Barcelona is a fascinating city, with a rich cultural heritage. There is a lot to see and do for anyone visiting this unique city, which leads to a staggering choice of excursions when on a cruise around the Mediterranean stopping at Barcelona.

Most excursions can be categorised into cultural excursions, which will all include architecture and Gaudi’s influence upon the city, shopping excursions, wine tasting, the mountains and sport. Some excursions will be generalised whilst others will be more specialised, focusing on just one of the categories. Many of the tours are just of Barcelona itself and are usually for half a day. The longer tours include the surrounding area.

Finally, you need to decide how independent you would like to be on your tour. There are many excellent guided excursions as well as those with less input from guides or indeed no input at all. However, with limited time to make the most of this amazing city, the guided tours would probably be more appropriate. Some of the best excursions that stay within Barcelona are as follows; all of these tours are for half a day.

The Bike Tour

Barcelona has an extensive cycle path network and visitors can make good use of this on the guided bike tour. Seeing Barcelona by bike has many advantages and gives visitors plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere and architecture of this stunning city. This tour includes all the main landmarks, for example the Sagrada Familia, the Arc de Triomf and Casa Mila. Visitors can more easily explore the atmospheric parts of the city by bike and this tour includes the Gothic Quarter, with its quirky shops and Las Ramblas with its street artists.

The Scooter Tour

For the more adventurous, the Scooter Tour has many of the advantages of the bike tour and you will certainly see the city from a different perspective. You are accompanied by an English-speaking guide and the tour includes the Sagrada Familia and the Montjuic Gardens.

The Tour of Sport

Barcelona has a strong sporting heritage and is renowned throughout the world for its football, being the home of Barcelona FC. In 1982 Spain hosted the Football World Cup, with two of the venues being in Barcelona and in 1992, Barcelona itself hosted the Olympics. This tour includes a visit to Nou Camp, the home of Barcelona FC. The return journey takes in one of Barcelona’s mountains, Montjuic which is also the home of the Olympic Stadium and the Magic Fountain.

Views of Barcelona

This tour takes in the mountains around Barcelona to give you the best views of Barcelona and its surrounding countryside. The tour includes Mount Tibidabo, Montjuic and finally the Miramar Gardens. With views as stunning as these, there are plenty of photo opportunities on this excursion.

The Explorer Tour

The Explorer Tour takes visitors to three key landmarks in Barcelona, which gives you more time to take in and really enjoy these extraordinary places. Visitors start by exploring Parc Guell, Gaudi’s famous park, filled with amazing architecture, mosaics and views. Visitors are then taken to the Sagrada Familia before strolling around Cataluyna Square, for a unique shopping experience.

The Highlights Tour

Finally, the City Highlights tour is a good general tour, with something for everyone, which takes in all the major landmarks and architecture and includes shopping in the atmospheric Spanish Village. The tour also includes a drive through Montjuic Gardens and up to Miramar Mountain for a spectacular view of the city, harbour and Olympic Stadium, with the city on one side and the Mediterranean on the other.