mellowmint

My bf and I found some really cheap tickets to Barcelona and since it's our first time in Europe we want to make the best of it. We wanted to go to either Venice or London for like 3 days and spend the rest of our time in Barcelona. We don't know which one would be best? Is one better than the other for first timers? Any advice/tips/information is greatly appreciated! Thanks!!

aliced

What month is your trip? You can get to either from Barcelona on a smaller airline like Ryanair. In Barcelona, highly recommend the hip vibe we found at Hotel Rec. Great location and fabulous restaurant next door. Prices great, rooftop lounge and pool and buffet breakfasts. Second time for us in Barcelona, just was there in September. Both cities are great, but timing would suggest one or the other.

Jean

If you'd be flying home from this second destination, you might want to check your options. For most U.S. cities, flights from Venice depart super early, whereas there are flights from London that depart throughout the day.

As for which city is "best," you can't really compare London and Venice. You should learn about both and decide which appeals most to your interests and how you want to spend those 3 days.

Sassafrass

You more get also consider Seville, Granada or Madrid for two or three days.

mellowmint

We are going in mid October!

dreamon

I wouldn't do either. A flight to either London or Venice will take at least half a day each way. I'd jump on a train either into France or within Spain. A zillion gorgeous places to visit much closer - less wasted time and money, and less environmental impact.

MmePerdu

I suspect those "really cheap tickets" are round trip, to BCN & home from BCN. If that's the case I agree with the other wise contributors here who advise using your 3 days to get on a train to see a bit of nearby France or another town or city or countryside in Spain. Trying to visit anyplace you'd need to fly to & back from would leave you with little more than a day for your 2nd location, kind of useless as I see it. Resist the impulse and use, rather than waste, those days. Unless we're wrong and you could fly directly home from the 2nd city.

thursdaysd

They are so different only you can decide. However, three days (if you really have three days - that's four nights) would be adequate for Venice but really short for London. How long are you proposing to spend in Barcelona? Enough to see in around town for at least five days.

greg

I don't think using the number of times one visits Europe as a selection criteria is particularly effective. They offer different things. Have you even looked at guide books to see what London and Venice offer? When you make lists of what you can do in "3" days, whatever that means, in each city, would it be that difficult to choose which one appeals to you within your constraints?

whitehall

As others have stated, they are two very different cities. A simple google search of 48 or 72 hours in each city should help you make up your mind.

We travel light (carry-on only), get up early and stay out late when traveling. So, for us, the extra travel time (figure 5-6 hours each way for getting in and getting out) would not be significant.

Other than the possible environmental impact (and that's a different subject) I would go to Venice. It is magical; it may be a tad warmer than London in October, and, although it will be busy. it's not as crowded as in summer. The big advantage in Europe is that carriers like RyanAir can get you from BCN to VCE round trip for maybe $100 each, and the actual flight is less than two hours.

justineparis

Venice is a walking city.. in mid october it can also be a rainy city.. so walking around and sitting in cute outdoor cafes may only be a dream.. London can be rainy anytime( I ve had rainy august visits, lol ) however there is so much to do and see that are not weather dependent ... but mainly I agree with others.. skip both and maybe visit Nice or Cannes..

However I would do none of them.. BUT take a 20 minute cheap as dirt flight to Palma De Mallorca.. ( look it up ).. its a beautiful small city with a lovely old town , right on the med.. Mallorca is an island that you can easily drive from lovely coves and bays , small towns to small towns.. and very manageable for a 3-4 day visit.. google for pictures and you will see! We caught a flight from Barcelona and think we paid like 30 euros each .. book well in advance.. we have used Vueling
We loved walking around.. popping into hole in the wall bars to listen to live music..eating amazing food.. and the views from the old ramparts are lovely.

whitehall

I was responding to the OP's choice of Venice vs. London, but I agree with justine that there might be better alternatives. Last year, we met our daughter in Barcelona and did three days in Nice, with a cheap flight from BCN. The weather should be better than both Venice and London, and you can easily see a lot of the French Riviera (Antibes, Villefranche, Baulieu-sur-Mer, Cap Ferrat, Monte Carlo and Menton among our favorites) with public transportation.

MoBro

Re: Venice v. London-- only you can choose, as they are so different.

Mallorca is a great idea. Or Seville is wonderful.

suze

Between those two... I would choose Venice. No contest.

mellowmint

Thank you all for the great advice and responses! And oh my goodness a quick google search of Mallorca and its absolutely gorgeous. Thank you Justine! What I am a bit worried about would be the weather since from the bit of research I've done it seems pretty unpredictable there. I will do more research. I think we will probably skip out on both London and Venice and visit places closer to Barcelona.