Reply With QuoteGaudi's La Sagrada Familia is well worth a visit. Make sure you go to the top. http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/
I have a family trip to Barcelona next month, staying right in the centre of The Ramblas. So my question is, are there any good watch places to visit?
Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia is well worth a visit. Make sure you go to the top. http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/
Agreed, the cathedral is awesome. Wise up on street crime though, the Ramblas is full of pick pockets and thieves.
+1. There's also a Gaudi's museum with the model he made using little sand bags & string to work out if it would actually stand once built. Loads of other great stuff to see but can't remember any watch shops although there is a large department store at the top of Las Ramblas called El Corte Ingles where you might find something.Originally Posted by bernie eccle
Do keep an eye on your watch & wallet though as pickpockets can be a problem.
You need to go to the Eixample district for designer shops. Walk to the top of La Ramblas, carry on in the same direction, for about 15 mins. It is just like a hotter version of Oxford and Regent street, but with some amazing Gothic architecture.
There are also the usual large shopping centres. It's well worth getting a day trip on the tourist bus, so you can get on and off at anywhere you fancy and you'll see a lot more of the city this way.
I can see how pickpockets can be a problem in La Ramblas, but keep your wits about you, as I always do and you shouldn't have any problems.
I've been to Barcelona a few times and,yes,it's got its down sides just like any big city.
I haven't had any issues with pickpockets or prostitutes before.....no more so than anywhere else i've been.In fact i've experienced bigger problems with pickpockets in Milan & Rome. It comes down to using a bit of common sense...not flashing cash,walking down dark alleys etc etc etc
Las Ramblas during the daytime is no different to walking down Oxford Street safety & crime wise. However,after dark it starts to fill up with prostitutes and all that entails. Be more wary.
Loads of great stuff to see but i notice the OP asked for interesting watch shops...unfortunately i can't help there.
Oh...don't bother with buses and stuff from the airport. If you are going as a family just get a taxi from the airport. It won't take long,is safe and efficient and won't cost much at all.
Barcelona has a great tube system much cleaner than London's and just as easy to use.
You can buy an all day rider ticket and everything you need to see is in zone 1 so just
get on and ride for about 9euro's for the day.
The Rambla's is mainly for restaurants, shops and street art but if you want watches then
go to the 'Diagonal' tube stop and there's pretty much everything you want to see right there.
Sight seeing wise, Gaudi's cathedral and Parc de Guell just superb if you like architecture but
be sure to go to the top of the cathedral stunning views not to be missed.
The Nou camp is well worth a visit to if your a footy fan, like the Millenium stadium but on a
'much' bigger scale. Also I liked the Olympic village up on the hill accessible by the cable car
down in the harbour again superb views over Barcelona, don't worry too much about the pickpockets
tho just be sensible and don't flash the cash or jewellry and you'll be fine, London is easily as bad.
You'll have a great time its a very cosmo city that is like very other big city, constantly buzzing
Was there last year, definitely visit La Sagrada Familia. I was blown away by how impressive it was.
I visited another Gaudi building with a snake skin front (forgotten what it was called) and that was amazing too.
The park Gaudi designed was good too, I didn't really know anything about him as my girlfriend is a fan but his work is out of this world and really stunning (glad the misses took me along with her).
Had a look round for watches as you do when there this year. Didnt see anything special or good value. Lots else to see and do whilst there as others have suggested.
thanks for all the tips,
wifey and son are are the footy nuts so the Nou Camp will be high on the list and also the Cathedral.
Our hotel is right in the middle of the Ramblas, Also having just had a knee op not to sure how much walking i am going be up for.
We are only there for 2 nights so to be honest with family in tow i doubt whether watches will actually get a look in.
Don't spend too much time directly on La Rambla; there are far better areas within reasonable distances.
I agree you need to go up to Exiample, browse around Passeig de Grącia, plenty of upmarket stores in that area, that's where any watch shops will be.
La Ramblas is just a tourist trap, don't even buy a meal on this street, although the side streets off this have some good stuff. The gothic quarter is beautiful so have a good tour around here. Don't bring an expensive watch with you, or have expensive camera equipment or anything valuable in casual full view outdoors, a friend had his watch stolen, he didn't even realise it was gone until about 5 minutes after.... and even if nothing happens and people say oh it's safe, well it is safe, but the chances of your valuables going walking is pretty high. Even if nothing goes missing you will most certainly be checked out and scanned as a potential mark at least a dozen times a day! It's a really wonderful city, enjoy, it would be even better if they tidied up the petty thieving and prostitution.
The attractions can be quite a way apart, when we took the family a few years ago we used the Tourist bus, a hop on hop off way of getting around Barcelona. Places everyone loved were the Nou Camp, Sagrada Familia, Park Guell and the Gotic area. The watch shops I saw were in the high end shop area around the Placa de Catalunya /Diagonal area
I've been twice in the last year and can highly recommend Casa Batlló - it's probably the best attraction I've been to there. Park Guell is pretty cool too and definitely worth a visit. As others have said, I wouldn't spend too much time on La Ramblas - there's much nicer stuff elsewhere. The Gothic Quarter is nice and there's some amazing shopping on the Passeig de Grącia which is where I always stay. There are some fantastic watch shops along that street too if you can make it up there - it's only a short walk from Ramblas. The beaches are also close by are well worth a visit and there's some interesting architecture down there.
A word of caution - we ate in one restaurant and they tried to charge us a fortune for the bread and olives that they placed on the table without us asking. Naturally we assumed it was part of the service but having googled it when we got back it seems it's a common trick to fleece tourists. The waitress became very rude and aggressive when I questioned it - in the end I went nuts and refused to pay but it's worth checking before you eat it! Other than that experience Barcelona is a fantastic city with lots to do - hopefully you'll have a great trip.
Just got back from Barcelona today. Left my GMTc in the safe and wore G Shock as there are certain areas that live up to reputation ie Rambla and a few streets of it. Having said that I felt pretty safe in most other areas and it's a great city (4th visit)
Two watch shops are Suares and Tous very close to the Gaudi house in the smart shopping area. I spied a gorgeous Zenith in one window ! But was with wife and 3 kids so didn't goin this time.
If I can give you one restaurant recommendation it is 7 Portes (7 gates). It's near the port and been there 176 years ....fabulous food .... 6 of us ate very very well and had wine for 265 which is not a lot in barca for a top place
One more general tip....especially if it's your first visit...use the open top bus tour as a familiarisation day and you can mark on the map what interests you so you can go back. You simply won't have time to do it all.
Enjoy.... You will
Keep on the right hand side of the ramblas heading away from the port,you will eventually come across a watch shop selling used watches at good prices.I should have bought the Speedy for £1300 boxed/papers and a minter!.He had so many watches at damn good prices.
Last edited by P9CLY; 29th August 2012 at 11:14.
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