All About Barcelona Travel !!!

The wonderful city of Barcelona has so much to see like Sagrada Familia, Barcelona's Roman foundations, Montjuic Castle and more! If you are not familiar with Barcelona you may wish to consider taking one of the many Barcelona bus tours that are available. It is a very popular way to see the sights of the city and it will save you the trouble of renting a car and following a map to find the famous sights you wish to see. You could also take the Barcelona Metro system, but sometimes they require lengthy walks between their route lines. A bus tour is great as it allows you to sit back and relax so you can actually experience and see it all.

Many bus tours offer a variety of ways to get around the city. You can choose a particular bus tour simply to make your way around the city or some tours allow you to get off and on at particular destinations that you want to reach and others take you directly to the famous tourist attractions. Some of these tours allow you to experience the tour in one day so you can see what Barcelona offers and you can pay attention to a few places that you may wish to visit again. These various Barcelona bus tours make all of these options possible for you.

Like all bus tours there are some things to be aware of. For instance the stops may not be clear and if they have commentary provided by a headset, often they might not be clear to understand. Waiting times for the tours also vary. However a Barcelona bus tour provides a great way to see the city so you can concentrate on the surroundings, not a map.

Not all of the tours have ticket booths in Barcelona but some do. An option is to choose a tour that allows you to purchase tickets on the Internet. Some tours allow children under a certain age on the tour for free. If you or your travel companions use a wheelchair, usually the bus has a ramp towards the back of the bus with an area set aside for wheelchairs on their lower level. So look into this ahead of time. If your tour will provide commentary, usually you will be given a headset that is inserted in your ear. The commentary is available in several languages.

My Personal Top Five Things to do in Barcelona

1.  The Bar Scene.  Barcelona is renowned for its food and drink, and for its eclectic nightlife.  Combine the best of both worlds, and you get the standout establishments: the city's varied bars.  Alongwith some pintxos, Barcelona's tasty answer to tapas, you may think of a glass of Spanish Red - but as you're in Spain, why not ask for a jug of sangria or the Barcelona variant of the Cuban Mojito? As for the bars, though in the U.K you can throw darts, in Barcelona aspiring William Tells can shoot arrows at L´Arquer!  To see and be seen at the rendezvous of the rich and famous, try the Metro.  Or visit Gimlet if you're into 50s decor and style.  And don't be amazed if Bogey and Bacall step into this throwback bar; Bogey for a scotch, Bacall, a Manhattan. Ogle if you can see through all the cigarette smoke!

2.  The Beaches.  Barcelona's seaside may be its best-kept secret.  Hugging the Mediterranean and not overcrowded like other big-city beaches, on offer are golden sands leading to unpolluted water and clear blue sea.  Though the sand and sea are unspoilt, the beachfront offers a range of options, either for a day trip or long stay: you can rent a hut by the day, a hotel room by the week, or an apartment by the month.  Barceloneta is the closest and most popular of the four major beaches.  As the most well-developed beach, it offers parasailing and windsurfing, among other attractions.  For seclusion, try the furthest beach, Sitges.  Those who want to be adventurous can opt for Mar Bella, a nudist beach.  No matter which one you choose, you'll see gold and turquoise like you've never seen it before!

3.  The Magic Fountain.  Musical fountains used to be one of the charms of Old Europe.  One such still exists in Barcelona except that it's a Modern Age version of the Old Europe mainstay.  Only a very special fountain could count as an attraction all by itself, and this truly is one. Created for the Great Universal Exhibition of 1929, the Magic Fountain on Montjuic is akin to a sound-and-light show with spouting, jetting water as the star.  Having an amazing 3,620 jets and 7,000 million water-light combinations, the fountain transitions through myriad shapes as it shimmers with ever-changing hues; the water-show coinciding with appropriate music. (Many videos on YouTube make this description seem like an understatement!)  Simply put, this dancing fountain is a sumptuous treat for the senses.

4.  Flamenco!  Though flamenco originated in Sevilla, Andalusia to the south from gypsy folkways, Barcelona boasts first-rate and authentic presentations of all aspects of Spain's cultural heritage, and so it is with flamenco.  The staccato rat-a-tat-a-tat of Flamenco Music is striking and arousing but the music is difficult and challenging to dance to - for you and me.  In total, there are three flamenco shows in Barcelona.  El Tablao de Carmen is the most popular and offers a dinner-show where you can take in the whole spectacle: impassioned vocalists backed by tensely-thrumming guitars and handclaps, and even stamping of feet, while a troupe of dancers acts out the scene.  A flamenco show is an audiovisual performance of intensity and romance to be experienced.

5.  Do Your Own Thing!  In a city as replete with attractions and diversions as Barcelona, it's hardly possible to list every major one in any top ten list.  Are you one for the great outdoors?  Head for the hills of Montjuic and check out Jard’ Botànic.  Are you an art-lover?  Take in yet another art gallery - The Dali Gallery in a Barcelona suburb.  Or are you an architecture lover?  Admire another Gaudi marvel, Casa Batlló, which gives the impression of having risen from the sea!  Is nightlife and the singles scene what you're looking for?  Let your hair down at Diobar or at another dance club.  Are family attractions your cup of tea?  Barcelona has a world-class aquarium.  Follow your senses, get off the beaten track, and you may end up discovering something that's not on anyone's top ten list!

Take in one delightful diversion; take in all - we strongly recommend the latter course.  But no matter what itinerary you eventually map out, you will understand why Barcelona has enjoyed a renascence and made a 'comeback'.  Be warned: if you travel to Barcelona, it is possible that you will not want to . . . 'go back'!

Top Five Barcelona Excursions

Barcelona is one of those rare premiere destinations whose outskirts boast excursions that can vie with another city's top attractions.  Here are five amazing day-trips!

1. The Salvador Dali Museum.  The Genius of the Melted Clocks was a Spaniard who was born in the very town, Figueres, where he founded his museum.  Only a two-hour train ride from Barcelona, this treasure trove for lovers of Surrealist Art contains several thousand creations by Dali, including sculptures, engravings and photographs, besides those famous paintings.  Some of his most instantly-recognizable works are at this museum which is itself a work of surrealist art.  Don't neglect to glance up at the ceiling and don't miss the courtyard with its amazing statuary!  In nearby Pubol is a lovely mausoleum Dali built for his demised wife and muse, Gala, the 'Gala Dali Castle'.

2. Sitges.  An American may well see Sitges as the Miami Beach of Spain, given the remarkably similar tints of its alluring sand and water, and the contour of its beach.  You can do a day excursion from Barcelona but if you want to bed down, then – like Miami Beach – you will be spoilt for choice for accomodations at this gorgeous seafront town.  Sitges has a deep historic side – witness Church de Sant Bartolomeu i Santa Tecla – and also considerable charm: La Davallada is Exhibit A.  Roll in the annual Carnival and Film Festival, and its cultural side comes into focus.  Add the indescribably mouth-watering Xato and over a dozen beaches and you may well decide to stay over!

3. Girona.  One-hundred kilometres from Barcelona lies a fascinating old town that is thousands of years old; in fact, it even has a mediaeval Walled City.  Welcome to Girona, a pedestrian-friendly town of rivers and bridges – and narrow cobblestone streets that lead to an old castle.  This historic crossroads is home to a vibrant Jewish Quarter and also ancient Arab Baths.  The New Town can be fairly touristy, specially Rambla de la Lliberitat whose restaurants make a sharp contrast with the small cafes in the Jewish Quarter.  In the same vein you can visit modern shopping centres on one side of the city and walk along ancient Roman walls on the other!

4. Costa Brava.  About an hour away from Barcelona is the coastal, seaside resort of Costa Brava, which poses a tough question: "What do you want to do?"  A wild beach party or serenity in the countryside?  Boating along the coast or golf at one of the lush courses?  The sun and sand or museums and art galleries?  Costa Brava is, at one and the same time, a well-developed tourist destination with hotels galore and also an unspoilt paradise, given its Old World rustic villages and breathtaking natural beauty, protected by an environmental charter. End your excursion at the foothills of the glorious Pyrenees.

5. Illa Fantasia.  Illa Fantasia calls itself a 'water park'.  That's being modest for it's more like a water world – a heaven-sent when you're in Barcelona in July.  Though Illa Fantasia offers a mind-boggling array – over twenty – of rides and slides of varying intensities, this 'park' offers different styles and kinds of water itself.  It features an artificial river, a synthetic beach, simulated waves, three jumbo pools, and even a pirate ship where you can play games – all water-related, of course!  Rounding out this family getaway is a medley of eating options ranging from a kid-friendly burger bar to a garden restaurant to a fine-dining cafe.
The above ranking is highly personal.  Try visiting each attraction and . . . you may well decide on an entirely different ordering!
For more information visit here :- Barcelona Red Bus