Rota to Barcelona

Author Message   Earl Senior Member Username: Myramstein Post Number: 633 Registered: 11-2007 Posted From: 99.205.197.231 Posted on Sunday, February 07, 2010 - 02:20 am:    Walter, see my good pal Tony has given you some good tips. I head to Rota once or twice a year. To get to Seville, I always ride the bus from town of Rota. Walk out the Rota gate. Not a far walk from terminal and billeting. Bus station is close to traffic circle right outside of the gate. Get your 24 hour base pass (if needed) and passport stamped in Rota before heading to Seville. Very nice bus to Seville. Can buy ticket night before if you like. Many connections in Seville via train, bus, plane to all parts of Spain.   Tony Cabrera Senior Member Username: Tonyc Post Number: 1469 Registered: 08-2006 Posted From: 64.237.197.0 Posted on Saturday, February 06, 2010 - 10:00 pm:    Walter, welcome to the Board! Best way to get from Sevilla to Rota, not just on Saturday May 20th, but on any day of the month, would be either bus, train, or car rental. If planning on taking a flight out of Rota NAS, I would suggest you take a bus, since the Terminal at Rota, seats just outside the main gate. Hope this helps. Happy travels!   walter smith jr New member Username: Csmsmith Post Number: 1 Registered: 04-2009 Posted From: 98.231.98.102 Posted on Saturday, February 06, 2010 - 09:20 pm:    WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE BEST WAY TO GET TO ROTA FROM SEVILLA ON SAT 20 MAR   James E. Kale Intermediate Member Username: Jimiam Post Number: 132 Registered: 09-2006 Posted From: 71.163.223.221 Posted on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 - 10:04 am:    You could also drive it. In May, we ended a cruise in Barcelona, then drove to Rota (had to turn the car in at Cadiz). We did a lot of sightseeing along the way and took over a week, but it could be done in two days. Two days car rental and one night in a hotel is probably not much more than other methods, maybe even cheaper once you factor in all the airline fees for booking, baggage, cost of getting to and from airports, etc.   Robert C Atkins Junior Member Username: Illini Post Number: 6 Registered: 05-2008 Posted From: 206.174.7.33 Posted on Sunday, June 14, 2009 - 07:38 pm:    We did a cruise last November from Barcelona. We also SpaceA'd to Rota. We choose to fly from Jerez to Barcelona on Vueling airlines. However, while booking it online, I encounterd several problems. I initially found a one-way fare for Euro 40. I went through the booking process, but it did not accept my credit card, which was completely valid with plenty of credit available. I tried another credit card, same results. The next morning I decided to use my ATT card and call the reservations number in Spain. This worked, but overnight the fare had gone to Euro 50, and there was no way I could talk them into honoring the Euro 40 fare, even though they admitted they were having trouble with their system getting authorizations on foriegn registered credit cards online. So I had to pay the Euro 50 plus Euro 10 for a checked bag and Euro 8.50 to book with a credit card. Otherwise it was a good way to get to Barcelona but like other discount airlines, no amenities whatsoever. We did not know how we were going to get to the airport in Jerez, but while at Rota we met a youg lady from a town not far from where we live in Illinois. Her husband was USAF, stationed at Rota. She said her husband was on leave and that they would be glad to take us to the airport in Jerez on our day of departure. Infact, she absolutely insisted. It is approximately 30 miles. On the morning of our departure, her husband, along with she and their young daughter took us to the airport. We had to INSIST they take the money we offered along with our gratitude. BIG WORD OF WARNING: Be very, very careful when sightseeing in Barcelona. We were robbed not far from the Famillia Sagruda (sp?) and suffered two other unsuccesful attempts. The other two were while in the subway system. We also met others on the cruise who had similar experiences. One ruse is a guy will approach you with a map and ask directions. Almost immediately you are surrounded by several men who flash badges and say they are the policia. They get right in your face and want to see ID's and seek out where you have your money saying you and the guy with the map are involved in illegal money exchanges. It's all over in a matter of minutes and you are relieved of any cash they get their hands on. Another ruse is someone will squirt you with a mixture of mustard and water. Then someone with bottled water immediately offers to help you clean it off. When he's gone, so is your wallet. A third ruse was young girls crowding onto the Metro elevator. They then try to get anythig they can out of your bags or perhaps your pockets. Barcelona is a beautiful city, but like any big city you have to be EXTRA vigilant. These are real experiences that happened to us and others we met. We were fortunate that all we lost was cash and not ID's or passports. Be careful. Are hotel was very close to a train city train station and it was inexpensive to board the train right at the airport and get off near the hotel. On the morning of our cruise, we took the metro from near our hotel down to the port. We then took a port bus to our particular dock. We were on Celebrity and it would have been a long walk. The bus was only Euro 2, but very crowded and we had to wait in a long line. Our cruise ended in Venice, and you can walk to the train station from the port (20 minutes) and take a train to Aviano. There is also a bus but I don't know where to catch it. Also, there is no base shuttle in Aviano on weekends. There is only one cab company. We were fortunate to run into an Italian guy who spoke fluent english and he called the cab for us. The cab took us from the bus stop to the main gate of Aviano. Just as we were unloading, a young lady, whose husband flies F-16's, stopped and gave us a ride to lodging - a very, very long walk. Aviano has three locations, the main base and two in the town of Aviano. You can ride the shuttle on weekdays until 1700 to area one or area two, and then explore the town of Aviano. The "Rotater" or what I know as the Patriot Express stopped at Aviano, then onto Ramstien and BWI. That was last November, so I don't know if the schedule is still the same. Good luck and enjoy the cruise. If you have any questions, you can email me at dadof2illini@yahoo.com and I will get back to you.   David Intermediate Member Username: Reverie4401 Post Number: 77 Registered: 02-2008 Posted From: 68.159.47.60 Posted on Saturday, June 13, 2009 - 10:17 am:    We did a cruise out of Barcelona in January. After trying to justify flying with all the fees for excess baggage, we took the Tren Hotel on Renfe (Spanish Railway). Train left El Puerto de Santa Maria station around 8PM and arrived in Barcelona at 8AM. We had a compartment with two bunk beds. The compartment was secure and clean. Bath down the hall. We got about 6 hours of sleep. This train had a dining car and bar. This was a pleasant way to arrive in Barcelona. Cab ride to Placa de Catayluna was about 15 Euros, slightly more directly to the port. I think the fare for the Tren Hotel was around $140 each. Saved a hotel payment. We also brought dinner and beer onto the train for dinner. The Renfe web site (English version) quickly became the Spanish version. So, we booked the reservation with a travel agency in Rota. We got a recommendation from Jorge at ITT for the travel agency. We would do this again and try to book it on line, with a Spanish/English dictionary. As for booking, we booked the train trip after arriving in Rota for the next night. As we were not 100% positive of getting to Rota; we almost took a flight to Germany. If you fly to Germany, you can then fly to Barcelona. Be careful (prepared) with Ryan Air as they do not use the main Barcelona Airport. Ryan Air uses a Barcelona airport that is a ways from town. As for airports, you can fly from either Jerez or Seville. Both cities are on the bus from Rota (outside the gate). Then, either another bus or taxi to the airports in the cities. The Seville bus also stops in Jerez on the way. Have a great cruise. David   PR Senior Member Username: Pretzlaff Post Number: 1229 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 67.166.41.58 Posted on Friday, June 12, 2009 - 04:21 pm:    I did the reverse a couple of months ago. It is important to remember that Rota to Barcelona is quite some distance. You can flight for cheap from Jerez (or Sevella) to Barcelona. Or, you can take the train. You can do it in one day easily by, but it is not cheap. I would take a cab to the Puerto station (should be about 20euro). Then buy tickets for Sevilla. They should be about 7euro. Then, you really need to take the AVE high speed train to get from Sevilla to Barcelona. There are about 7 a day from Sevilla to Madrid and then from Madrid to Barcelona. There is only one a day that does not require changing trains in Madrid. That is the one to use. In April, Sevilla to Barcelona cost me 133euro, one way. It only takes about 6 hours, and is quite pleasant. Again, for that kind of money, you can fly if you would like.   John D. Moderator Username: John_d Post Number: 2767 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 95.208.72.23 Posted on Friday, June 12, 2009 - 04:11 pm:    Allan, Do a search for "Barcelona" in the Ground Transportation Archives for previous recommendations.   Mike Spengel Advanced Member Username: Mike_sp Post Number: 237 Registered: 07-2006 Posted From: 70.95.81.26 Posted on Friday, June 12, 2009 - 06:32 am:    Regarding the train, you have a few choices. Start by looking at http://www.renfe.es/horarios/english/index.html. First use Puerto de Santa Maria as a departure point. You'll see an overnight train listed there, a tren-hotel with sleeping accommodations. Next, use Sevilla as your starting point. You'll see that you can take an AVE train the covers the ground in a little over four hours. You could go by bus or taxi to Puerto de Santa Maria, then to Sevilla by train to take the AVE or on to Barcelona as you choose. Or you could bus to Sevilla. If you're over 60 (maybe 65) check with a travel agent about a Golden Age Card which knocks 50% off your ticket. If you have lots of time, rent a car and make it a leisurely drive. It can be done conveniently in two days but explore!   Irwin Rovner Advanced Member Username: Irovner Post Number: 260 Registered: 06-2003 Posted From: 66.32.116.187 Posted on Friday, June 12, 2009 - 01:25 am:    A few years ago we used the train. Bought Spanish rail passes -- four travel days (I think). Used a cab from the base to the train station (Santa Maria de la Frontera if my memory is good) and travelled first class to Madrid. A couple of days stopover, and then Barcelona. Return straight through. We could have made another day stop. The train was quite luxurious and featured meal service included in the rail pass fare. It's pretty much a full day's ride, but we enjoy trains, so we didn't mind. For discount commercial flights try www.whichbudget.com and use a map to find towns near Rota for those with airports. Check airport location carefully. RyanAir for example says they fly to Barcelona but they actually land at Girona -- much cheaper gate fees for the airline, but you are a train ride from Barcelona -- about 30 minutes to an hour as I recall.   Allan H Weagle Intermediate Member Username: Popsie1947 Post Number: 80 Registered: 10-2007 Posted From: 64.12.116.208 Posted on Friday, June 12, 2009 - 01:00 am:    taking a cruise in November from Barcelona. Any thought how to get from Rota to Barcelona and how much lead time do I need to pull it off?