour of the SF which I highly recommend. Barcelona is a big city so a guided tour might be helpful, depending on if it will be visiting sights that interest you.

I haven't visited Mahon so can't offer any advice about it.

The Sagrada Familia was a highlight for me too. I was there in June 2024 and it was necessary to book tickets in advance. We arrived 30 minutes before our allotted time and they wouldn't let us in because it was so crowded. But that's OK, as we found good churros just across the street.

If you've never been to Barcelona before and you don't anticipate going back, a city tour will show you the highlights of Barcelona. I can't help with the other places.

For one day in Barcelona I'd highly recommend the "Barcelona Bus Turístic" which is the official sightseeing bus of the city. Takes you everywhere to see the main sights. My highlights were La Rambla, walk this and go into the market, and also go up to the top of Sagrada Familia. Aside from those two it comes down to personal preferences - the cable car on Montjuic was excellent, stunning views over the city, also we love Parc Guell, but that was a half day just for that.

Barcelona is a large city, so covering everything in just one day can be quite difficult. Ideally, you should plan at least two days to explore it properly. However, if you only have one day, a good option is to take a cruise-organized tour that covers the main highlights in about 4–5 hours. After that, you can spend the remaining time walking around and exploring areas like La Rambla and the Gothic Quarter at your own pace.

I'd stay as far away as possible from Las Ramblas. NOT one of the most appealing parts of the city. And part of it is now ripped up due to construction, which makes walking difficult on the stretch near Placa de Catalunya.