Port Barcelona

Barcelona is one of the most important cruise ports in the world. In Europe, the only possible comparison to Barcelona is Civitavecchia, but in terms of facilities, Barcelona much more complete than the Roman port.

Barcelona has two cruise terminals:

·    The first one is located near the World Trade Center. If you are travelling on a of small or medium size cruise ship (like Thomson Dream for example), for sure you’ll depart from this terminal. It has the advantage of being closer and more connected to the city but with less facilities than Adossat

·    The second one is “Palacruceros” in the new Adossat terminal. Here you’ll find a group of four well equipped (check in, baggage claim, duty free shops...) buildings, but they are far away from the exit of the port.

THOMSON DREAM NEAR WTC

Getting to the port. I don’t think its a good idea to walk through a big city with your luggage and lots of money for the trip with you. That’s why I recommend to take a taxi to the port. It’ll cost about 30€ from the airport (El Prat) or 15€ from the railway station (Sants). If you are arriving to El Prat and you want to save money and walk, you can take the Aerobus to Plaza de Catalunya for 4,50€. From there you’ll have to walk down La Rambla and take the Portbus from Plaza de Colón (2€).

You can also reach Plaza de Colón by subway (Green line 3 Drassanes)

Hotels. If you’ve read our article "First Day,first steps", you will be arriving at Barcelona the day before the cruise starts. If you are looking for an hotel, the best place is near Plaza de Catalunya, but it is also the most expensive.
To me, it is much better to stay near the Sants station, where you’ll find several hotels at very good prices (Barceló Sants Abba Sants or Expo). Sants has a direct connection to Drassanes and Plaza de Catalunya by subway

If you are arriving at Barcelona few days before the cruise starts you’ll have the option to discover Barcelona. In that case I recommend to read our post “Barcelona”

 
LINKS:
Port of Barcelona
Port Bus
Subway
AeroBus

Barcelona

It is the most important (cruise) port in Spain and it's well prepared for it. It has recently built a terminal that can accommodate the largest cruise ships like Liberty of the Seas or Queen Mary 2. Most cruise ships on the route to the western Mediterranean use Barcelona as the departure port, either as the principal one or alternate to the traditional home ports in the case of MSC (Genoa) and Costa (Savona).

 

For sure your the cruise will dock in one of the Adossat terminals, which is far away from the entrance to the port of Barcelona. S​o it is necessary to take a shuttle service that leaves you near the World Trade Center. If you try to do it by foot, the journey will last 15-20 minutes, depending on the terminal of arrival (A is the closest, D is the farthest). Medium-little ships usually dock next to the World Trade Center, so you will not have to pay the shuttle.

OFFICIAL EXCURSIONS: The offer in this port of call includes views of the city, works of Gaudí, visits to Montserrat and even Flamenco ...

ALTERNATIVES: You can visit Barcelona on your own. The city offers many possibilities, such as:

OPTION 1: Tourist Bus (three different lines). You can use all three lines with the same ticket (about 23€)

OPTION 2: A short walk to reach the beginning of the Rambla. From there we can go to Plaza de Catalunya, visit La Boqueria market and the streets next to Puerta del Ángel, then Paseo de Gracia and  back

OPTION 3: At the beginning of the Rambla we'll find the metro station Drassanes. From there we can reach virtually any corner of the city such as the Sagrada Familia, Diagonal, shopping centre L'Illa ...

WHERE TO EAT: You can eat in La Boqueria at Pinotxo's, drink somethig in the bars of La Rambla (it's expensive), if passed through the Raval try a kebab ... If you reach the university square you can go to La Flauta (Aribau 23), which has seasonal products or simply take a "flute" (baguette stuffed with almost anything) . Another good choice is La Dulce Herminia restaurants where you can eat well at affordable prices. For lovers of fast food, along the boulevards you can find McDonalds, Burger King, Pans, Kentucky ...

SHOPPING: In the surroundings of Rambla, Rambla de Catalunya (not the same) and Puerta del Angel you can find all the brands and stores

EMBARKING IN BARCELONA: Most companies leave from Adossat terminals (A, B, C or D). The easiest way to reach the port is by taxi. At the entrance there will be staff of the company that will take care of the luggage. For smokers, there are few Duty Free shops at a great price (MSC sells cigarretes on board at high prices, but by the end of the cruise prices in the ship fall).

LINKS:

Bus Turistic

La Boquería

Barcelona Undergroud