# Key Post: Barcelona



## sueellen (24 Apr 2002)

Any recommendations on where to start looking for a good deal on flights and accommodation (separate or together) for a short (2-4 nights) mid June break in Barcelona? Any general recommendations on cheap flight/accommodation hunting for such a trip? I had a quick look around and the best provisional flights I could get were from  (actually through  when it comes down to it) at c. €200 p.p. for direct returns. Some other sites came up with some shocking prices! :eek     Any advice/recommendations welcome!


----------



## garrettod (24 Apr 2002)

*Re: Where to get good deal on flights/hotels-Barcelona?*

Hi,

Barcelona is excellent, been there twice in 24 months and ready to go again.

City Breaks, available in most good travel agents did the business for us the first time .... second was a work gig  

City Breaks offered good value, optional extras, little hastle and Tab Points   .... what more could you ask for ?  


For info: 

MyWebCommunities.com recently established a new holiday & travel forum, which has a lot of handy links on Barcelona if your interested ... just watch out for one of the Moderators there ... he can be a bit touchy  

[broken link removed]


...I know its a little cheeky getting a free plug, but hey, I do the same for AAM.com on MWC.com from time to time   

Kind Regards

G>


----------



## rainyday (24 Apr 2002)

*Re: Where to get good deal on flights/hotels-Barcelona?*

I got a great price for a Hotel in Madrid recently via [broken link removed] - Their price for our particular hotel was €30 cheaper than other websites. They included breakfast & taxes in their standard rate, which saved us another €40 per night. 

They work slightly differently to most booking sites. Once you book, you are purchasing a 'voucher' (which is emailed to you), so you actually pay hotelclub.net, not the hotel themselves. They have pretty punitive cancellation charges, so you'll want to be certain of your dates before you finalise.

Hope this helps.


----------



## paulie (24 Apr 2002)

*barca*

Was over there nearly this time last year. The cheapest way we found to get there was a bit of a scenic route but much cheaper and that was to go with ryanair to Luton and with easyjet from there to Barcelona (they use the main Barcelona airport).

We stayed in a small hotel, I think the name of which was Hotel Urquinaona (or something very like that). Everything was booked over the web. The hotel was in the equivalent of Baggot Street to Stephen's Green in terms of centrality. 

An expensive place to stay but not too bad once you are there.


----------



## Guiseppe (24 Apr 2002)

*Re: barca*

One cheap option (which will only really work for 7-day tranches, not a 3-4 day break) is to get a package to somewhere on the coast north or south of there on the Costa Brava.  Flights are usually into Girona (which is a very nice city in itself) and then you stay in some Torremolinos-equivalent.....beaches are good, but lots of "egg-n-chips" brigade.  It won't be classy, but it will probably be clean & cheap!

However, the train from most of these places will have you in Barcelona in 45 minutes.  Obviously access to the Barcelona nightlife, which starts and ends very late,  is restricted, as the trains don't run all night.  'Course if you're completely mad, you'll just party till the morning.......

However, if your other half insists on sun & sand, it's a reasonable way to work a compromise.


----------



## CM (25 Apr 2002)

*Re: barca*

Thanks for all the tips folks - time to start searching I guess...


----------



## macnas (25 Apr 2002)

*cataluna*

Yes  is a great place. The metro system extends to the airport and this train runs north thro' the city centre and then along the coast for over 50 km.
    Girona is a lovely city too but much quieter than Barca.


----------



## niall (26 Apr 2002)

*cataluna*

Try www.gohop.com


----------



## PMU (27 Apr 2002)

*Where to get good deal on flights/hotels-Barcelona?*

You can get a Ryanair return to Bruxelles (Charleroi) for 22.99 euro each way and then a Virgin Express return to Barcleona for 60 euro each way.  You get the 6:50 departure from Dublin on Ryanair and then the 20:40 ex Brussels (Zaventem) to Barcelona.  I'll let you know next week if this actually works!


----------



## CM (28 Apr 2002)

*Where to get good deal on flights/hotels-Barcelona?*

Thanks PMU but such a peregrination doesn't really suit me this time!


----------



## Java (29 Apr 2002)

*Lastminute*

Try www.lastminute.com

From Dublin? to connect, try www.flybmi.com

Regards,

Java


----------



## bubbles (9 Apr 2003)

*Amadeus - How does it work?*

Hi CM
Tried Amadeus website - took me a while to work out how to proceed, then found you need to choose a partner site, from a list of countries.

Ireland is not listed. Did you choose UK as a country? (do you live in the UK????)

regards
Bubbles


----------



## joeysoap (15 Apr 2003)

*barca*

have you tried easy jet from belfast to liverpool and then on the barcelona.

liverpool is a smashing  little airport and easy jet have flights to alicante from there too.

its a pity that ryanair and easyjet dont take through bookings as its a dog having to pay airport charges and govt taxes twice(yes I know theres no govt tax from Dublin but the charges make up for it)


----------



## Marion (21 Apr 2003)

*Re: >>Where to get good deal on flights/hotels - Barce*

This is a good site for Barcelona. 

Marion :hat


----------



## Marion (18 Apr 2004)

*Re: >>Where to get good deal on flights/hotels - Barce*

This was posted by *zag* elsewhere:

I had forgotten about Monserrat - worth a visit if only to wonder at what type of people decide to build a monastry waaaaaaaaaaaaaay up a mountain - and that was before they had cable cars and stuff like that.  Probably related to the guys down in the Skelligs

Also worth a visit (if you are slightly wine-y) is a town whose name completely escapes me at the moment.  It's the centre of the wine-producing region there.  Google has just reminded me that it is called Vilafranca del Penedés.  Reachable by train - not totally amazing, just a nice relaxed town and a few winerys within easy reach.

Other trips (by car) are suggested here - [broken link removed]

Cheers,

z


----------



## sueellen (29 Aug 2004)

*Some other posts*

*techman29
Registered User
recommend a hotel in Barcelona*

Hi,

Can anyone recommend a good hotel in Barcelona?

Planning on going in late July, 3 adults, looking for a nice hotel (nothing fancy) good location for touring Barcelona.

Thanks. 

*aine
Unregistered User
hotel*

I can recommend the Plaza Catalunya www.hotelcatalunyaplaza.com/. It is situated in Place Catalunya which is more or less the dead centre of Barcelona. It is an ideal location being at the top of Las Ramblas - hotels on Las Ramblas can be quite noisy since no one ever seems to sleep in Barca! Tourist bus and metro are on the doorstep. The hotel serves complimentary cava (champagne), wine and snacks throughout the day and has free internet access in the lobby for guests. You can read guest reviews at Trip Advisor - Reviews on Hotel Catalunya 

*shnaek
Registered User
recommend a hotel in Barcelona*

We actually stayed in 3 hotels there. The first was

Hotel Jardi
Plaça Sant Josep Oriol 1
Barri Gòtic
Barcelona 08002
Spain

Tel: 93-301-5900
Fax: 93-318-3664
Rooms: 40 


We would have stayed there longer but it was booked out. It's on the charming Plaça del Pi and Plaça Sant Josep Oriol, It's a budget hotel, but it is great value and most rooms have balconies www.hoteljardi.com/

The second place we stayed isn’t really worth mentioning! It was grand, but the other places were far superior

The third place was:
Hostal Opera
Carrer de Sant Pau 20
Barcelona
Spain

General price range: EUR 31 - 85
Tel: 34-93-3188201

It is cheaper, and the lads in there are dead sound and do speak English. It is in the city centre too. Both places are just off las ramblas. Near everything. 

*techman29
Registered User
Re: recommend a hotel in Barcelona*

That's great.

Thanks all. 

*Contango10
Frequent poster
Back from Barcelona*

As some of you are interested in prices and the cost of living, here is some data from a recent trip to Barcelona:

Cup of coffee = 1.00 (from 0.85 to 1.15)
Croissant = 1.00 (from 0.75 to 1.05)
25cl beer = 1.80 (from 1.30 to 2.00)
33cl bottle of beer = 2.00

Trip on bus, metro = 1.10
10-journey ticket = 6.00, VERY GOOD VALUE

20 cigs = 2.65, lots of people smoke

In a Lidl store, things were cheaper than here, as you'd expect. 1.5L apple juice was 0.99, instead of 1.19 here, that sort of thing.

UNBELIEVABLE, 50cl can of beer in Lidl was 29c, bottle of vodka was €4!!!!!!

Contango10

*elderdog
Registered User*

Was just wondering

Do you know if there is VAT on basic food in Spain ?

There isnt here ( but booze gets duty + 21% VAT )

eDog 

*MAC
Unregistered User
Great news.... about Barcelona*

Hi Contango,

Great news, heading over there with Mrs MAC for a week in the summer. Anywhere in particular that you recommend a visit to?

MAC 

*Tall Chapy
Frequent poster
Ola....*

Hi Mac,
I have never been to Barcelona.Still in the planning stages.
Hopefully this will help.

www.bcn.es/english/ihome.htm

*valc1
Registered User
Re: Great news.... about Barcelona*

Very nice restaurant called Els Quatre Gats that's very central. They do lunch menus in the restaurant and tapas in the bar and at nighttime they have a separate dinner menu and a pianist. The street is Calle Monsio - it's walking distance from the Plaza de Cataluqa. Tel no. : 0034-93-302-4140

Or for a really really snazzy meal out I liked Las Siete Puertas - it's a bit off the beaten track. Very near the Hesperia Metropol Hotel. The address is Passeig d'Isabel II 14, Barri Gòtic. Without doubt I think it is one of the most atmospheric restaurants in the city. Plus fantastic food.

The other option is down by the Port – at the end of Las Ramblas – lots of nice restaurants down there. I liked Monchos (might be spelled Montxos in Spanish) but they are probably all equally good there.

*broke
Unregistered User
hotel*

Has anyone experience of staying in the Barcelona hotel mentioned below, or know anything about the location as a base for a city break? 

City Park Sant Just Hotel
Ctra. Reial, 132,
BARCELONA, ES 

*Contango10
Frequent poster
Irish tourism prices vs. Spain*

There was a discussion last night on Q&A about the competitiveness of tourism in Ireland, this sort of ties in with my list of Barcelona prices above.

However, we need to remember that perhaps it is unfair to compare Irl with Spain, as wages and other costs are much lower in Spain, so prices are bound to be lower.

During the trip to Barca, we also went into France, to Perpignan, where prices in general were higher than Spain. So maybe that is a better comparator for Irish tourism.

Contango10 

*Thrifty Knot
Frequent poster
Week in Barca*

Hi Mac,

Spent a week in Barcelona a few years back (in January)and stayed in Las Ramblas area which is centre to everything.

We got a car for a few days and travelled south (an hour) to Tarragona for beaches (yes beach weather in January). 

Travelled north to Andorra (more than 1 hour) another day and explored around the area - villages from "Heidi" spring to mind. There is the most scenic drive from Andorra to Barcelona (if you stick to the east road thru Ripoli) which you should take (if you're not afraid of heights and sky high roads).

On rote to Andorra we stopped off in Gerona to visit Salvadore Dali's museum, which was well worth it (if you're into it!)

*shnaek
Registered User
France*

*"During the trip to Barca, we also went into France, to Perpignan, where prices in general were higher than Spain. So maybe that is a better comparator for Irish tourism"*


That may be true, but if we are to compare ourselves to France we should also compare quality offered. 
I find that Irish businesses tend to charge gourmet prices for everything, whether or not the service/food etc on offer could be described as 'gourmet'!


----------



## cullenswood (4 Oct 2004)

I stayed in this apartment last month - [broken link removed] -    Really nice to have an apartment to stay in as it seems to give you more freedom.   Good service by the owners aswell.     

edited by zag to fix link


----------



## sueellen (28 Dec 2004)

*Some other posts*

*tphelan
Recommendation for a Hotel in Barcelona*

Hi all - anyone got a recommendation for a nice hotel in Barcelona - going to spend a couple of days - not looking for a 5 star but a nice hotel close to city centre with parking would be ideal.

cheers

TP 

*lily
Recommendation for a Hotel in Barcelona*

Stayed in the Catalonia Princesa Hotel in February, booked it on [broken link removed], nice hotel, lovely rooms, about 10 mins walk from La Rambla area, 3 mins walk from metro, not sure about parking 

*Enaja
Registered User
Re: Recommendation for a Hotel in Barcelona*

www.hotelcatalunyaplaza.com/.


*MAC
Hotel recommendation* 

Stayed in the Montcada 10 with Mrs Mac a few months ago - definitely recommend it.


----------



## Enaja (30 Dec 2004)

Useful for trip planning in Spain:

www.maribelsguides.com
www.madridman.com


----------



## Protocol (2 Jan 2005)

*top city*

In Barca at the moment, for the third time, great spot.

33cl bottle of beer still euro 2.00.

Loads of people, lots of foreigners, all sorts, good buzz.

Tapas are lovely, lashings of good food.

I recommend it.


----------



## Baz (12 Jan 2005)

I'm heading to Barcelona in Feb and am looking to book a REALLY good restaurant. Will pay up to €100 per person. Can anyone recommend anywhere.....?


Thanks


----------



## Protocol (18 Jan 2005)

*Barca restaurants*

El Builli is said to be the best restaurant in the world. It is not actually in Barcelona, but is about an hour away.

Check out [broken link removed]


----------



## mg zr dad (24 May 2005)

*Re: >>Barcelona*

Just back from Barca, beautifull city but be very carefull! Had our camera pinched but it was knackered anyway. On reporting the theft there were about 20 other people reporting crimes in the police station all appeared to be tourists. Then in the metro on the way to the airport I had my wallet lifted as one guy pretended to drop cigerates near the top of an escaltor his buddy barged into me and got my wallet out of a closed pocket. Got it back intact though as I was pissed at having the camera nicked (and I was much bigger then him).

Will file a report on some cool bars and restauraunts soon


----------



## mg zr dad (28 May 2005)

*Re: >>Barcelona*

The restauraunt I would fully reccommend is called Les Quiinze Nits in Placa Reial. You will know it by finding the the long queue which builds up from about 1930 untill it opens at 2030......I dont do queues but it was either that or have a big row with my other half. But I had to admit it was supberb and with apitiser starter, main course and desert each plus 1 bottle wine and 1 beer 59.00 euro BETWEEN US, so good I treated her. Also try a bar called La Fianna near the Picasso museum and also loads of good Tapas bars in the Placa de Commercial, great spot to end the night.


----------



## Enaja (1 Jun 2005)

*Re: >>Barcelona*

http://www.intobarcelona.com


----------



## Bluebean (14 Sep 2005)

*Re: >>Barcelona*

If anyone has been to Barcelona lately, could you please let me know how to get from Girona airport in to Barcelona city? How long does it take, are services frequent, and how much does it cost?

many thanks.


----------



## EvilDoctorK (14 Sep 2005)

*Re: >>Barcelona*

I think (but can't confirm) that there may be a bus from Girona Airport to Barcelona city.

I definitely know there are frequent trains from Girona Station (not far from the airport at all) to Barcelona - they're fairly cheap and take around 1 hour .. As far as I can recall they run at least hourly during the day - times on www.renfe.es

Girona is a nice town with a lovely old centre - well worth a visit too


----------



## beetroot (14 Sep 2005)

*Re: >>Barcelona*

From Girona Airport: 

...by Bus. There is a bus service that departs Girona Airport about 30 minutes after the UK flights arrive. Journey time is about 1.5 hours. It stops at Barcelona's Bus Station Estacio de Nord. From the bus station you can take the Metro Arc de Triomf or take a taxi. Click on this link [broken link removed] from RyanAir for details. Click on this link http://www.bcn.es/cgi-guia/guiamap4...a=2&grayscl=0&zoom=4&escala.x=249&escala.y=23 to see where the bus drops you off (its the blue dot in the middle of the map).


----------



## Decani (5 Dec 2005)

*Re: >>Barcelona*

We're spending this weekend in Barcelona and I'm looking at using the metro to get into the P d Catalunya area. More precisely, we're staying at the Atrium Palace (€99 a night with a bottle of cava thrown in - birthday rate). Here's a map of where it is.

If anybody's done the trip recently, we'd appreciate any tips to using the metro system (especially with regard to buying the tickets). We may be travelling out of town to the 'La Roca' outlet shopping mall at some stage over the weekend. So if there was some kind of weekend pass we should be looking at, that would be handy to know.

I just thought I'd ask here before I start combing the web for info - starting [broken link removed].


----------



## Protocol (5 Dec 2005)

*Re: >>Barcelona*

From that map, your hotel is a stone's throw from Placa de Cataluyna.  Why would you need the metro??

I'd say 5 mins walk max.


----------



## Protocol (5 Dec 2005)

*Re: >>Barcelona*

Yes, I had a cursory look at the hotel's website, where it says that the hotel is:

"400m from Placa Catalunya"


----------



## Protocol (5 Dec 2005)

*Re: >>Barcelona*

About getting to La Roca, well according to its website, it is near the town of Granollers.  There are buses from Granollers station MON-FRI to the shopping centre.  Otherwise, seems to be a "5-min taxi" ride.

This is outside the city, the metro won't get you there.

Instead, you take a train.  You take suburban or _Cercanias_ train 2, from Sants station, towards Macanet/Massanes.  Get off at Granollers Centre.  A single ticket is €1.80.  I found all this on www.renfe.es, the website of the Spanish railways.

For the metro, buy a 10-journey ticket for €6.30, best value in Europe.  Machines sell them in every station.


----------



## Decani (6 Dec 2005)

*Re: >>Barcelona*

Thanks Protocol. After a while I made the distinction between metro and Renfe and that's it's a Renfe journey from airport to PdC. And, as you point out, this is also the case for the journey to Granollers. I think that the nearest station for us is Passeig d Gracia.

So it looks like we don't need the metro at all.

Do you have any experience of using the Renfe ticketing system? Or do all tickets come from the same machine?

I'll have another look at the Renfe site. It's just that they don't have it fully translated to English and my Spanish is whatever I've picked up from Dora the Explorer.

Vaminos!


----------



## Protocol (6 Dec 2005)

*Re: >>Barcelona*

OK, you are correct.

The national railway company, RENFE, run the suburban trains (like the DART).  These are called _Cercanias_.  There are four lines in Barcelona.  The sign for them is an inverted uppercase "C".

Yes, the line from the airport is one of these four _Cercanias_ lines.

And yes, the line C2 to Granollers and beyond does pass through Barcelona-Passeig de Gracia, your nearest station.  Note that this may also be a metro station.

There are ticket machines for the Cercanias trains.  Your destination should be on a button to choose.  From the RENFE website http://www.renfe.es/cercanias/barcelona/index.html I see that Granollers Centre is in zone 3, for which a single ticket is 1.80.

If you want you can buy a ticket from a ticket hatch in Passeig de Gracia, maybe write "dos billet sencillo Granollers Centre" onto a piece of paper if you don't speak Catalan.

Or approach a machine, make sure it's for Cercanias, and see is there a button for either Granollers Centre, or zone 3.

Below please find the times of trains from Passeig de Gracia to Granollers Centre on Sat 10th Dec. 




Origen :*BARCELONA PASSEIG DE GRACIA *[broken link removed]Destino :*GRANOLLERS CENTRE *[broken link removed]Día de viaje: *10-12-2005* [broken link removed]Hora Salida solicitada a partir de las 06.00 [broken link removed]Hora Salida solicitada hasta las ...: 23.59 [broken link removed]Hora Salida Hora Llegada Línea Tiempo 
de Viaje06.3207.01C2 0.2906.5807.21C2 0.2307.3308.02C2 0.2908.0908.39C2 0.3008.2908.54C2 0.2508.3209.01C2 0.2909.0809.37C2 0.2909.3810.07C2 0.2909.5910.28C2 0.2910.3311.02C2 0.2911.0311.32C2 0.2911.2511.48C2 0.2311.3312.02C2 0.2912.0312.32C2 0.2912.3313.02C2 0.2913.0313.32C2 0.2913.2513.46C2 0.2113.3314.02C2 0.2914.0314.32C2 0.2914.3315.02C2 0.2915.0315.32C2 0.2915.2815.56C2 0.2815.3316.02C2 0.2916.0316.32C2 0.2916.3317.02C2 0.2917.0317.32C2 0.2917.2817.56C2 0.2817.3318.02C2 0.2918.0318.32C2 0.2918.3319.02C2 0.2919.0319.32C2 0.2919.2919.54C2 0.2519.3320.02C2 0.2920.0320.32C2 0.2920.3321.00C2 0.2721.0321.31C2 0.2821.3322.02C2 0.2922.3323.02C2 0.2923.1923.47C2 0.28


----------



## Decani (7 Dec 2005)

*Re: >>Barcelona*

Thanks Protocol. After all of that I have confirmed with some tourist office in Barcelona that there are rail works going on at Sants station so it is not possible to travel directly from the airport to PdC on the RENFE. They advise taking a bus. Thanks again for the information. I'm sure it'll be useful for other, future Barcelona-bound people.


----------



## LIVERLIPS (7 Dec 2005)

*Re: >>Barcelona*

I was there again this summer we went on the cable cars which was lovely great view of the city it is down at the harbour. And we got of at it near  christopher columbus statue which was a good spot for getting photos and then it brought us back. We visited the Olympic area aswell which is lovely walking along the promenade and their is little restaurants where you can enjoy the view. I thought the Hard Rock Cafe on La Ramblas was one of the nicest i have been in and you must try the apple cake it is heaven.


----------



## Decani (22 Dec 2005)

*Re: >>Barcelona*

Well we're back and we loved it. Could have done with another day. Lots and lots to take in.

We ended up taking the Aerobus from the airport to Plaza Catalunya. This costs €3.60 a head one way. Well worth it. Little scope for error. Plenty of room going from airport to PC. A bit full on the return trip. The journey time is about 20 mins so it was bearable. Only about 2 stops too so you're always moving.

We stayed at the Apsis Atrium Palace about 5 mins walk (with carry-on luggage going, about 10 mins coming back with shopping + carry-on  ). The hotel is just terrific. Just off Las Ramblas and about 2 mins walk from the nearest Zara. Everything is branded from the sand in the ash trays to the bath robes, slippers and toothbrushes! The room was immaculate and, interestingly, there was an additional demi-en suite in the room (i.e. an additional basin). There's also a safe. TV wasn't a high priority. Just as well. There was only BBC News 24 and CNN in English. There is wifi Internet access throughout but you have to pay. There is also a wired ethernet option. Again you have to pay. It's a bit of a strange set up because, on the first floor, there is a nice quiet room with 2 Compaq Internet café-type PCs free for use. Very helpful even if you do all your homework before you leave. We didn't try the attached eaterie but from Tripadvisor reviews it's grand. There was a steady stream of local people using it which is usually a good sign. We didn't get to try out the pool or the sauna. Too busy shopping and sight-seeing. Read on ...

Ladies, you'll love it. There is at least 1 Zara store on every block. And in between each Zara there's a Cortes Ingles. These are like Clery's. 5 floors of everything you could want. The good thing is that because there are so many Zara/CI they aren't jammers. There are plenty of other shops. Actually, I've never seen so many shoe shops in my life. We also ventured out to La Rocca Village which is one of a chain of premium outlets. They're not very accessible but we were determined to get out to them. It involved a 40 minute train journey and another 10 min taxi ride once we arrived at Granollers. When we were enquiring in Barcelona we approached a tourist office in the Plaza Catalunya train station but his command of English wasn't too great. We had more luck when we made it to Sants station where the ticket agent was very helpful. There was some last minute confusion over where we had to go. One slip and you could end up God knows where. We actually got the Sants by buying a day pass on one of the open top tour buses which passed the station. Bus Turistic. This bus runs different routes throughout the city and one ticket covers all routes. Our plan was to go on the blue line to Sants, get off there, train to La Roca, shopping, back to Sants and continue the bus journey. This worked quite well except it was a bit nippy. A good excuse to jump off the bus again and do some more shopping down by the harbour. We did really want to get on the red line and see the Neu Camp stadium but time was against us. We did however get to see a lot of Gaudi architecture and the bus also went through the Gothic quarter. Some startling architecture there.

Getting a bit tired now so I'll sign off. We flew with Iberia and, for the money, we thought we'd be getting an on-flight meal. Not so. The meals on offer started at around €7 and consisted of panini or a variant thereof. We didn't partake as the flight was only 2hr 20 mins.

On the whole, we'd love to go back some time and spend a bit more time doing the tourist thing. The bus was good value. Especially if you kick-off first thing in the day. They run from 10am and are €17 for one day. €24 for 2.


----------



## onway (3 Jan 2006)

*Re: >>Barcelona*

Anyone know what the weather would be like in Barcelona in mid-February??


----------



## bonvoyage123 (5 Jan 2006)

*Re: >>Barcelona*

Check www.gohop.ie or .com. Great site.. gives a load of flight options to most cities in the world and even scowers aerlingus/ryanair and easyjet which are not always the cheapest. Iberia have great prices and fly daily also. Gives hotels options as well while under their city break section they offer a barcelona break with apartments. I went for that option last time and found it was the best as I find the food in Barcelona a bit hit and miss and it is always nice to get up and cook a breakfast if you feel the need. 

Barcelona as a city is highly recommended as it is interesting, the people are nice and the nightlife is truly great. Beware though as it is nocturnal living and typically people do not start to eat dinner until 10pm at the earliest and then hit the pubs thereafter. Clubs and such do not open till 4pm onwards. Check out lafianna.com for a different place to go eat/drink and be merry. This is not an Irish pub but rather a moroccan decor, highly entertaining venue run by an Irish guy who simply wanted to do something different and it works a treat. 

The shopping in Barcelona is tremendous. The big brands are similarly priced to Dublin however there are loads of shops for men and ladies which offer alternative buying to here and are much more affordable. 

Hasta Luego (Until nextime)


----------



## Breaker (18 Feb 2007)

check out http://www.oh-barcelona.com/ for self catering apartments. i rented one for 4 nights. great location in las ramblos for a good price.


----------



## joer (18 Feb 2007)

We stayed in hotel Lleo.Excellent for quality, service and very central.


----------

