Guide to Barcelona Tours Routes and Attractions
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| The Barcelona Tours Bus |
Having taken the opportunity to ride the Barcelona Tours Open Top Bus in Barcelona, I found that it was a great way to see the city. Those who have only a short time to see the sights will find the experience particularly useful in providing an overview of what our city has to offer. Here I have attempted to provide a comprehensive guide as to the Barcelona Tours Route and what attractions it has to offer.
Please see our Barcelona Tours - A Review of Barcelona's Open-Top Tour Bus For more information on the service as a whole.
Barcelona Tours - A Review of one of Barcelona's Open-Top Tour Buses
Route of The Barcelona Tours Bus
There are twenty stops along the route of the tourist bus. It is possible to get on or off the bus at any of these stops. Please see below for a detailed list of each stop and the Barcelona attractions you will see at each one.
The route that is taken by Barcelona Tours provides a comprehensive tour, covering most of Barcelona's main touristic highlights. Other bus companies in Barcelona provide choices between bus routes, however, in a city this size I would say that this may be redundant as it is possible to see most of the major sights on completing one large looped route through the city. On taking the tour I struggled to think of any areas that the bus had not made accessible.
Barcelona Tours provide varying information on how long the entire tour will take. In my experience, minus pit stops where I alighted from the bus, the tour took approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes to cover stops 1 - 20 (listed below).
It is worth bearing in mind that areas such as the Gothic Quarter are largely pedestrianised. Therefore, if you want to gain a greater understanding of the old town, it will be necessary to hop off the bus and do some walking!
Attractions included in the Route taken by Barcelona Tours Bus
Please see below for the exact route that the bus takes around Barcelona. Some of the attractions of note along the bus route include:
Plaza Catalunya
This is probably the most famous square in Barcelona. It is situated at the top of the Ramblas and has a large pedestrianiased section at its centre. A great spot to feed the birds!
La Pedrera
This is one of the works of the famous Spanish architect, Antonio Gaudi. It is a large and impressive structure with a sea theme throughout. It is particularly popular for its undulating roof, providing views of the city
La Sagrada Familia
This is the iconic church created by Antonio Gaudi that is still a work in progress. The bus does a full loop of the exterior of the building, for those who choose not to alight for a closer look.
Parc Guell By Antoni Gaudi
A further work of wonder by the prolific Antoni Gaudi. This is a park that he created, adding his signature touch of imaginative flare. This is a useful stop on the route as it is somewhat further from the city centre than other tourist attractions.
Camp Nou - Barcelona FC football Stadium
A must-see for football fans, for some this is Barcelona at its best! If you don't have a ticket for a match, it is still possible to do a tour of the stadium and museum.
Montjuic and the Palau Nacional - Barcelona's Palace
Montjuic Mountain is the home of Barcelona's Royal Palace - Palau Alfons XIII. This is the site a Barcelona's popular Magic Fountain show.
Montjuic and the Palau Nacional
Olympic Stadium
This was the site of the 1992 Olympic games. It is also where the Olympic flame structure sits.
Colón - Monument to Christopher Columbus
This monument to Christopher Columbus sits at the base of the Ramblas and is the gateway to both the city centre and the harbour area.
Barcelona Cathedral
Barcelona's cathedral is a large Gothic structure. It sits at the top of the Gothic Quarter - Barcelona's most famous section of the old town. This area is popular for its narrow, winding streets and old buildings.
Bus Stops along the Route of Barcelona Tours Bus
At many of the Barcelona Tour stops there is little or no signage to indicate where you should wait for the bus. Some of these are merely lampposts, with no sign whatsoever. You will find that most stops are positioned next to a standard Barcelona bus stop. I have, therefore, provided a description of the exact location of each bus stop.
- Universitat - Plaza Universitat
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Plaza Catalunya - the square at the top of the Ramblas
Barcelona Tours bus stop at Passeig de Gracia - A: Passeig de Gracia - Casa Batlló - a Gaudi building
- Sagrada Familia - Gaudi's famous church
- Parc Guell - a prk designed by Gaudi
- Plaza Francesc Maciá - leads to Avenida Diagonal
- Camp Nou - FC Barcelona's Football Ground
- Avenida Diagonal - one of Barcelona's shopping areas
- Plaza Espanya - home of the Fira de Barcelona and Palau Nacional
- Montjuic - one of Barcelona's Mountains
- Poble Espanyol - a recreated old Spanish village
- Barcelona Palace (and MNAC - Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya)
- Olympic Village - home of the 1992 Olympic Games
- Miró Museum (Fundació Joan Miró)
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World Trade Centre
Barcelona Bus Tours bus stop at Colòn - Colón - Christopher Columbus Monument at the foot of Las Ramblas
- Port Vell - Barcelona's Port area
- Port Olímpic - home to Barcelona's Casinos and Seafood Restaurants
- Plaza de Palau - a square in the area of El Born
- Barcelona Cathedral
Opposite Hotel Jazz, on Ronda de la Universitat.
On the left hand side of the square if you are coming from the Ramblas. Opposite the BBVA bank and H10 Hotel, on the other side of the road.
Outside Banc de Sabadell on Passeig de Gracia.
B: Passeig de Gracia - La Pedrera - another Gaudi building
Next to the bus stop, just before La Pedrera on Passeig de Gracia.
Just after the Repsol petrol station, on Carrer de la Marina, on the old side of the Sagrada Familia.
Just before the Consum Supermarket, on Avenida M. Deu Montserrat.
On the opposite side of the road to Gino's Restaurant, at the start of Avenida Diagonal.
Directly outside the main entrance to the Camp Nou station.
Outside the Corte Ingles, on the opposite side if the road, on Carrer de Numancia.
On Carrer de Tarragon, on the other side of the road, opposite the Miró statue.
Outside the CaixaForum, on Avenida del Marques de Comillas.
Further up Avenida del Marques de Comillas, directly opposite the main entrance to Poble Espanyol.
At the back of the palace, on the right if you have your back to the palace, in front of a snack booth.
Directly outside the main entrance to the Olympic village, on Avenida de l'Estadi.
Directly outside the Miro Museum, on Avenida de l'Estadi.
Directly outside the entrance of the World Trade Centre, on Moll de Barcelona, on the side where traffic leaves the centre.
The 'Barcelona Tours' stop in front of the Tourist Information booth near the monument to Christopher Columbus. This is also good point for Cruise Liner customers to catch the tour bus.
To the left hand side of the Maremagnum, in front of Posit Restaurant (Reial Club Maritim), next to a small roundabout.
Outside Hotel Arts on Carrer del Doctor Aiguader.
In front of the statue on Plaza de Palau.
On Via Laietana, on the right hand side of the road, if you have your back to the port, just beyond the Cathedral Square.
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| The Barcelona Tours bus leaving |
It is worth noting that some of the easier stops to find are: Camp Nou (7), Colón Monument (16), World Trade Centre (15), Miró Museum (14) and Poble Espanyol (11). On first boarding the bus, you may wish to choose to wait at one of these stops, for ease of finding it.
All in all, Barcelona Tours cover the majority of Barcelona's most popular tourist destinations. It is worth checking your map for places close to the stops that may be of interest to you. You may choose to use the service as a convenient way to see the city from the comfort of your top-deck seat. Alternatively, the bus can be used as a quick and easy way to travel between attractions, where you can alight to find out more.
