Discover the day-to-day life of a Hop on Hop off Barcelona tourist guide and the places she recommends to enjoy the city to the fullest.
Barcelona Hop on Hop off
The Barcelona Bus Turístic has been traveling the streets of the city since 1987, showing visitors the most representative places, streets and monuments of Barcelona.
Currently, it offers two routes, the Blue and the Red, which allow you to enjoy, with a single ticket and getting on and off the bus as many times as you like, a comfortable, practical and unforgettable tour.
To ensure that the bus service works properly, there is an essential figure: the tourist guide. It is the person in charge of attending the passengers, checking that everything is ready before the start of the route and providing all the information for users to discover the city on the bus.
To learn more about the tasks and the work they do, we spoke to Andrea Campos, a tourist guide who works for Tourism of Barcelona who knows a lot about the city! We invite you to discover what their day-to-day life is like and to listen to their advice, useful for all visitors!
"You always meet very interesting people at work"
- Tell us a little about your day-to-day life as a Barcelona tourist reporter.
We start the day at the offices we have in Portal de l'Àngel, from where we collect the necessary material that we have to take to the bus. The meeting point is in Plaça de Catalunya, the initial stop of the two routes: the Blue and the Red. On the regular Hop on Hop off Barcelona service, our job is to attend to the passengers on board, take care of the audio guide, sell and validate tickets and inform about any doubts users may have, both about the service and the city.
Sometimes we also make tailor-made services, with the explanation of the places we visit on live or attending the needs that groups that hire this type of tour may have (companies, groups of friends, families or even media communication to do some filming on board).
Lastly, we have "seasonal" services, such as the Barcelona Christmas Tour at Christmas or the Barcelona Night Tour on summer nights, which are also more tailored services.
- What do you like the most about your job?
The fact that it's such a fun job! Since it's not an office job, you have fun, there are always anecdotes, you always meet interesting people, it's very dynamic and, in short, I really enjoy it. And that, for me, is very important.
- What does it take to be a good tourist guide?
A lot of desire and a little push. You have to be resourceful, that's what I say. Users want people who serve them well and are proactive. They don't want boring people. You have to be eager and transmit energy.
- Why would you recommend the Hop on Hop Off Barcelona to discover the city?
Because it's fast, easy and suitable for the whole family. It is very simple to use. You can buy it wherever you want, online, on board, at Tourism of Barcelona offices... The ticket can be for 24 or 48 hours and this gives a lot of flexibility: you can use it to move around the city or good for a quick look without downloading. In Barcelona, we have one of the best tourist bus services in the world, because it has an reporter on board and has a much lower frequency of visits than in other places. It's definitely worth it!
- As a great connoisseur of the city, say what are the places that a person visiting Barcelona for the first time cannot miss.
Casa Batlló, without any doubt. If you like modernism and architecture in general, you cannot miss this gem. La Pedrera and Sagrada Família too, but I would go before to Casa Batlló rather than visiting anything else. It is amazing!
- And last but not least... what are your favorite spots in Barcelona?
Well, I would say two: Montjuïc Castle, because the views from the top are spectacular and it is a beautiful place. And the Laberint d'Horta, which is not a well-known tourist attraction, but is well worth a visit. In addition, many films have been filmed there, such as 'Perfume: the story of a murder' or 'The city of miracles', among others. It's a very interesting place!
Eager to tour the city streets with the Hop on Hop Off Barcelona? Don't wait any longer and buy your ticket here. Hola Barcelona takes you!
