The three-wheeled talking GoCars have hit Barcelona, one of three European cities to offer these unusual tours. The others are Valencia, Spain, and Lisbon, Portugal. The bright yellow mini-cars hold two passengers, who can listen to lively English descriptions, local music and sound effects as they cruise from sight to sight.
A Personal Guide to Barcelona
Driving is easy, with GPS instructions and a running commentary that takes visitors to their choice of more than 800 spots where the audio system is triggered to give them directions, information about the sight, even shopping ideas. The commentary is often funny, and the stories about local landmarks are told in a lively way.
This summer’s tour is twice the size of last year’s, adding 400 new trigger points, but the price for the car is still the same. The first hour is 35€ (about $45) for the first hour, second hour 25€ (about $33), each additional hour 20€ (about $26) or 99€ (about $130) for a full day.
The Coolest Way to See Barcelona’s Sights
The yellow cars have become an attraction themselves, getting a lot of good-natured attention from locals and other tourists. They are certainly a cooler way to explore Barcelona than in a swarm with the proverbial “lady with the red umbrella,” and they allow visitors to custom fit their tour to their own interests, while the on-board computer takes the guess-work out of where to go and what is seen.
The cars are easy to park, so travelers can stop to take pictures and explore sights on foot before continuing on. And it can go where tour buses cannot.
How to Drive a GoCar
Before taking the wheel, drivers (who must be at least 18 years old and hold a driving license) get a complete briefing about the car and how to operate it. Cars can be picked up next to Santa Caterina market, on Freixures 23, not far from the main Cathedral, in the Gothic Quarter. Because of the popularity of GoCar tours, advance reservations are strongly suggested, especially during the busiest tourist season and on weekends.
Travelers should be aware that the GoCars, like much else in the travel industry are not free of advertising. The website “sells” the GoCar to local businesses as a way to attract tourists, so clearly the shops mentioned in the commentary are those who have paid to advertise there. Think of the car in the same way you would as a tourist brochure with ads in it.
