Recommendations of things to do in Barcelona and Paris

LMM1215

We will be honeymooning in Barcelona and Paris and looking for things to do. Any advice is welcome!

TravelingJen

I've got entries in my travel blog on both Barcelona and Paris.

Barcelona: http://wanderlusttraveler.blogspot.com/2012/04/barcelona.html

Paris: http://wanderlusttraveler.blogspot.com/2011/11/grand-finale-in-paris.html & http://wanderlusttraveler.blogspot.com/2013/04/paris-france.html

dazyabbey

What are you interested in? I have been to Paris but not Barcelona. Make sure you take at least one day off of your schedule to visit the Louvre. Also if you are interested in history you should check out Versailles. It was a 20-30 minute train ride and a short walk. VERY BUSY. Get their when they open and pre-purchase your tickets. Take the time to go to Marie Antoinettes Chateau and go behind it, that is where her little farm was. My favorite part! Also the gardens are huge. You could spend a whole day just exploring Versailles. We enjoyed just wandering around and stumbling across things. I do wish that we would have taken one organized english tour though. I like hearing the random facts and history that tour guides usually know. Also make sure you bring a padlock to put on one of the many bridges and throw the key into the river.
If you are interested we also went to Disney Paris. We (mainly me) have a goal of going to every Disney park so we couldn't pass it up. It was more relaxed and less greedy then the US counterparts. But it also meant that the characters weren't up to par and other small things. But less lines and more stuff to do. So well worth it (if that is your type of thing!).

Also don't go to the Moulin Rouge. Not worth the money. Annddd... that is all I can think of for now. Good luck!

AprilH81

I haven't been to Paris since I studied abroad in college the summer of 2001.  One of my favorite things in Paris was the impressionist museum Musee d'Orsay.  It is in an old train station that is beautiful in its own right and then the impressionist art pieces were my favorite.  http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/

When travelling in Europe generally I always recommend getting to the TOP of whatever you are visiting so you can see the view.  The top of Notre Dame, Arc de Triumph and Eiffel Tower all have wonderful views.

amyelise25

Barcelona is one of my favorite European cities.  I thought Gaudi's work was so interesting and impressive.  He did the Sagrada Familla (a must see), Casa Mila, and Casa Batllo.  He also did Park Guell, which is so gorgeous.  The park is a little out of the way, but worth it.  I did a hop-on/hop-off bus to get out there. 

If you are an art love, I would recommend the Piccasso museum (in the old town area) and the Miro Museum.  The Miro museum is located in Montjuic which is a big hill to the west of the city that has a lot of other things to offer.  I only went to the Miro museum, but there are several other museums an attractions up there. 

One of the best food markets in Europe is located on Las Ramblas (la Boqueria).  I highly recommend walking around and maybe purchasing something. 

I had a lovely, but pricey, outdoor seafood meal in a restaurant along the harbor.  I also did a touristy flamenco show that was located in a restaurant on Las Ramblas.  I'm sure there are others that you could check out.  Make sure to take advantage of doing tapas (going from bar to bar and just sampling the food as you go). 

LMM1215

Great, thank you so much for the suggestions! I really appreciate it!

hz80408

It really depends on your interests.

Paris

• consider how long you will be there and getting a Paris Museum Pass, which gives you entry to several of the main tourist spots and also an oppurtnity to jump lines.
• If you're going up on the Eiffel Tower, MAKE RESERVATIONS! When we visited it was a Wed in April. We had reservations but the gaurd told us the wait time was over 3.5hours for those who didn't.
• Consider going up top Montparnesse; which is one of few skyscrapers in Paris. We went up top our first night (again had tickets) and had the perfect view of Eiffel Tower sparkling
• We did a Fat Tire bike tour to figure out the layout of the city and gain some history
• More tips and info from our trip here:http://justcallmehaha.blogspot.com/2012/05/paris-day-1.html

Barcelona

• Sagrada Familia is a must-see. You can reserve tickets in advance. We waited in line and it took a little over an hour
• Gaudi's work is all over; we loved Parc Guell and visited both of the homes he designed, but preferred Casa Batllo over Casa Mila/La Pedrera
• So much good food! Be prepared to wait!
• More info from our trip here: http://justcallmehaha.blogspot.com/2012/07/barcelona-day-1.html

I'd be happy to answer any specific question if I can help!

 

SAweddinggirl

Barcelona is amazing!!

Ditto on All things Gaudi!

I took a fun and fabulous cooking class at "Cook and Taste." It was a gift and well worth the money they spent.  It included guided tour of La Boqueria Market.  

Day trip to Sitges

Magic Fountain

Exploring the tiny streets of Barri Gottic

Many museums if you are an art person

Eat at outdoor cafes.  Be prepared for sloooooooooow service.  It is just the way

The hop on/hop off bus tours are actually helpful, especially to getting to the far reaching sights

Tour of the Football (soccer) stadium.  

I spent three weeks solo there last summer and was never bored and always busy.  

KatJon14

Even if you're "not into churches" as I was, absolutely check out Sagrada Familia in Barcelona!  It is very unique, and has incredible views of the whole city!  

I just remember walking around and gawking at the amazing architecture.  I went during the summertime and remember it being very crowded and touristy (at least many parts).  I think I heard more French spoken than Spanish, haha. 

loca4pook

I found Monet's gardens near Giverny to be extremely pretty and relaxing. They have "bus tours" of it,. I loved it. It's a definite day trip from Paris. We did that and Versailles in one day which made it a little challenging, but do-able

 

Get the City Paris Pass, too. It helps bypass tons of lines and helps save money/time.

Also, but tickets to the Eiffel tower BEFORE you fly there. Lines there are horrible without a specific time ticket..Make sure it says to the TOP, not 2nd floor

Go to the Rue Cler to buy stuff to make a picnic at the park near the eiffel tower.

 

NETime

Everyone else had great suggestions...  Here are my suggestions for restaurants and some sightseeing tips!

In Paris, have dinner at Fish La Boissonnerie, a lovely little bistro.  While on the Rue Cler street, which has some cute cafes and shops...make sure to go to the wine store and pick up two bottles of wine -- one to take home to open on your anniversary and one to open immediately during your trip!  Also in Paris, visit the catacombs.  GO EARLY -- make this your first stop of the day and get there 45 minutes before opening time.  Otherwise you'll be in line all day.  Also, download an app that lets you plot trips on the Paris metro even while offline.  Hugely helpful.

In Barcelona, eat dinner at Tapas 24 and Cerveseria Catalana.  Both are fantastic.  For the Sagrada Familia, buy your ticket in advance so you can use the special side entrance for advance sales.  Saves tons of time.  A good day trip if you like sparkling wine is to take the train into the countryside a bit to Sant Sadurni d'Anoia.  Our favorite place to taste there was Codorniu.  Have fun!