Going to Barcelona for a few days with kids, any tips for the best area to stay in and things to do?

[Lifebi]

Just me and an 11 & 13 year old.
What's a good (and safe) location to stay in?
We'll go and see some of the Gaudi buildings. Is it worth paying to go inside ... they are fairly expensive! Which would kids find most interesting?
Any other suggestions for fun things to do as they get bored quickly with sight seeing?

We stayed near Plaza Catalunya which felt safe .
My kids loved the Zoo and La Sagrada Familia along with Camp Nou.
We unexpectedly loved the Gaudi buildings and went inside Cass Mila which had an amazing roof also went to Park Guell ( I’d advise going as early as possible as it gets packed .
There is also the beach .

Barcelona is famous for its pick pockets but as long as you are aware you should be ok . It is also a very casual city so dress down.

We really loved Barcelona I hope you do as well

Barcelona is very safe, although there are pick pockets the 'horror' stories are not helped by tourists descending on the city straight from the controlled environment of cruise ships, so remain as vigilant as you would in any city.
Buy a T10 travel card for €10.20 which gives you 10 trips on public transport and you can share it. Just run it through the machine 3 times for all of you.
Parc Guell has a free zone, it did all used to be free, but now you have to pay for the "Monumental area"- which accounts for roughly 7% of the park- requires a ticket. This area contains most of the monuments but not all, a few can be seen in the free zone.

If you want something more child orientated the Chocolate museum is popular:
www.museuxocolata.cat/?lang=en

If you are on a budget eat Menu del Dia where you can get 3 courses plus a drink for about \€15 out of the tourist areas.

Don't eat on Las Ramblas........

Best area to stay is Eixample for it's central location.

Just loitering for tips as hoping to go with two similar aged children later in the year!

The best place to look for advice is Tripadvisor, it has one of the most active forums. Lots of locals, as well as visitors contribute

Thanks for tips! We are going in Oct

Definitely get a money belt to put under your clothes and be very aware of who is around you,

Lots of scams that the professional pickpockets do take seconds and they are highly skilled.

It's a lovely city but worth being aware of the issues.

We liked the neu camp tour if they are into football.

As said above, Case Mila and Parc Guell worth going to.
Barcelonetta seafront area is nice, with seafront bars and cafes, we hired electric scooters to go along prom.
Passieg de Garcia is a nice area to stay in which feels safe, with shops and cafes.

Definitely Camp Nou tour too, if like football.

Gracia, not Garcia!

We booked a tour at La Sagrada Familia - something we don't tend to do, due to cost, generally, but I think it was worth doing. Even though we were the first tour of the morning, the place was packed and the queue to get in if you weren't booked on a tour was huge, even though it was first thing, and in March (not exactly tourist season). It is a fascinating place with lots of stories to hear.
The other thing that is excellent in Barcelona is the on/off bus tour. The buses come every 5 mins or so so well worth getting off if you aren't sure you want to see a place or not, as you can hop on the next bus. You don't have to pick just 4 or 5 places like you do in many cities.
I've been told the Nou Camp tour is fab, if you are a sports fan, although there was a game on when we were there so not able to do it, and the ground is nothing special from the outside.
I never felt in any way threatened or worried about pickpockets - any more than in any crowded place.