Barcelona - Morocco - Italy

[artnbarb]

Thinking about 2019, I'm thinking a transatlantic cruise to Europe. Barcelona will be the most convenient/economical cruise, which is part of the reason I picked it. We could also cruise to Rome, Amsterdam, Southampton or Copenhagen.

Cruising directly to Rome only makes sense if we want to remain in Italy, but since we want to travel around before settling in Italy for a spell, no sense paying to cruise all the way there!

Cruising to Amsterdam or Copenhagen holds some appeal, but my real goal is to visit Morocco, which is closer to Barcelona,and I'd also like to spend a few days in Barcelona. Logistically it makes sense to stay in Barcelona immediately after our cruise, then fly to Morocco, then fly from Morocco to Rome. Not sure if there are any direct flights yet. Something to consider.

@Kathy recommended going with a guide or a group in Morocco, and having visited Egypt and Turkey using guides, I completely understand and agree. A guide would be too costly so perhaps a small group tour - GateOne has several, and they are available as land only, which we would need. They had an 11 day tour that looked about right, time-wise, but I still need to research temperatures in Morocco in May! I'm sure other companies offer tours, I'll just have to compare costs and the size of the group.

I'd like to spend several nights in Barcelona - we've been there 3 times, just for the day, on cruise stops. We'll be arriving without jet-lag, so we'll be ready to hit the ground running. 4 nights? 5 nights? What about day trips from Barcelona??? Thanks in advance!

 

[TominVB]

We took an Italian ferry from Barcelona to Tangiers. I believe its route is Genoa - Tangiers via Barcelona and return. It was a large comfortable ship as we overnighted with our RV aboard. see http://papillontravels.net/Euro2008/maroccoindex.htm

 

[Jan55612]

We are in Barcelona at this time for a two-month stay. We love this city and all it has to offer. Art, architecture, history, food, wine..... What have you already seen? What are you interested in?

 

[artnbarb]

As I said, we've only been to Barcelona for 3 one-day visits, but we like what we've seen so far! I'm thinking 4 nights in Barcelona, post cruise and pre-Morocco. I'd love to take a walking tour in Barcelona, see more of Gaudi's work, and check out the museums in Barcelona.

 

[Kathy]

You might be surprised about the cost of a guide in a place like Morocco. You should at least ask Thomas at Journeys Beyond Travel. Let him know your budget and interests and see what he could do. Or he might be able to put you together with some other travelers for a small group tour... I don't know.

 

[artnbarb]

I'll keep that in mind! Right now it's a toss-up between Provence and Morocco!

 

[Kathy]

Well, if those are the options... if you've never been to Provence, you know what I would recommend!

 

[artnbarb]

Well, if those are the options... if you've never been to Provence, you know what I would recommend!

then you probably know which way I'm leaning!

 

[Roz]

My son and his family just decided to take a spring break trip to Barcelona. I thought I recalled that the Cadogan couple (Dana Farcaros and Michael Pauls) had an app for Barcelona, and I just found it. Barcelona Art & Culture. I can't vouch for it personally, since I've never used it (have never been to Barcelona) but I'm sure it's excellent, based on their track record.

By the way, just as a point of interest, they had planned to go to Hawaii, but found that it was so expensive this year that it was actually cheaper for them to fly to Barcelona from California than to Hawaii.

 

[artnbarb]

thanks @Roz ! We met up with Dana and Michael when we visited the Dordogne in 2016 - they really do know their stuff!