hop on hop off bus barcelona
Christmas edition
hop on hop off bus barcelona
Christmas edition
hop on hop off bus barcelona
The Winter & Christmas Edition
I was very excited when I heard in 2021 that there was a Hop-on Hop-off bus tour in the evening for Christmas in Barcelona. For about 4 weeks, these buses ran through the city starting at 6 PM. So, I bought tickets for the whole family, and we spent New Year’s Eve on the open-top bus! My children, who had just turned 4 at the time, loved the ride and still talk about it today!
We hope that the same offer will be available in 2023 and look forward to seeing the new lights.
However, whether this trip is worth it for everyone, you can decide for yourself at the end of my review!
Enjoy,
Céline
Hop-on Bus
Christmas-Tickets
My Rating:
The Positives:
A unique experience to see Barcelona at night! The children loved it!
The Negatives:
The Christmas lights are not as extravagant everywhere as on Passeig de Gracia.
Tips:
Dress warmly! It wasn't super cold, but the wind during the ride was chilly.
Last modification: 03.12.2024 | Céline
The details
at a glance
WHAT IS THERE
TO SEE?
Street lighting and sights!
You start at Placa Catalunya, on the side of Corte Ingles. Be sure to use the restroom before the ride begins and bring some drinks with you. The Bus Turistic gave us a chocolate Turon bar as a welcome gift, so we had snacks covered. 😉
The journey essentially begins with the highlight of the street lighting: Passeig de Gracia. In 2021, we were greeted here by wonderful flying butterflies and cascading light chains that looked like rain… This street was truly fantastic!
You also pass by the festively illuminated Casa Batlló, which was showing a light show on the facade every full hour at the time. So as we drove by, Casa Batlló changed from purple to turquoise and to blue and green!
You also see Casa Milà (La Pedrera), which didn’t have such a light show, but was no less beautiful!
Up to this point, I would give the tour 5/5 stars 😉
After that, we continued towards Hospital de Sant Pau and Sagrada Familia. The less significant streets leading there were only partially decorated, and those that were had simple decorations.
The hospital, which has an annual Christmas light show inside, was not decorated on the outside. Nevertheless, it was, of course, nice to pass by it.
Then we continued to Sagrada Familia: It was also not decorated for Christmas, but it’s always nice to see it illuminated at night. Sagrada Familia has had one plus point since 2021: the new star on the Nativity Façade tower naturally shines brightly!
Afterward, we drove down towards Poblenou and Torre Glories, which always lights up at night!
We continued along the promenade towards Drassanes, passing by the Columbus Monument and the lower section of the Ramblas, where there was a Ferris wheel at that time.
Then, we went through Poble Sec back towards Carrer Balmes, which was also somewhat illuminated.
This last street leads to Carrer de Pelai, and you drive past the upper part of the Ramblas back to Placa Catalunya.
Conclusion
For me, the tour is “only” 4/5 stars because the Christmas lighting was sometimes not quite on theme. The lighting highlights are the beginning and end of the tour. In between, there was little to very basic lighting.
However, you do get to see some of the sights at night, which you don’t usually experience. You tend to visit them during the day, so this provides a different nighttime perspective.
My children truly enjoyed it, even though they got hungry towards the end and kept asking about restaurants. They still talk about it today, and whenever they see one of those buses, they say, “We sat up there!”
We travelled again in 2023/24 – this time the starting point was on the other side of Placa Catalunya – but the route itself hasn’t changed much.
I wish you all a wonderful Christmastime in Barcelona!
Yours, Céline