I rolled into Barcelona Sants Estació from Paris to begin the second leg of my trip in Barcelona…read more Train stations tend to be chaotic, and they're prime spots for people to get pickpocketed, so I like to spend at little time in them as possible, and constantly be moving while there. This is the main train station in the city, and as such it's quite large with several different areas and connections. I was a little confused once we arrived as I needed to find the Metro, but after orienting myself it was no issue. Besides that, Barcelona Sants Estació is really no frills. It got me where I needed to go, and at the end of the day that's all that matters.

The main train station in Barcelona, therefore the busiest almost all the time…read more Currently there is a lot of construction work going on inside and out. So paths are a bit constricted and not clearly marked. I recently took the inOui from Paris to BCN, a 7 hour trip that was nicer than the bustle of air travel. Arriving at 10 pm BCN Sants was quite busy, but was able to pop up easily and get out of the station. I would have liked to have grabbed a sandwich to take to the hotel, but construction made it impossible to find a vendor. The outside construction and some rain made areas a muddy and rough mess. Bummer, it has been a great station in the past. Just be aware of pick pockets here.

Eclipsed for the past thirty years as Barcelona's main station by the subterranean sprawl of…read moreBarcelona Sants, the França terminus station is nevertheless the much more attractive of the city's two main stations, and worth a look in its own right as a piece of early 20th-century architecture. Built in the 19th century as the main terminus for trains arriving from France (as the name suggests), it was rebuilt and reopened in 1929 for the International Exhibition held in Barcelona that year. With two huge, curving train sheds covering 12 platforms and a grand vaulted concourse with a polished marble floor, the whole project was conceived on a grand scale in a restrained fusion of the art nouveau and classical styles (although the external façade is a little too restrained for my taste). The construction of the east - west line through the centre of Barcelona via the modern Sants station in the 1970's rendered França somewhat redundant. Although it is close to Cuitadella Park and the trendy Barceloneta sea-front quarter, it is rather further from the current commercial centre of the city, although it is more convenient for the old Gothic Quarter. It isn't even connected to Barcelona's metro system Barceloneta station is a good five minute walk away, via the back streets to the west of the station - but the half hourly airport shuttle (line C10) will also take you into the centre. To-day, the station is the starting point for express trains to Madrid, Valencia and other Spanish cities, medium-distance services to other parts of Catalonia, the half-hourly train to Barcelona Airport (all which also pass through Sants) and a few overnight trains to and from France. The main concourse contains the ticket office, information centre, left luggage facilities and an incongruously huge cafeteria. The platform concourse also contains a quaint scale model of the station, complete with toy trains. Although beautifully maintained, the small number of passengers who use the station seem completely lost in its vast, echoing public spaces. But that also makes it easier to appreciate as a piece of public architecture, and the absence of crowds and queues makes arriving or departing by train a rare and pleasurable experience.

Arriving at this station early on a recent Thursday morning on my way to Primavera Sound festival…read morewas a highly confusing experience, entirely because I thought we were going to arrive at Estació de Sants (a station further north). Imagine my concern when I picked up a map from the information desk, found Estació de Sants on it, went out on to the street and couldn't make head nor tail of where I was! Thankfully after 10 minutes of confused wandering I asked a passerby for help and was surprised and very pleased to discover I was already near the guesthouse. Perfect! Estació de Franca was very convenient for my trip - just a few minutes walk away from Barceloneta Metro station, close to where I was staying and not far from the Barri Gothic and La Ramblas either. It's not a massive station either so finding my train home was easyhandy when there's only one overnight train per day to Paris - missing it would have been a calamity!

Strange, strange hotel. No idea what is up with the space theme. We stayed a couple nights as part…read moreof a tour group. The bar and the breakfast were good. The room is nice and clean beds are average for Europe. No bathtub but the shower is nice. Good location right by station! I would stay again. Also coffee in the AM in lobby before breakfast opens very nice!!!

This is our sixth hotel on our western Mediterranean tour this summer and its location is very…read moreconvenient, being right at the train station, however, it is a bit further from the city center. Reception was friendly and efficient and our room on the third floor was mostly quiet with the bulk of the noise coming from the other guests slamming doors and cleaning staff in the hallways. The room was very comfortable, cool and dark at night. Beds were very comfortable, pillows were ample and varied and the bathroom/shower was larger than most. That being said, the dual sinks were outside of the bathroom so there is no way to use them without lighting up the whole room and waking your partner... small inconvenience. The sink on the right in our room was completely plugged and unusable. Staff was informed. There were some dark lines in the corners and grout lines of the bathroom, maybe mold? Mostly minor. The included iron and ironing board were fabulously convenient. Thanks for those. Behind the sinks, on the bed side, is a bar fridge that never really got cold, and a cupboard with kettle and glasses and a bottle opener, nice. Overall, the room was one of the better rooms we have had. The Orbital Cafe was a welcome and fairly priced discovery, where we had our first meal and drink after having a long train ride and had checked into the hotel. Great staff and very friendly. The included breakfast buffet has been by far the most complete and varied buffet we have had the pleasure of partaking in. Of all the included breakfasts we have had, the variety and selection (they will even cook you omelets and eggs to your liking at an omelet station) are unsurpassed. So far, the best included breakfast. There is at this time some renovations/construction on going at the train station/hotel which made the entry to the hotel just a little trickier, but by no means does it impact your stay. We have really enjoyed our stay at Barcelo Sants and would very much recommend this hotel as a great place to stay.

One of my favorite train stations. Nice art Inside, and when you exit look up to notice the amazing…read morebuildings by Gaudi.

At the very heart of Barcelona, the nexus of Metro lines 1 and 3 also connects to Rodalies de…read moreCatlunya and the suburban lines R1, R3, R4 and RG1; TMB, Aerobus, and the intercity bus lines have a depot above, so you're going to use this station sooner or later. It serves 13 million people a year. It's one of the oldest continuously operating train stations in the urban area. Good art, busy, a little intimidating and yet a little exciting too. The starting (or ending) point of the Rambla. https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/transport/stations/catalunya-station/facilities-catalunya-station.html

Huge. Has 3 lines: 2 Metro and 1 FGC (R5)…read more This is where you start your trip ride to Montserrat (Mont Serrat).

THERE AIN'T NO SNAKES ON A TRAIN…read more Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to travel to Europe for the first time. An entire day was spent on the AVE bullet train from Barcelona to Malaga. It travels up to speeds of 193mph. This is some new wave shit. Real life TRON! I was in a First Class Club Car with huge, comfortable seats and leg room galore. Our car had two friendly waitresses who I communicated with through smiles. Note to self: Learn the language before you go to a foreign country so you don't feel like an ass. The wine kept comin' and comin' so I kept drinkin' and DRANKIN if you know what I mean. It's fun to watch everyone get faded and stumble to the restroom on a bullet train falling all over the place. They also had a full bar/snack bar in the car behind me where we did shots for some stranger's birthday. If getting drunk and taking in the beautiful, lush landscapes of Spain are not enough for you they also have music stations and movies that haven't been released in the US. The food? You tell me. I don't know what it was. It looked like fancy cat food so maybe it was tar tar or space food. I enjoyed a roll and the soup and did I mention the wine? Hey, it's fucking Spain, people. Overall I loved every second of this experience and highly recommend it to everyone who gets the opportunity. It ain't no Soul Train so pay the extra euro for the First Class Club. You can be a cheapo at home.

It's a train. It goes to places you want to visit. It isn't cheap, but affordable if you consider…read morethe alternatives. It takes you from the Airport to this station at Sants where you can connect to trains going everywhere in Spain. It also takes you to downtown Barcelona - Placa Catalunya. Local trains stop more frequently, but run on time. The loading of passengers is a real third world experience of pushing and shoving as idiots try to go through one turnstile while ticket takers are reading each ticket like it was a treasure map or their rich grandfather's will. The waiting areas are like old Greyhound bus terminals replete with odd characters. A trip to the bathroom is truly an experience in risky health behavior. There are crews of African hustlers who hog the McDonald's Wifi bandwidth all day - probably sending out scam mail soliciting money from Westerners. Renfe does not accept American credit cards on their website. After going through an arcane booking process that only a software programmer can successfully navigate, surprise! your payment and reservation are blown into cyberspace - ha ha Americano. They do accept PayPal - huh? We had a 2 hour layover between trains so we left the station to eat and drink which was the best idea of the day.

It has been several years coming, but the full high-speed service between Madrid and Barcelona was…read moreinaugurated on February 20th 2008, becoming Renfe's flagship main line the process. Construction of the line began over 5 years ago, and the line was opened in stages, reaching Tarragona (actually a new station outside the city, called Camp de Tarragona) in 2006. Problems completing the line into Barcelona, alongside existing tracks - including some spectacular tunnels collapses - delayed its final opening, but the full service is now running. All the stations along the route have been either remodelled, as at Zaragoza, Lleida and Barcelona, or built from scratch, as at Tarragona. The AVE (Alta Velocidad Española - High Speed Spain, but also the Spanish word for 'bird') uses standard European gauge tracks, instead of the broader Spanish gauge, and so needs a dedicated railway line throughout. The trains running most of the services on the new line are based on the latest German ICE units, and are built by Siemens. They have a maximum speed of 350kph (217mph), but in normal service run up to 300kph (186mph). The line passes through some spectacular scenery, with impressive and ambitious engineering to match - lots of tunnels and big bridges. The fast non-stop services from Barcelona to Madrid take 2 hours 38 minutes for the 342 mile journey - one of the fastest averages in the world - with those stopping en route taking 45 minutes longer. The trains are very spacious and comfortable inside, with even those in Second (Tourist) class having reclining seats. There are small TV screens along the carriage roofs to provide a film service, and radio channels provided at every seat. We found the ride very quiet, although a little bouncier than expected. Announcements are made in English and Spanish. So why not 5*? Well, for a very expensively-built new main line, there are only 17 trains in each direction a day, with several two-hour gaps in the middle of the day. The service may improve in frequency as traffic builds up, but the competing airline service is much more frequent. Also, tickets are very expensive by Spanish standards, although discounts are available if you book ahead. The normal AVE tariff is over four times as expensive as the (admittedly rather slower) ordinary trains, so you do have a choice of frequency vs price.

The high speed train takes 2 hour 45 min from Barcelona to Madrid. "Turista class" seating is very…read morecomfortable, but I still prefer paying more for first class. They offer drinks and snacks for purchase onboard. There is plenty of overhead storage for carry-on luggage and a separate storage area for wheeled luggage. "Sendada class" seating has adequate leg space.

In order the find the station make sure you type in TRAIN…read more This station will be my love hate. It is a simple 10 minute stroll from the hotel to this station to board the train to Montserrat. I wasted 45 minutes trying to find it. The Plaça Espanya is under heavy construction hiding the sign and entrance. And my maps kept sending me to the nearby metro station, not the train. Finally upon finding the entrance, everything was a piece of cake. Follow the Montserrat signs down and to a small kiosk to buy your train ticket. Then head down another level to the tracks. Montserrat train leaves every hour. It fills up fast even as late as 9:30 am with both tourists and locals. It's a simple very plain station. The entrance is on a small island I front of the Catalonia Hotel. But it's labeled as Montserrat instead of Estació Espanya. Also look for R5, it's the actual train you need.

Major train station that's busy and has almost all of the train lines. Getting in and getting out…read morewas confusing however purchasing our two day pass was relatively easy and we were able to get a map. There were a lot of steps, it was a difficult haul through the stations. Passengers were required to wear masks on the metro. With a map in hand we were easily able to navigate the colored liked around the city.

Whether or not you're a fan of Cubism, everyone knows Picasso--and the Picasso Museum in Barcelona…read moreis an absolute must to understand the origins of this brilliant mind. There a handful of Picasso Museums around the world, but the one in Barcelona is worth a visit as this was not only the first museum dedicated to Picasso's work, but also the only one created while he was alive. The museum is sectioned off by eras of Picasso's life, starting with his early formal training under his father, Jose Ruiz, at age 7 and his earlier works when his family were his muses. I always knew Picasso was talented, but I had no idea just how truly multifaceted he was. Entry is by timed ticket, and can be reserved for free 4 days before your actual visit between certain hours. NOTE: If you need to use the bathroom, hold on to your ticket--you'll need to scan it for re-entry.

How can you not give a lovely museum 5 stars? The building itself is really cool -- a series of…read moreconnected medieval palaces with beautiful courtyards and stone details -- and the exhibits are genuinely interesting. You get to see Picasso's early works and sketches, which give great insight into his evolution as an artist, plus some of his famous Blue Period pieces and later reinterpretations of Velázquez's Las Meninas. I'll admit, I'm more the type who'd rather wander the streets of Barcelona than hang out in a museum, so I'm probably not the best art critic. But still -- it's Picasso! Totally worth a visit. And the best part? Afterward, I grabbed an amazing lunch of tapas and beers just around the corner. Perfect way to cap off the visit. 5 stars all around, lol.

My top is tour was a substitute for a different tour but what a great surprise. Brais did a great…read morejob of mixing in both food and culture in history of Barcelona to make our evening very enjoyable. It was only five people including Brais but everyone got along great and it was a wonderful evening.

Absolutely fantastic experience with Brais. The tour was a perfect blend of delicious food, local…read moreculture, and great company. Strangers quickly turned into friends by the end of the evening. Each stop offered unique, flavorful dishes, and our guide was knowledgeable and friendly. Highly recommend for anyone looking to eat their way through Barcelona.