Traveling to Barcelona in May '06

[hippiegranny]

Are there any DUers there? Or have any European DUers spent time there? Specifically, I am seeking information about places to stay - a hostel is fine, but we are in our 40s and would prefer one that caters to an older crowd. Any help from travel savvy Duers would be most appreciated!

[enid602]

1. Barcelona

I've been to Barcelona several times, and am sure you will love it. Although I've never done it in Barcelona, I generally foresake hotels altogether when traveling, and instead look up a service on the internet which offers apartments for short-term rentals. You get all the conveniences of home, and if you plan to stay in one city for several days, they really make sense.

BTW, one of the specialties in Barcelona is 'black rice,' a mixture of squid and rice. It is black because of the ink from the squid. Very good. But be forewarned: what's black going in comes out the same color.

[vino]

2. Barcelona is great

I have been there quite a few times. It has distinct areas so it depends on your interests as to where you may want to stay.
I have stayed at some good 'hostals' and would recommend them as a budget option. You can find them with en suite bathrooms if you book ahead. But beware they tend to be in old buildings so the plumbing is not always hi-tech :). Some of them have websites so it's worth a look otherwise they mostly seemed to have fax machines for easy booking.

As to where to stay, I don't recommend being too close to the Ramblas as it is a bit dodgy in that area at night. Barcelona is not a huge city and the taxis are cheap late at night so I would recommend staying in the Eixample area (it's a main shopping area) near the Gaudi house. It's quite lively at night and I felt safer when alone. The Olympic area is nice but is quite far out. Check your accommodation against the metro map for easy access to the sights. Don't book anything near Camp Nou, it's a long way out and dominated by the stadium.

You'll enjoy it, it's a great city. :)

[hippiegranny]

3. thanks enid and vino!

I appreciate the two of you taking the time to respond. I have been doing quite a bit of research online but it is always good to get the perspective of people who have actually been there. It is all too easy to use smoke and mirors when designing a website!

We had pretty much concentrated our search to the Eixample but it is good to have that choice confirmed. Will update you when we book. We were looking at Gat Xino and Gat Raval gataccomodations.com but have been reading very mixed reviews so we haven't booked. PLus i think they might be in dicey areas. Not sure.

[vino]

4. holiday reading

If you want to read some fiction about Barcelona check out Manuel Vazquez Montalban's Pepe Carvalho series and also 'Shadow of the wind'
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143034901/qid=1139065645/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-0992750-9431800?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

Great reads

[hippiegranny]

5. thank you for this

can I ask for one more opinion? What do you think of the Borne neighborhood? I am trying to choose between three apartments - one in Eixample, one in Borne and one in the Jewish Quarter of the Barri Gotic. All are nice, all are comparable in price.

[vino]

6. The

Born is a nice area. It has the Picasso museum and the textile museum (OK maybe not the most exciting :) but it has a great gift shop and a lovely little restaurant) It is a quieter area but with some interesting bars especially Xampanet (a must visit!) I've found it to be a relaxed area and quite residential so lots of shops if you are self catering. It's also handy for the marina area. It's old so with narrow streets. I've not stayed in the Jewish Quarter so I don't know what it's like at night.

[hippiegranny]

7. I had really pretty much

narrowed it down to Born... thanks for confirming it for me. I cannot WAIT to get there! BTW, we did go with the apartment idea and found some really fabu sites that have plenty to choose from. A bit pricier than hostels, most apts start at 90E per night and go up, but we decided that as old ladies we needed a little more comfort!

[hippiegranny]

8. update

We rented a really nice looking place in the Eixample district through a company called Friendly Rentals. Can't wait! Now I have to figure out how to get there from the airport, and once we are settled in, everything we must see in 5 days! Of course we will probably hit La Sagrada Familia and the other Gaudi masterpieces on the first day since they're so close to the neighborhood, plus Las Ramblas.

[vino]

9. Yay.

:) Get to your apartment by train. The station is basically attached to the airport and just follow the crowd to the trains. You get a great look at the outskirts of Barcelona and it takes you to several city centre stations. The taxis are marked and metered so pick an official one up at the station when you get into the city. Check out the Gaudi house for special events last time I was there they had a night time jazz event. If you speak Spanish get the Guia del ocio from any newsstand otherwise the Tourist Office at the Placa Catalunya is great.

[DFW]

10. I used to live in Barcelona

It has changed a lot, and I can't help you much with accomodation, as
I lived with a local family. But with a few things to see, and ways and means,
so to speak, the people haven't changed much. If you possibly can find a book
on the Catalan language and learn a little of it. The Catalans were oppressed
by the Fascists until a few decades ago when Franco died. A foreigner who takes
the effort to learn even a few phrases of Catalan gets preferential treatment
anywhere in Catalunya (Catalonia). I still speak it fairly well, and on my
occasional trips down there, I get treated like visiting royalty for that reason
alone.