Cruise Destinations - Ports

Explore Cruise Ports

Begin by selecting your destination below.
 
 
 
 

Barcelona, Spain

Overview

Overview

 


Barcelona is a lively mix of Catalan tradition and modern style. On tree-shaded Las Ramblas, the city's main thoroughfare, shop for exquisite Lladro ceramics; visit Gaudi's Church of the Holy Family; marvel at the genius of Picasso.




Europe Cruise - Barcelona, Spain

Shore Excursions

Shore Excursions


 


A Discovery Walk in Barcelona



Duration: Approximately 2½ Hours (varies slightly)
Price : $

 

An excellent way to get acquainted with any historic city is on foot. With lightweight audio players and a detailed map, this program offers an easy walking tour of the ancient cobblestone streets and historic sights of Barcelona’s famous Gothic Quarter. The audio player is yours for the day, so you can spend as much time as you’d like, or as little, at each spot. And since there ar... more info




A Taste of Barcelona: A Tapas Tour



Duration: Approximately 4 Hours
Price : $$

   

Enjoy a brief orientation tour of Barcelona with a stop in the Gothic quarter, where you can admire outside views of the Cathedral, and at Gaudí’s church of La Sagrada Familia. At two different bars in the heart of the Passeig de Gracia, you will experience literally a “taste of Barcelona,” sampling two traditional tapas washed down with a drink. Then, you will have free ... more info




Barcelona By Bicycle



Duration: Approximately 2½ - 3 Hours
Price : $$$

 

This bike tour offers a different way to discover Barcelona’s squares, monuments, beaches and people, in a city that has more than 60 miles of bicycle lanes and an extensive pedestrian old town. Pedal about five miles through the old town and along the sea front, with a stop at the harbor. Pass by the Ciudadela Park, the Arc de Triomf, Palau de la Música Catalana (a Modernist buildin... more info




Barcelona Highlights



Duration: Approximately 3½ Hours
Price : $

 

Enjoy a driving tour of Barcelona. Your guide will point out many highlights beginning with the 13th-century cathedral located in the Gothic Quarter, and you’ll step inside to admire the interior. From there, you will drive up the Passeig de Gracia. This street showcases many of the city’s Modernist buildings--some designed by architect Antoni Gaudí. You’ll stop at Gaud&#... more info




Barcelona Highlights with Airport Transfer (with prepaid transfer voucher)



Duration: Approximately 4 Hours
Price : $$

 

Enjoy a driving tour of Barcelona. Your guide will point out many highlights beginning with the 13th-century cathedral located in the Gothic Quarter, and you’ll step inside to admire the interior. From there, you will drive up the Passeig de Gracia. This street showcases many of the city’s Modernist buildings--some designed by architect Antoni Gaudí. You’ll stop at Gaud&#... more info




Barcelona Highlights with Airport Transfer (without prepaid transfer voucher)



Duration: Approximately 4 Hours
Price : $$

 

Enjoy a driving tour of Barcelona. Your guide will point out many highlights beginning with the 13th-century cathedral located in the Gothic Quarter, and you’ll step inside to admire the interior. From there, you will drive up the Passeig de Gracia. This street showcases many of the city’s Modernist buildings--some designed by architect Antoni Gaudí. You’ll stop at Gaud&#... more info




Barcelona Private Touring - Full Day (Car)



Duration: Approximately 8 hours - Price is per vehicle, not per person. See additional NOTES below.
Price : $$$$

 

Explore at your own pace with a private vehicle, driver and English-speaking guide at your service. This exclusive tour is designed to allow you the chance to customize your time ashore and discover the most interesting sights in the comfort and privacy of your own vehicle. With your private vehicle, and the personalized attention of your driver and English-speaking guide, you will have the flexib... more info




Barcelona Private Touring - Full Day (Minivan)



Duration: Approximately 8 hours - Price is per vehicle, not per person. See additional NOTES below.
Price : $$$$

 

Explore at your own pace with a private vehicle, driver and English-speaking guide at your service. This exclusive tour is designed to allow you the chance to customize your time ashore and discover the most interesting sights in the comfort and privacy of your own vehicle. With your private vehicle, and the personalized attention of your driver and English-speaking guide, you will have the flexib... more info




Barcelona Private Touring - Half Day (Car)



Duration: Approximately 4 hours - Price is per vehicle, not per person. See additional NOTES below.
Price : $$$$

 

Explore at your own pace with a private vehicle, driver and English-speaking guide at your service. This exclusive tour is designed to allow you the chance to customize your time ashore and discover the most interesting sights in the comfort and privacy of your own vehicle. With your private vehicle, and the personalized attention of your driver and English-speaking guide, you will have the flexib... more info




Barcelona Private Touring - Half Day (Minivan)



Duration: Approximately 4 hours - Price is per vehicle, not per person. See additional NOTES below.
Price : $$$$

 

Explore at your own pace with a private vehicle, driver and English-speaking guide at your service. This exclusive tour is designed to allow you the chance to customize your time ashore and discover the most interesting sights in the comfort and privacy of your own vehicle. With your private vehicle, and the personalized attention of your driver and English-speaking guide, you will have the flexib... more info




Barcelona Sights & Flamenco Show



Duration: Approximately 4 Hours
Price : $$

   

Enjoy a driving tour of Barcelona and a spicy flamenco dance demonstration. Your guide will point out the main highlights of this charming city, beginning with the old Gothic Quarter. From there, you will be driven up the Passeig de Gracia. This street showcases many of the city’s Modernist buildings--some designed by the famous architect Antoni Gaudí who died a pauper but today is i... more info




Essence of Bodegas Torres



Duration: Approximately 3½ Hours
Price : $$

   

This tour will take you to visit one of the most important Spanish cellars, Bodegas Torres, situated in Vilafranca del Penedes between Barcelona and Tarragona. Tradition and quality are the essence of Bodegas Torres--a family-owned company linked with wine for more than three centuries. In 1870, the Torres family founded their first winery, and generation after generation has understood the imp... more info




Flamenco with Dinner



Duration: Approximately 3½ - 4 Hours
Price : $$$

   

Enjoy a dinner of mixed seafood paella at a leading Andalusian restaurant before an exciting performance of Spanish dance. Flamenco is an artform that originated in Andalusia and comprises three elements, the song (el cante), the dance (el baile) and the guitar (el toque). Among the gypsies of Andalusia it was an used as an expression of poverty, oppression and person... more info




Gaudi's Barcelona



Duration: Approximately 4 Hours
Price : $$

 

For a general introduction to the history of Barcelona, your coach travels through the Barceloneta fishing quarter, up Colon Avenue, and past the Columbus monument. You will enter the upper Eixample area where the Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) Church is located. Take photos of this marvelous structure, unique in both artistic and architectural form. Outside and inside, your guide will show you ... more info




Girona, Figueres & the Dali Museum



Duration: Approximately 9½ Hours
Price : $$$$

 

A 1½-hour drive north from Barcelona brings you to Girona--the “immortal city” full of rich historic treasures. Visit the Jewish Quarter and walk to the Isaac el Cec Jewish Center and the Municipal Cultural Center. Step inside at the Arab Baths with their beautiful arches. Your motor coach will take you to Figueres for lunch before you stop at the Dalí Museum. The Theatre-... more info




Majestic Madrid Overnight Tour - Double



Duration: 2 days/1 night
Price : $$$$

   

Day 1 (L, D)
Leave the ship and transfer with your escort by motor coach to the airport for a flight to Madrid. Upon arrival in Madrid, your guide will be waiting for you. You’ll set out immediately for a panoramic drive through the city, followed by lunch at a local restaurant. Check into your hotel with some free time before dinner at a famous restaurant where the typical cuisine of ... more info




Majestic Madrid Overnight Tour - Single



Duration: 2 days/1 night
Price : $$$$

   

Day 1 (L, D)
Leave the ship and transfer with your escort by motor coach to the airport for a flight to Madrid. Upon arrival in Madrid, your guide will be waiting for you. You’ll set out immediately for a panoramic drive through the city, followed by lunch at a local restaurant. Check into your hotel with some free time before dinner at a famous restaurant where the typical cuisine of ... more info




Montserrat Monastery



Duration: Approximately 4 Hours
Price : $$

 

Ride by coach to the Montserrat Mountain Ridge, six miles long, three miles wide and 4,050 feet high. This peculiar mountain range is the site of the monastery where people come to worship La Moreneta--the black Madonna who is the patron-virgin of Catalonia. On a natural platform at 2,380 feet above sea level, you will visit the Benedictine Monastery, founded in the 11th century. The Benedictin... more info




Montserrat Monastery with Airport Transfer (with prepaid transfer voucher)



Duration: Approximately 4 Hours
Price : $$

 

Ride by coach to the Montserrat Mountain Ridge, six miles long, three miles wide and 4,050 feet high. This peculiar mountain range is the site of the monastery where people come to worship La Moreneta--the black Madonna who is the patron-virgin of Catalonia. On a natural platform at 2,380 feet above sea level, you will visit the Benedictine Monastery, founded in the 11th century. The Benedictin... more info




Montserrat Monastery with Airport Transfer (without prepaid transfer voucher)



Duration: Approximately 4 Hours
Price : $$

 

Ride by coach to the Montserrat Mountain Ridge, six miles long, three miles wide and 4,050 feet high. This peculiar mountain range is the site of the monastery where people come to worship La Moreneta--the black Madonna who is the patron-virgin of Catalonia. On a natural platform at 2,380 feet above sea level, you will visit the Benedictine Monastery, founded in the 11th century. The Benedictin... more info




Panoramic Barcelona



Duration: Approximately 2½ Hours
Price : $

 

This panoramic drive-through is an ideal overview of Barcelona. From your motor coach you’ll head to the scenic viewpoint of Montjuïc Mountain for photos, then continue through the city, along Passeig de Gracia--the wide boulevard that connects the Gothic Quarter to the district of Gracia. Watch for the Spanish Village, the Olympic Stadium, the Columbus Monument and the modernist chu... more info




Picasso & the Gothic Quarter



Duration: Approximately 3½ Hours
Price : $$

 

Embark on a journey through the narrow streets of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter. See St. James’ Square--home to the Town Hall and the buildings of the Catalán government. In the Gothic Quarter, you will stroll to the Gothic church of Santa Maria del Mar. Continue to the Picasso Museum, only a five-minute walk away, situated in beautifully preserved Gothic palaces. The collection o... more info




Strolling through Sitges & Bathing at the Beach



Duration: Approximately 6 Hours
Price : $$

 

Sitges is situated 22 miles south of Barcelona -and is an old fishing village of the Garraf region. Its great beaches make Sitges a draw for visitors with an economy based on tourism and the stone quarries in Garraf. With 300 days of sunshine each year, Sitges is renowned for its climate and its culture--writers, painters and intellectuals have long chosen Sitges as their residence and place of... more info





Weather

Weather

Temperatures shown are Fahrenheit
Month Temp Avg Temp High Temp Low Rainfall
Jan 49.5 55.4 43.6 1.22
Feb 51.1 57.1 45.1 1.54
Mar 54.2 60.3 48.1 1.89
Apr 58.7 65.2 52.2 1.69
May 64.3 71.2 57.4 2.13
Jun 71.1 77.7 64.6 1.46
Jul 75.0 81.5 68.5 1.06
Aug 75.0 81.4 68.6 1.93
Sep 70.9 76.6 65.3 2.99
Oct 63.6 69.1 58.1 3.39
Nov 56.6 62.0 51.2 2.05
Dec 51.4 56.6 46.2 1.77

Departure Information

Departure Information

Ship's Terminal
Port de Barcelona
Moll de Barcelona s/n
Barcelona, Spain

Driving and Parking Information
DIRECTIONS BY CAR:
From Aeropuerto de Barcelona (BCN)
Exit the airport, C-32B.
Merge onto Autovia de Castelldefels/C-31 via the ramp to Barcelona/Ronda Litoral Continue to follow C-31.
Take the ramp to Girona/Tarragona/Barcelona/Ronda de Dalt/Lleida.
Keep right at the fork to continue toward A-2 and merge onto A-2.
Take exit 21-Ciutat Vella toward Parallel/la Rambla/Montjuïc.
Merge onto Passeig de Josep Carner.
At Plaça de la Carbonera, take the 1st exit.
At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto Moll de Sant Bertran.

Parking Info
Parking is available at the World Trade Center located at the port. Rates vary so please call at 011-93-508-80-76.

Local Contacts
Holland America Line has hired Macandrews Tours as the local representative in Barcelona. Should you find yourself needing assistance while in Barcelona please contact them directly at their office: 011-34-93-344-25-13. They can also assist you should you become separated from your luggage.
Please note that this office cannot answer questions related to reservations, shore excursions, or upgrades.

Before You Cruise
WHERE TO STAY BEFORE OR AFTER YOUR CRUISE VACATION:
Holland America Line will gladly make all the arrangements for your
Pre-cruise or Post-cruise stay in Barcelona. Please call 1-877-932-4259 to add a hotel stay. Guests who book their hotel stays through Holland America Line will enjoy extra special attention such as:
  • An onsite Holland America Line representative will assist you in your stay; just visit them in the lobby.
  • A welcome letter upon check-in letting you know about local life and how to make reservations for dinner, tours, and other Barcelona must-see attractions.
  • Leave transportation arrangements to us.
For Pre-Cruise guests we include transportation from the airport to hotel, from the hotel to the ship.
For Post-Cruise Guests we include transportation from the ship to the hotel and from the hotel to the airport.
In both cases, these transportation arrangements to/from the hotel and airport are for guests that have HAL Fly Cruise arrangements or that have purchased a transfer voucher for this and advised us of their flight arrangements at least 14 days prior to arrival.
Look for our agents with Holland America Line Signage directly outside the Customs area at the airport.

If you would like to book on your own may we suggest one of the following hotels:
AC Diplomatic Hotel - (011) 34-93-272-38-10

Embarkation / Check-In
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT CHECKING-IN:
Get to the Pier
Please arrive no earlier than 11AM. The building may not be open before this time.

Check Your Luggage
Attach a Holland America Line Bag Tag to all pieces of checked luggage. Upon arrival, staff will meet you and give instructions regarding your baggage. Please show your cruise ticket to the security personnel. Your bags will be scanned and then loaded onboard and delivered to your stateroom.

Check Your Documents
ONLINE CHECK-IN DOCUMENTATION
Guests who have completed the Online Check-In requirements are only required to present the following:

  • Proof of Citizenship
  • Signature Preferred Boarding Pass
  • Credit Enrollment Form along with the credit card you wish to use for onboard expenses.
  • Holland America Line Health Questionnaire.
TERMINAL CHECK-IN DOCUMENTATION
Guests who prefer to check-in at the Terminal will need to bring the following items:
  • Cruise Ticket
  • Handwritten Immigration Form
  • Credit Enrollment Form, along with the credit card you wish to use for onboard expenses
  • Proof of Citizenship
  • Holland America Line Health Questionnaire
Check In
ONLINE CHECK IN
Step into the following check-in line:
  • Signature Preferred Check-In

    Click here to complete Online Check-In and receive
    your Signature Preferred Boarding Pass
TERMINAL CHECK-IN
Step into one of the following check-in lines:
  • Penthouse and Deluxe Verandah Check-In
  • Non-US / Non-Canadian Check-In.
  • Standard Check-In
Give the Check-In Agent all of the above mentioned documents, have your picture taken, receive your stateroom key and you are all set.

Board Your Ship
In Barcelona, embarkation starts at about 11:30am.
An announcement will be made once the embarkation process
is ready to start.

Visa Requirements
Voyages departing from Barcelona typically go through the Mediterranean. Some passports from assorted nations need a Schengan Visa in order to board. Please carefully review your itinerary and discuss your personal requirements with the proper consular officials prior arriving in Barcelona. Those guests who require a visa and do not obtain one will be denied boarding.

Disembarkation
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT LEAVING YOUR SHIP:
Approximate Time of Disembarkation
In Barcelona, disembarkation typically starts at approximately 6:30AM and ends at 10AM.

Government Clearance
All Guests are subject to Customs and Immigration clearance prior to disembarking the ship. Please keep your passport and citizenship documents with you at all times.

Your Baggage
All luggage is either laid down in the disembarkation hall by color/number order, or is taken to the airport and lined up for guests to claim prior to checking in with the airlines. Once you are invited to exit the ship please come and find your color/number or you will be directed to the buses and will claim your bags at the airport. Please exit the building with all family members and luggage, once you leave you cannot re-enter.

Your Transportation
Immediately outside the doors of the disembarkation hall you will be directed to the Holland America Line motorcoach transfers and taxis.
Transportation Options
In Barcelona, guests usually choose to take Holland America Line arranged transportation, as it is faster and there is little to no confusion. There is also limited long distance taxi service available to/from the ship's terminal.
Holland America Line offers transfers between the Aeropuerto de Barcelona (BCN), Recommended Hotels and Ship's Terminal via motorcoach.
If you would like to book a transfer please call 1-877-SAILHAL and tell them you would like to add a transfer.
Depending on your air arrival time and date, special instructions have been included in your ticket book advising where to find your Holland America Line Guest Service Representative at the airport.

Distances
Aeropuerto de Barcelona (BCN) To Ship: 17 miles or about 45 mins
by vehicle.
Aeropuerto de Barcelona (BCN) To Downtown: 17 miles or about 45 mins by vehicle.
Aeropuerto de Barcelona (BCN) To Hotel: 8 miles or about 15 mins
by vehicle.
Ship's Terminal to Downtown: 1 mile or about 5 minutes by vehicle.
Ship's Terminal to Hotel: 8 miles or about 15 mins by vehicle.


information subject to change without notice


© 2001 - 2009 Holland America Line Inc. All Rights Reserved. Legal and Privacy