Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Modernisme Route: Inside the Plaça de Catalunya TI is the privately run Ruta del
Modernisme desk,whichgivesoutahandyroutemapshowingall116Modernistabuildings
and offers a sightseeing discount package (€12 for a great guidebook and 20-50-percent
discounts to many Modernista sights—worthwhile if going beyond the biggies I cover
in depth; for €18 you'll also get a guidebook to Modernista bars and restaurants;
www.rutadelmodernisme.com ) .
Sightseeing Passes: The Articket BCN ticket covers admission to seven art museums
and their temporary exhibits, letting you skip the ticket-buying lines. Sights include the re-
commended Picasso Museum, Casa Milà, Catalan Art Museum, and Fundació Joan Miró
(€30,validforthreemonths,soldatPlaçadeCatalunyaandSantstrainstationTIsandatpar-
ticipating museums, www.articketbcn.org ). If you're planning to go to three or more of the
museums, this ticket will save you money and time, especially at sights prone to long lines,
such as the Picasso Museum and Casa Milà. To skip the ticket-buying line at a museum,
show your Articket BCN (to the ticket-taker, at the info desk, or at the group entrance), and
you'll get your entrance ticket pronto.
On the other hand, I'd skip the Barcelona Card, which covers public transportation
(buses,Metro, Montjuïc funicular,and golondrinas harbortour)andincludes free admission
to a few minor sights and small discounts on many major sights (€29/2 days, €35/3 days,
€40/4 days, €47/5 days, sold at TIs and El Corte Inglés department stores).
Arrival in Barcelona
FormoreinformationongettingtoorfromBarcelonabytrain,plane,bus,orcruiseship,see
“Barcelona Connections,” at the end of this chapter.
By Train: Virtually all trains end up at Barcelona's Sants train station, west of the Old
City (for details on getting downtown from Sants Station, see here ) . AVE trains from Mad-
rid go only to Sants Station and the new Sagrera Station, far to the northeast. But many
other trains also pass through other stations en route, such as França Station (between the
El Born and Barceloneta neighborhoods), or the downtown Passeig de Gràcia or Plaça de
Catalunya stations (which are also Metro stops—and very close to most of my recommen-
ded hotels). Figure out which stations your train stops at (ask the conductor), and get off at
the one most convenient to your hotel.
ByPlane: Mostinternationalflightsarriveat ElPratdeLlobregatAirport, eightmiles
southwest of town. Some budget airlines, including Ryanair, fly into Girona-Costa Brava
Airport, located60milesnorthofBarcelonanearGirona.See here fordetailsonconnecting
either of these airports to central Barcelona.
ByCar: Barcelona'sparkingfeesareoutrageouslyexpensive(thelotbehindLaBoquer-
ia market charges upward of €25/day). You won't need a car in Barcelona, because the taxis
and public transportation are so good.
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