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All Barcelona Highlights Tour
The ideal tour for people on a short visit: the only way to see everything, covering the distances and avoiding the queues. Visit all the best sites in Barcelona by combining The Gaudi Tour and The Montjuïc & Panoramic Tour.
Departure: Daily at 9am from Pl. Catalunya opposite Tourist Office, in front of Deutsche Bank & Hotel Olivia Plaza. All year round except Dec 25 & 26 and Jan 1 & 6
Duration: 6 h aprox.
Price: includes entrance to Park Güell, Sagrada Familia
Guides: Officially-licensed, English-speaking local experts who love their job
Languages: Only in English
Transport: Comfortable air-conditioned bus
Itinerary: Passeig de Gràcia > Façades of Casa Batlló and La Pedrera > Gràcia > Pl Lesseps > Park Güell > Sagrada Família > Arc de Triomf > Olympic Village & Port > beaches > Old Port > Columbus > Monument > Gothic Drassanes (shipyards) > World Trade Centre > Montjuic Hill (Miramar Look-out) > Joan Miró Foundation > Olympic Ring stadiums > and visit to the Poble Espanyol including free time for lunch
Itinerary (from 1. 3.): Passeig de Gràcia > Park Güell > Sagrada Familia > Port Vell > Monument Colon > Mirador de Miramar > Joan Miró Foundation > Olympic Ring stadiums > Poble Espanyol
The Gaudí Tour:
Passeig de Gràcia: This broad elegant avenue was built for and by the wealthy Barcelonians and they have never left; luxury and design shops line the street along with major banks and the stock exchange. Architectural details include modernist lampposts and Gaudí.s tiles for pavements and a myriad of grand buildings including two of Gaudí.s houses.
Park Güell: Demonstration of how far ahead of his time Gaudí was, this residential suburb was financed by Eusebi Güell and meticulously planned by Gaudí with intertwining roads and footpaths, water catchment, market place and square, gardens and lodges. Only two houses were sold and eventually the Güell family sold it for a symbolic amount to the city as a park and allowing us all to benefit from this beautiful, world heritage site. The now familiar mixture of highly advanced technical engineering and fantasy decoration is epitomized by the famous mosaic dragon or salamander, which is also an overflow for the underground water cistern, and the curved mosaic bench around the square which is at once a seat, a balcony and a wonderful piece of art. It was listed as World Heritage by UNESCO in 1984.
Sagrada Família: The jewel in the crown of Gaudí.s works, the temple is a synthesis of his overall conception of architecture. The richness of detail and its significance need explaining in order to appreciate this fascinating and extraordinary building in full. Gaudí wished the temple, which is still being built, to be financed by the people, not by taxes or funding, and that.s just what your entrance fees do (included in our tour price): finance the completion of the building started in 1882. The Gaudí Tour We have kept the best to the last so tour members who so wish can stay on and savour the building for as long as they like, you can go up the towers by elevator, and visit the crypt and museum and compare the contrasting styles of the Birth and Passion façades.
The Montjuïc & Panoramic Tour:
Olympic Village: A run down and industrial area of Barcelona was completely reconverted into the 1992 Olympic Village. Right on the waterfront, it has become an attractive, landscaped residential area.
Olympic Port: Flanked by two of the tallest buildings in the city, the Arts Hotel and the Mapfre Tower.
Old Port: Separated from the Olympic port by long beaches and the old fisherman.s quarter, Barceloneta.
Columbus Monument: built in his honour in 1888, it is at the foot of the famous Rambla.
Gothic Drassanes: Medieval shipyards which now house the Maritime Museum. One of the finest examples of civil Gothic architecture in Europe.
World Trade Center: original imposing building by Henry N. Cobb whose aesthetic features are highlighted by the building being surrounded by water.
Mirador de l.Alcalde (the Mayor.s Lookout) stop: This terrace is a balcony over the Mediterranean with spectacular views over the harbour and the whole city. The bus will stop here to let you walk around and get the best viewpoints.
Olympic Ring: Central sports facilities of the .92 Olympic Games, the complex includes the Stadium, the St Jordi sports pavilion by architect Arata Isozaki, the INEF by architect Ricardo Bofill and the Calatrava Communications Tower.
Poble Espanyol: Final place on the tour so people who so wish can stay for as long as they like. Built for the 1929 Exhibition, you can see replicas of streets, squares, monuments and buildings from around the country. After lunch, the tour will return to Plaça Catalunya and link with the Montserrat Tour for those who wish to see this special monastery and mountain.
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