Magic in the Med: Aug. 10-17 TONS OF PHOTOS!

I don't know the name of the restaurant, but when you enter Placa Reial from the entrance by La Rambla, it's right in front of you on the opposite side of the plaza.

Thanks, we are going next year and I am looking for some options.
 
We really enjoyed a place in Barcelona called Guru. It's on Yelp or Trip Advisor if you want to look it up. It's not too far from the foot of La Rambla.
 
Since folks are planning their Mediterranean trips, I'm bumping my trip report!

Lots of photos and info, hope you enjoy!
 
Thursday, August 8

Every morning, the Texas part of the family went across the street to the Dino Pan coffee shop for breakfast. (The California Stringers had breakfast at the hotel as part of their room rate.)





Fortified with "xocolate" and "caffe con leche" we walk down to the Columbus statue and get the Turtistica HOHO bus. These are the turquoise colored double-decker buses. I waffled back and forth over the red Barcelona City Tours or the city-sponsored Turistica buses because they were comparable in price and the routes. Both could be purchased online but the red ones required me to give my passport number and that just made me a little bit --- um, I dunno, trepidatious. So, I went with the blue ones.



And I have to throw in this photo cause it's one of the few I'm in:


Did you like the blue bus? I want to go to the barcelona soccer stadium, to the beach, church, and a museum.
And do they speak spanish, someone told me that they preferred to speak english whit tourist than spanish.
 


Yes, we were on the blue bus. There are headphones with many different languages and you listen to a prerecorded description. The bus went by the Olympic stadium but not the soccer stadium. They drive by the beach. (We walked to the beach later on our own.)

If in general, do people speak English, yes, all the touristy places do.

The bus goes by La Sagrada Familia but you must have timed tickets to get in.

If you want to see more of Barcelona, I highly recommend Runner Bean Tours. They will give you a walking tour of the old city, or Gaudi themed tour, and you pay what you wish.
 
Thank you for taking time doing this report. It helps me a lot planning for our Med Cruise this Aug. I have few questions like to ask.

1. How did you go to Boqueria ? Is this one of the stop in the Blue bus?
2. How early did you book your tours with Kultours and Can't be missed tours? I saw the website for Can't missed tour , they are selling tickets to go inside the colosseum and Vatican Museum/ Sistine Chapel. Did you do this ? Do you think its worth it?

I'm traveling with 7 and 11 years old. Will it be too much walking for them? What do you think?

Thanks again.
Nancy
 
We did a lot of walking on La Rambla. The Boqueria is about half way between the Columbus statue and the Plaça de Catalunya. You could go off the bus at either end and walk.

I booked with Kultours way in advance and send her a reminder email every once in a while to make sure we were still on. Ingrid is great, and very popular. I would book as soon as possible. She's worth it!

Can't Be Missed had earphones for us so we could hear the guide at the Colosseum and as we walked through the city. We didn't go into the Vatican Museums or Sistine Chapel because it was a national holiday and they were closed. It's very fast paced and you will use trains, buses and the subway. The tour guide told us he also works for Disney tours, so you're getting the same quality with fewer people for a lot less money.

It depends on your kids. Mine were 13 and 16. But we also had along my BIL who is an adult with Downs. There were other kids on the tour and they did fine. Just remember it's really, really hot.

I have a planning thread as well. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3100751

JoAnn
 


I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your trip report and I am considering doing a Med cruise in the middle of August next year.

We have done the Caribbean on the first week of September and it was very hot but I wondered how hot it actually was when you were in the Med as I'm not sure that my husband will be able to stick it if its to hot and with lots of walking. He will be 70 and has had a triple bypass and has an ankle that has been pinned after an accident many years ago so if the heat doesn't get to him maybe the walking will.
 
There is no sugar coating it -- it's hot and humid, and I'm from Texas, so I know hot and humid. If you could go in the Spring or Fall, I'm sure it would be a different story, but August in the Mediterranean was pretty darn hot.

I also think it's not a matter of age so much as physical ability. My inlaws were 73 years old and they kept up just fine. (They have another cruise planned for this summer from Venice through the Greek Islands.)

The private tour we took in France with Ingrid can be customized for as little or as much walking as you want. We did a lot of walking that day on cobblestone streets of old towns, but if you want to see a few vistas and spend the day in a sidewalk cafe, I'm sure she could do that too.

We did Pisa on our own, and walked about a mile to the train station, then another mile to the Field of Miracles, then back again. You could do a ship excursion where the bus takes you there, or a private car and driver.

Rome with Can't Be Missed Tours was very fast paced and a variety of trains, subway, bus and walking. It doesn't sound like your husband could do that very well. That's another one I think I'd find a private car and driver if I were you.

The Amalfi Coast was mostly bus riding (which we were grateful for after Rome!) but Pompeii was hellaciously hot!

JoAnn
 
Thanks for the reply. We are tied to either July or August if my eldest daughter comes with us as she can only get time off from work in the summer.

I think that the heat will be fine as we've been to Florida in mid summer and we've liked it so it's maybe more about the amount of walking, so if we put some thought into it I'm sure that we can make it more comfortable for my hubby and limit the walking.
 
I love you trip report and I keep reading it. I sure learn a lot. I like to ask you if you are going back to Barcelona again, will you still stay in the same hotel? I'm thinking of booking it. I saw in the map that it close to the port. Is it close to metro and easy to go around from the hotel. Thanks a lot again.
 
I love you trip report and I keep reading it. I sure learn a lot. I like to ask you if you are going back to Barcelona again, will you still stay in the same hotel? I'm thinking of booking it. I saw in the map that it close to the port. Is it close to metro and easy to go around from the hotel. Thanks a lot again.

Sorry, I just saw your post -- for some reason, I didn't get an email. Hmmmm.... about the hotel, not sure. It was OK. For us, it worked out because we had a sort of suite --- that sounds grand but it was pretty basic -- it had a small room attached to the larger room. The smaller room was oddly shaped and had two cots set up for our teenaged daughters. The location was fine -- a few blocks off La Rambla and not too far from the port. We walked a lot. There was a club in the same building -- you could see people coming and going late at night. It is on the Metro and has a stop right outside the hotel, so that's a big plus.
 
Thank you for sharing your adventure with us! I loved reading all the details! We leave in 3 weeks for Barcelona! Can't wait!!!
 
Thank you for sharing your adventure with us! I loved reading all the details! We leave in 3 weeks for Barcelona! Can't wait!!!

You will love it! If you have the opportunity, take a tour with Runner Bean Tours in Barcelona. Even if you don't have a reservation, show up and they will probably be able to take you.

JoAnn
 
Thank you JoAnn! How did you get from your hotel to the port? There are 10 of us. We are staying at ale Meridien on Los Ramblas
 
Thank you so much for this wonderful trip report! Your girls seem so sweet! I know these things take a long time and wanted you to know how much I appreciated all the photos, details and "reviews" of the various tour guides and restaurants.
Thanks again!
 
Thank you so much for this wonderful trip report! Your girls seem so sweet! I know these things take a long time and wanted you to know how much I appreciated all the photos, details and "reviews" of the various tour guides and restaurants.
Thanks again!
Thanks for reading. I really enjoy doing travel reports -- lets me live it all over again. (I even reread it myself, sometimes.)

I'm excited for everyone who's going to the Med this summer. Sure, it's hot as heck, but what a wonderful experience and so much to see!

JoAnn
 
We are booked on this cruise for next September and I was so happy to find this trip report. You did a fantastic job!!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!







Top