Barcelona?

[LibbyL92]

Looking to take my sister and niece (aged 14) for 2 nights around Christmas time for a little city break.

I like the look of Barcelona.

any recommendations on where to stay?
we are quite savvy with Citymapper. But definitely like the location to be in a prime spot that isn’t too extortionate.

bonus points for names of hotels :)

we’d like to do the usual touristy stuff, but be situated in a place that is easy accessible to the metro. With it only being 2 full days.

any advice would be greatly appreciated! Never been to Barcelona before so any recommendations would be fab :)

I recently stayed in the Moxy. It was right beside the Sants train station so getting around is very easy. It's funky more than fancy so might appeal to your niece.

Also, make sure you get to at least one Gaudi building. You'll need to book tickets, often quite far in advance for the Sagrada Familia.

You don't mention your budget so not sure what price range you are looking for but I would recommend you take a look at the Hoteles Catalonia. They are a chain with around 20 hotels in Barcelona, mostly located close to the main areas of interest for tourists.

If you find prices in the centre too high, you could look at hotels in the Poble Nou area. Many will be walking distance to the beach and will be close to the yellow metro line which runs though the main areas in the city centre.

Great shout! I’ve actually stayed in a Moxy before. I will take a look.

will definitely check out some Gaudi buildings. My niece loves them.

I’ll take a look at tickets for the Sagrada Familia now and try and secure some.

Thank you!

Oops! Budget for hotel for the 3 of us 2 nights around £350 I guess. I can go for £400 but would like to avoid that if possible.

I’ll take a look at both of those places. Thank you

We stayed in the Citadines aparthotel on Las Ramblas so couldn't be more central, not expensive either.

Try Hotel Petit Palace just off Las Ramblas. We had a large family room 2 adults & 2 teenagers - lovely breakfast and great central location. We took the Metro from the airport

We stayed in Catalonia Ramblas. Lovely hotel and the location was fantastic.

We did go in February so may have been a bit cheaper then.

Thank you!

in another note, how was the travel on the metro from the airport? Was it straight forward?

I’ll take a look! Thank you

Metro from the airport is very straightforward. Hotels are generally quite expensive although it is looking a bit cheaper around Christmas.

Is it really worth the environmental cost of flying for just two full days? Personally I wouldn't do that, even if I wanted to.

Good job no one is forcing you to so.

I used to live in Barcelona, and I took my 2 DC a few years ago. Personally I would avoid Las Ramblas and the Gothic Quarter- nice for a daytime visit but can be quite seedy and noisy at night.

We stayed in the Eixample district- really handy for all the Gaudi stuff, great metro connections, and nice restaurants etc in walking distance.

Enjoy, I love Barcelona!

Good job no one is forcing you to so

??? I don't know what you mean!

I went at the beginning of October this year and stayed here. www.airbnb.com/slink/CpjD8wAA

Perfect area, one block from the beach, lots of restaurants, cafes and bars. Quiet at night but lots of street activity in the day with people going to and from the beach.

I was going to say this about the Ramblas area and Gothic quarter. It is 20 years since I last visited so take this with a pinch of salt: DH & I found the Gothic quarter quite edgy and a bit rough after dark, especially coming back to our hotel after a late dinner. We stayed in the Eixample/Paral.lel area just north of the centre on our second visit & that felt much safer in the evening. It’s still walking distance to Ramblas but the streets are more open and there were fewer people loitering at night.

Edited to add Eixample to my note & basically second everything the PP said.

Isn’t it currently underwater and the airport is flooded? Not sure that side of Spain would be my first choice at the moment.

I’ll have a rethink if in 3 weeks things are still the same.

very open to other city breaks!

Fab! Thank you

Really good to know! Thank you