Barcelona Cruise Holidays
The city of Barcelona is known for its Catalan culture, it beautiful beaches, its famous La Rambla shopping street and of course for its iconic football team and their home stadium, the Camp Nou.
One aspect that can sometimes be overlooked is that the city is also one of the world’s leading cruise ports and arguably the best on the Mediterranean, with numerous cruise lines basing their operations out of Barcelona and many more offering a wide range of cruises that call into the port.
No matter if you are starting or ending your cruise at the port or if you are visiting Barcelona s a stop on your cruise, this guide brings you all of the information that you need to make the best of your Barcelona cruise.
Cruises To Barcelona
Barcelona Cruise Guide
If you are looking to cruise to Barcelona, the great news is that it is relatively straightforward as one of the biggest and busiest cruise ports in the world.
Types of Cruises Available
There are a wide range of cruise lines that offers cruises to Barcelona direct from the United Kingdom without the need for flights or you can choose to start and end your cruise in Barcelona and enjoy a pre or post cruise stay in the bustling metropolis.
There is also the option to start in another European port, such as Athens, Palma or Rome and call into Barcelona on a cruise of the Med or you can starting in Barcelona and sail back to the UK (or vice versus).
In other words, no matter how you want to experience a cruise to Barcelona, you can do.
If you are currently researching a cruise to the popular port of Barcelona, here is all of the most important information that you will likely be looking for.
Barcelona Cruise Port Location
The cruise port in Barcelona is located just a short walk from the city centre with La Rambla, also known as Las Ramblas, starting from the ports entrance/exit.
Whilst that may make it sound like the perfect port of call to simply walk off of your ship and stroll into town for day of exploring or for the perfect departure port to simply walk from your hotel to the ship that really is not the case.
The port at Barcelona is absolutely huge and features 7 cruises terminals split into 3 different zones; Adossat Quay (which are the farthest from the city centre), the World Trade Centre terminals (these are usually reserved for ferry services but can also take smaller cruise ships) and the Maremagnum Port Vell (this is only used for cruise ship in exceptional circumstances).
The main cruise area is a long walk just to get out of the port, which is also a working port with many restricted areas but on the plus side, there is a port bus, known locally as the blue bus, that links all of the main cruise ship terminals to the start of the town centre and it also drops you off near to the Drassanes Metro stop for those wanting to explore the city on their own.
Barcelona Attractions
Barcelona is not just a popular holiday destination for cruisers but it is also popular for people to fly into from across the world so it will come as no huge surprise that the city is home to many great attractions that are well worth visiting.
One of the iconic landmarks of the city is the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia, which is famous for never quite been finished. If historic cathedrals are of interest to you, the Barcelona Cathedral is also well worth stopping of at.
Built by Antoni Gaudi in his own unique style, his works can also be enjoyed at numerous other sites throughout the city including the Casa Batilo, the Casa Mila (La Pedrera) and Park Guell.
Whilst Barcelona is a bustling modern city, the city still has lots of history to enjoy with the narrow streets of the Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter) well worth exploring on foot.
If you are a football fan, the visit to the iconic Nou Camp is simply a must and even if you are not a fan of the club, a walk around the clubs museum and a tour around the stadium is still fascinating.
The La Rambla shopping street maybe full of multi-national shops and fast food outlets that can be found on any high street in the UK but you can access the Meercat de la Boqueria, which is Barca’s main market and a great insight into local life.
Montjuic, is a great place to enjoy lots of attractions but to keep away from the crowds of the town centre and shopping districts with a funicular taking guests straight to the top or why not simply start from the foot of the famous Magic Fountain and walk up the step (or take the escalators) to enjoy great vies over Barcelona and back towards your ship.
Barcelona is home to many green spaces with the Parc de la Ciutadella amongst the most popular aside from Park Guell, but it is free to enjoy.
Barcelona Shorex
If you have already visited Barcelona and are looking get away from the city or maybe you would prefer to take in some of the incredible attractions and stunning scenery of the Catalan mountains and coastline, then an organised shore excursion maybe the best option.
Thankfully, there is lots to see and do only a short drive away from downtown Barcelona, with arguably the most popular been a trip to the incredible Montserrat, which features a mountain top monastery and the use of funiculars to take in the stunning scenery.
Other popular excursions include boat trips and excursions along the rugged coastline to popular resorts such as Sitges.
Transport
As you would expect from a city such as Barcelona, it is incredibly straightforward to get around on your own, so their really is no need to pay extra for a shore excursion, unless you have somewhere in mind to visit away from the town centre and you are worried about making it back in time to re-board as the traffic in Barcelona can get bad.
Amongst the many options is a wide ranging metro (underground) system, a bus network, taxi’s, trains and even a couple of cable cars in and around the seafront/port.
Best Time To Visit
Barcelona is a great place to visit all year around thanks to hot summers and warm winters but it is best to avoid July and August if you are not wanting to be waiting in crowds and avoiding people all day long.
Barcelona Cruises From The UK
If you are wondering if you can enjoy a cruise to Barcelona from the United Kingdom, the great news is that not only is it possible, but just about every major cruise line operating out of Britain offers No Fly cruises to Barcelona.
That allows you to choose between everything from the world biggest and new cruises ships, to smaller and older traditional ships- with just abut everything in between available.
Barcelona Cruises From Southampton
If you are looking to cruise to Barcelona directly from the United Kingdom, you may be able to find options from Newcastle or from Dover but the vast majority of itineraries to the Catalan port will depart from the port of Southampton.
There is the chance to visit the Western Med, including stops at Catalan capital directly from Southampton all year around.
