Barcelona Cruise Guide

Barcelona is inextricably linked to the architecture of Antoni Gaudi. His most famous and unfinished masterpiece, the Church of Sagrada Familia, is the emblem of the city. Like the church, Barcelona takes traditional ideas and presents them in new, even outrageous, forms. And the city's bursts of building and innovation give the impression that it's still being conceived. Both the cathedral and city can be tough places to get a handle on, yet their complexity is invigorating rather than forbidding.

Since it hosted the Summer Olympics in 1992, Barcelona has been on the hot list of European destinations. The staging of the Universal Forum of Cultures in 2004 also raised the city's profile. Such popularity may make it harder to land a hotel room, but it has only added to the sense that Barcelona is a place to be as much for its energetic, cosmopolitan character as for its unusual attractions.

The cruise-ship terminal is located in Port Vell, the Old Port district at the foot of Les Rambles, minutes away from the city's most important tourist attractions. It's one of the largest and most modern of its kind in the Mediterranean. The terminal offers many services, including currency exchange, duty-free shops, restaurants, bus stops and taxi ranks. Large ferries connect the city to the Balearic Islands and all of the major Mediterranean ports. Barcelona is also an important stopping-off point for major cruise lines in the Mediterranean, and even the largest ocean liners can dock in its port. For more information, phone 900-210-938 (9 am-5 pm) or visit http://www.apb.es.

Typical shore excursions offered include a tour of Antoni Gaudi's architectural wonders, a visit to the Olympic Village, a walk through the Gothic Quarter, a visit to the Picasso and Miro museums or a bus tour of the spectacular Montserrat mountain region.