Barcelona with older children..tips and advice please

[CPtart]

Am contemplating a 3-4 day trip to Barcelona in October half term. DC will be 12 and 10. Any tips for best places to stay, hotels or apartments, and what to cram in with them in the time there. The Nou Camp stadium is on the list but what else might we all enjoy, or travel advice to Barcelona generally.

I remember the open top bus tour is very good, hop on, hop off, 2-3 different routes. There's a zoo, beach (may not be ideal beach weather by then, but still warm), Park Guell For a walk, Sagrada Familia (unfinished church), Las Ramblas and the old town for a stroll (mind your bag). I went with friends, so lots of cheaper than here shopping in Mango and Zara, may not be first on the list for them, but nice for you!

Look at trypp Apollo hotel. Great location and family rooms were awesome. On bus route to nou camp and fountains and the train up the mountain was 100yards away. We got the train up the mountai, walked to the castle and got cable car down to the port which was awesome.

also stayed at the Trypp Apollo - great breakfasts and good location. Really good little street behind running parallel to Avendia Paral'ell that has got brilliant tapas bars. Double decker bus is good. we went up to the Olympic park and a museum of Spain along the way from there.
Great City!

The science museum, CosmoCaixa, is absolutely fantastic. The signs are in English. We've been twice and I'd even go back again.

There is a travel lodge in Barcelona, we stayed there and it was fine as a base. It's fairly near a shopping centre, and an underground station. We went to the Olympic park, and on the cable car which crosses the bay.

Just back from Barcelona and we used friendly rentals - excellent central apartments. We stayed in music III. Dh and DS loved camp Nou. The kids also loved shopping at port vell, the aquarium, shopping on la Rambla catalonia, trying out tapas bars and casa Battlo - Gaudi's house.

I'd avoid la Rambla - not much going on there but plant stalls, and dh had his wallet stolen. The police station was absolutely full of people who had been robbed :(