Cruise Port Guide | Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona is the capital and largest city of Catalonia as is considered the gateway for cruises to the Mediterranean. For many of cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, MSC Cruises & Norwegian Cruise Line it is one of their main home ports used throughout the summer season, other home ports include Civitavecchia (for Rome), Pireaus (for Athens) & Ravenna/Trieste for Venice.
Barcelona is also a popular port on 12-14 cruise itineraries departing from the UK offered by cruise lines including P&O Cruises, Cunard, Princess Cruises, Ambassador Cruise Line & Fred Olsen Cruise Line. One of the main reasons that Barcelona has become a popular embarkation port is do its relatively short flying time and abundance of regional UK flights available. This has made it easy for cruise lines to offer fly cruise and cruise & stay packages.
Useful Travel Information
| Location | Cruise Terminal | Address | Distance (Approx) | Time (Approx) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona El Prat International | Barcelona Cruise Terminal A-E | Cruise Terminal C, 08039, Moll Adossat, 1, 08039 Barcelona, Spain | 10 Miles | 20-40 mins |
| Barcelona Small Ship Cruise Terminal | Barcelona Cruise Port · Creuers, World Trade Center s/n, 08039 Barcelona, Spain | 11 Miles | 20-40 mins | |
| Barcelona Sants Train Station | Barcelona Cruise Terminal A-E | Cruise Terminal C, 08039, Moll Adossat, 1, 08039 Barcelona, Spain | 5 Miles | 20-40 mins |
| Barcelona Small Ship Cruise Terminal | Barcelona Cruise Port · Creuers, World Trade Center s/n, 08039 Barcelona, Spain | 3 Miles | 15-20 mins |
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An urban area extends to numerous neighbouring municipalities within the Province of Barcelona, making it the sixth most populous urban area in the European Union. Founded as a Roman city, in the Middle Ages Barcelona became the capital of the County of Barcelona. After merging with the Kingdom of Aragon, Barcelona continued to be an important city as an economic and administrative centre of this kingdom and the capital of the Principality of Catalonia. Barcelona has a rich cultural heritage and is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination. Particularly renowned are the architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, which have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is known for hosting the 1992 Summer Olympics as well as world-class conferences and expos.
August is the hottest month of year when visiting Barcelona with an average temperature of 24°C (74°F) with July seeing the best days of sunshine at almost 10 hours a day, whilst the coldest month is January with an average temperature of 10°C (49°F). If your looking to avoid the rain then is October with an average of 87mm of rain. And for those looking to escape to the beach the best month to swim in the sea is in August with an average sea temperature is 26°C(79°F).
Top Sightseeing Locations
When visiting Barcelona as part of your cruise itinerary, most cruise lines offer fantastic cruise excursions that enable you to visit many of the top attractions throughout the city and the surrounding areas. By booking one of these excursions it means you are able to skip alot of longer lines as well as security that the ship wont leave without you if your tour is back late.
However if you do not fancy taking one of these excursions, then you are free to make your own way around the city, however make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to get back to the shuttle drop off point or the cruise terminal itself as the ship wont wait for you. Depending on which cruise terminal your are docked at, cruise lines normal offer a shuttle bus service to the World Trade Center, where the small cruise ships normally dock. From here it is easy to access La Rambla and the metro network to explore Barcelona, in addition the sightseeing Hop on Hop off buses run from this location for those looking for a more leisurely trip.
Must see attractions and locations include the great masterpieces of gaudi: the Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllo or Parc Guell. For those football fans a visit the Camp Nou for a stadium tour or even to watch a FC Barcelona match. If this isn't your seen then stroll in the historic districts of the city and those looking for family adventures with children, the Zoo, Poble Espanyol or the Aquarium are a must.
To help you make the most of your trip to Barcelona we have provided you with some of the top attractions and how to get to them.
Sagrada Familia
| Metro Stations | Route | Time (Approx) |
|---|---|---|
| La Rambla or Drassanes to Sagarda Famila |
Take L3 (Green) North towards Diagonal, change at Diagonal to L5 (Blue) Eastbound to Sagarda Famila |
20-30 mins |
Cost: It can cost between 17-32 Euros to go in to Sagarda Familia depending on which areas you like to visit. We recommend purchasing skip the line tickets before you arrive via the Sagarda Famila Website
The 19th of March 2017 was the 135th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of the Sagarda Famila. Currently, only 70% of the Basilica is finished and work is continuing on building the six central towers. In 2017, work on the towers of the evangelists and the Virgin Mary has continued at a good pace after beginning in December 2016 with prestressed stone panels that are made at the workshop in Galera. The towers follow the architectural model of the sacristy, which Gaudí left a plaster model of.
Tower of the Virgin Mary, is located over the apse and surrounding the large hyperboloid that lights the altar, bringing light from outside into the presbytery. So far, 58 panels on the tower have been put in place and by the end of of 2017 the tower of the is expected to reach 85 metres. Progress of this tower can be seen from the street, as it is being built without scaffolding on the outside. You can see the parabolic stone grills, with arrises at the corners in blueish granite, evoking the mantle of the Virgin Mary.
Towers of the evangelists, Matthew and John now stand 80.83 metres tall and the towers of Mark and Luke, at 83.87 of the 135 metres should hopefully be completed in 2022.
The tower of Jesus Christ will be the tallest, at 172.5 metres tall with its shell is made up of twelve paraboloids (like the dome of the sacristy) of triangular windows, with svelte porphyry arrises at the corners. Inside, at 60 metres tall will be a stone circular staircase with a glass enclosed lift at the centre. Work is currently also under way on the final project for the pinnacles of the six central towers.
Passion façade is 20 metres above the ground, the space between the wall of the prophets on the upper portico and the base of the central window has been completed. It overlooks the garden where the Gospel explains Jesus Christ was buried in an abandoned quarry, where his tomb was dug. This space is set aside for quiet worship, designed for individual or group reflection, prayer or contemplation. With the vision and presence of the two central towers on the façade, the space will be delimited by the two representations of the resurrection of Jesus Christ: the empty tomb, which is the highest and most central point on the upper narthex, and the stained-glass window depicting the resurrection.
Camp Nou - FC Barcelona
| Metro Stations | Route | Time (Approx) |
|---|---|---|
| La Rambla or Drassanes to Les Corts |
Take L3 (Green) Eastbound to Les Corts. Exit at Les Corts from here its about 10 mins walk to the stadium |
20-30 mins |
Cost: Basic tours start from 26 euros, up to 149 euros for the Player Experience Tour. Tickets can be purchased in advance via the Barcelona FC Wesbite
The home of FC Barcelona since its completion in 1957. With a seating capacity of 99,354, it is the largest club stadium in Spain and Europe, and the second largest in the world in terms of capacity. It has hosted two European Cup/Champions League finals in 1989 and 1999, five matches including the opening game of the 1982 FIFA World Cup and the football competition final at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
The construction of Camp Nou started on 28 March 1954 as Barcelona's previous stadium, Camp de Les Corts, had no room for expansion. Although originally planned to be called the Estadi del FC Barcelona, the more popular name Camp Nou was used. The stadium is accessible from the Barcelona Metro. The closest stations to Camp Nou are Palau Reial, Maria Cristina and Les Corts, all approximately 500 to 1,000 metres from Camp Nou, depending on which of end of the stadium you are going to. Usually metro services are increased when there is a match with normal service running until midnight.
La Rambla
Access: An easy 10-15 minute walk from where the shuttle bus drop off point at the World Trade Center, which will take you to the bottom of La Rambla. We recommend that you be vigilant for pick-pockets in the area.
Is a street in central Barcelona, popular with tourists and locals alike. A tree-lined central pedestrian promenade stretching for 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) connecting Plaça de Catalunya in the centre with the Christopher Columbus Monument at Port Vell. La Rambla can be crowded, especially during the height of the tourist season. Its popularity with tourists has affected the character of the street, with a move to pavement cafes and souvenir kiosks. It has also suffered from the attention of pickpockets.
The tree-lined central promenade of La Rambla is crowded during the day and until late in the night. Orginially it was a watercourse which is reflected in the paving design, appearing to ripple like water. Along the promenade's length are kiosks that sell souvenirs, flowers, street traders, performers, and pavement cafes and bars. There are several notable sights located within the promenade, including a mosaic by Joan Miróand the Font de Canaletes, a famous fountain and popular meeting point.
From the promenade you can see historic buildings such as the Palace of the Virreina and the famous Liceu Theatre, in which operas and ballets are staged. The famous La Boqueria market opens off the Rambla and is one of the city's foremost tourist landmarks. The Royal Square isa plaza with palm trees and porticoed buildings which contains many pubs and restaurants only a few metres along from the market.
