janiekins

Hi everyone,

I have been to Paris 3 times and I love that city. What are the differences between Paris and Barcelona?

My husband and I (both in our 50's) are thinking of going to Barcelona in mid October of 2012. Is that a good time of the year to go and would 5 days be enough time to do all of the touristy things? We like architecture and some museums but we are not "museum crazy". We love great restaurants and local food.

We would like to rent a one bedroom apartment. Any suggestions for a great apartment would be greatly appreciated. Friends of ours rented an apartment through Friendly Rentals and stayed next to Placa Catalunya and Rambias. Is this a nice location?

Any help that you can give us would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much.

jan47ete

I too L O V E Paris and have been numerous times. Spent about 45 years ignoring Barcelona in my/our numerous trips to Spain starting when I was 18. Took a cruise out of Barcelona in Dec 2011 and we LOVED it. Wonderful city to walk in, markets are great, mimes on Las Ramblas were incredible and weather was wonderful. We stayed in Hersperia del Port which we loved. Ship docked at 5am and with apts need to meet the owner/agent, so that was not a reasonable alternative to stay in an apt as we usually do. We would go back in a heartbeat!

suec1

I like Paris very much but I really think Barcelona is a neater city -why? Paris IMO is not as "diverse" as far as the different quarters - Barcelona has the old city, the Modernismo/ Exiample and then a beach scene too! The food is also very very good and being on the water means lots of fresh sea food and beach side restaurants. And the big food markets - maybe I just haven't found that scene in Paris yet - yes lots of nice cheese shops, boulangeries etc. but Barcelona has several just amazing markets. A variety of day trips as well - yes, I think you will enjoy Barcelona very much. You could stay longer than 5 days but I think that is enough to get a good taste of the city.

Pegontheroad

I've been to Barcelona three times but only once to Paris, so I doubt that I'm qualified to tell you the differences. If you like architecture, Barcelona is the place for you. The architecture is stunning--all the Gaudi stuff but also modernism architecture such as the Palau de la Música Catalunya. (My spelling may be off). That is one of the most gorgeous buildings I've ever seen.

I think October is a very good time of year, as the weather won't be too hot. I would think 5 days would be enough to do the touristy things.

It seems to me that I have been to every art museum in the western world, so I tend not to be interested in them unless there is some kind of special exhibit. I don't think I've been to one in Barcelona, but there probably are some.

I usually just stay at a hotel, so I know nothing about apartments.

Wear your money belt. Barcelona has its share of thieves.

lowcountrycarol

I may be the only dissenter here...Have been to Paris multiple times, once to Barcelona and not so impressed but maybe cold damp weather did not help.

We did have a fabulous apartment in the area known as the Born and would choose to stay there again if going. Habitat was the agency. We found the area you are looking at a bit too busy, lots of tourists on the Ramblas and not so much a feeling of a neighborhood as the Born has.

Food is good in Barcelona but we found tapas can get "old" after a bit.

danon

Been to Paris more than 20 times, Barcelona six in the last 5 years.
Love both cities and find them very different
mid Oct should be lovely in Barcelona.... the city is easy to walk around, great food, fantastic arch., the sea,elegant shops, beautiful parks etc
Five days is good . You might decide on a day trip
to Girona.
Like many here , it took me years to visit Barcelona for the firs time.
I have gone every year since.
Already planing a trip for next Oct. We have also rented from Habitat.

Aduchamp1

Another one who has been to Paris 5 times and Barcelona 4. In fact for my 50th B-day those are the two cities we visited plus a stop in the Dordogne to see cave drawings.

As stated in other posts, there are few cities that have a sense of style and joie de vivre like Barcelona. The Boqueria could be the best market in Europe and I always go to the Se to dance The Sardana.

Their traditional language, Catalan, is rooted in Provençale, not Spanish, although every one speaks Castilian. A friend describes it this way, Madrid is Spanish city, Barcelona is an international city.

Alan_CT

We've been to both cities several times - and will again in May. To me they are very different but equal in terms of points of interest, cafe life and walkability.

Mid-October should be very nice, and you may still be able to swim comfortably. We've visited mid-September to early October and the water was warm.

Barcelona is a "young" city, in that so many young people are seen in the streets, tapas bars etc. There's more than enough to fill five days, and hopefully you'll have the opportunity to go back.

If you like architecture, be sure to tour Gaudi's La Pedrera, as well as Sagrada Familia. Other old churches, such as Santa Maria del Mar in El Born, are very much worth a visit as well. You have a wide choice of museums, from the traditional to modern.

We always stay in apartments; you can check out reviews at www.slowtrav.com.

zeppole

I really love Paris and I don't care for Barcelona much at all. I particularly dislike the architecture of Gaudi, who I think compares extremely poorly to Domenech i Montaner. I think its food is incredibly overrated in comparison with San Sebastian and Madrid especially, but even some place as close as by as Girona. While I admire a great deal of Catalonian culture, for me, the only attraction of Barcelona is for its museums. I find the city's unsolved pickpocketing problems to be a killjoy, and much of it is concentrated around Las Ramblas and the metro station of the placa Catalunya.

http://journals.worldnomads.com/safe...l-of-the-World

I can think of half a dozen European cities with fantastic food and architecture I'd sooner visit in lieu of Paris in October, rather than Barcelona, but if I wasn't a museum person (and I am) and was looking for great food, I would go to San Sebastian.

You asked!

danon

San Sebastian in mid- Oct for 5 days?
I don't think so.
Barcelona is not known for its museums, Madrid is.

susanna

I'm glad that you've asked this question. I too love Paris, but this winter I could not find a good fair from San Francisco...but I did find a good one to Barcelona!

From everything that I've researched it seems to be a great city. Many people on this board
have written great trip reports, which has encouraged me to go. Some of them are people who also love Paris. There are a few great food reports here too, by people who I feel have the same taste as me, I've either used there recs or have been to the places that they too like.

So, I bit the bullet and will be there in Feb for 11 days. I plan to take a few short day trips as it will be Carnival in the area.

I did a lot of research on apartments, settled on this one, like the area a lot, it has been recommended by others so I think it's going to work for us...
http://www.habitatapartments.com/en/...ew/pedrera.htm

I'll let you know what I think in March!

StCirq

Been to Paris 100+ times. Been to Spain half a dozen, and I can never wait to get back to France. In fact, at least three times I drove from the Dordogne down into Spain with the intention of visiting Barcelona and turned back before I got there. It's all personal preferences, of course, but if you're a die-hard francophile don't be surprised if Spain/Barcelona doesn't grab your fancy.

zeppole

danon,

You are so right that Madrid has superior museums to Barcelona -- but janiekins said in her first post that she and her travel partner are not museumgoers. I also think the food is much better in Madrid than in Barcelona, but it is best in San Sebastian, which is a prettier place than Madrid. I wouldn't mind San Sebastian for five days in mid-October, but I would probably rent a car at least some of time to visit other places nearby.

But overall, were I looking for great food and an appealing European city in mid-October, I'd be looking to go someplace other than Barcelona.

I'm not a diehard francophile, but I do think there is no particular reason why somebody who loves Paris will like Barcelona.

Sassafrass

The two cities are so different. I prefer Paris (love the food and museums), but also like Barcelona and would go back again. There is so much to enjoy there, it is certainly worth one trip and nice to have variety in your travels. Plus, I love Gaudi's work. Barcelona has retained a very unique vibe, which is nice. I actually like Barcelona more in Summer when there is lots of activity. Paris - any time. Will you like Barcelona? Hard to know until you go.

skoalvikings

Go to Barcelona! We loved it and are huge fans of Paris. We had time for the city itself, five days. In addition, we went to Montserrat and Girona and also spent a few days on the Costa Brava. Great trip!

opaldog

I love Paris and have been to Barcelona once. On my way to Barcelona I felt regret that we hadn't booked a trip to Paris. That feeling vanished once we arrived. Barcelona in my estimation was wonderful! We were there in early November and the weather was fairly mild during the day and manageable at night. I would think that October would be better. I would love to go again. We used habitatapartments and were totally satisfied. We stayed on Rambla de Catalunya which is very different than Las Ramblas. I wouldn't want to stay on or even near Las Ramblas; way too crowded and touristy.

I love the architecture, the scenery, the food, the people, etc. We had no problems with pickpockets; didn't even see any. That of course is not to say that you shouldn't take precautions. The metro was convenient. It is a very walkable city. There is the sea, the mountains and the beautiful city in between. I highly recommend a visit to Barcelona and hope to get back there sooner rather than later. We just did a visit to Madrid in November and had a great time there as well, although the cities are very different.

uhoh_busted

We've visited Paris 5 or 6 times, and Barcelona once (well, twice but the last time it was just to fly in and out of when we spent a month near Perpignan). We totally loved Barcelona.

Barcelona is similar to Paris, in that it is a very international destination. You will find people visiting from all over the world and hear every language as you walk down the street, or enter a restaurant. English is spoken most everywhere. (In fact, you may run across some fierce Catalans who would prefer English to Spanish any day!) I enjoyed the museums in Barcelona, and the Picasso Museum there is much better than in Paris. (Well, he was a Spaniard, so that makes sense.) We found Barcelona to be as walkable as Paris...but we only took the underground once in Barcelona, as it was more convenient to use the bus system (and you could enjoy the amazing architecture). So, they are again similar in terms of getting around on foot or with public transportation.

Barcelona is different from Paris, in that it doesn't seem particularly "ancient" -- there is more antiquity in Paris. Barcelona seemed to me, to have it's own undefinable place in time. Take as an example, Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's unfinished Cathedral. One side looks quite Gothic while the other is as modern as tomorrow. We stayed for nearly a week in a small apartment near Placa Catalunya in Barcelona and walked just about everywhere. The markets in Barcelona are "indoors" or more permanently located, rather than on the streets/boulevards in Paris. (I'm thinking of Richard Lenoir, which moves up and down the avenue) As such, their displays of fruits and vegetables, well maybe everything, are more precise and grand-scaled.

We found we were having our main meals at lunch time, as the "dinner" customs in Barcelona -- while they do cater to foreign tourists with seatings from 7PM -- did favor grazing for tapas until 10PM or so followed by a full, sit-down meal.

They are two extraordinary cities. While Paris draws me back time and again, Barcelona is exotic and maybe like Venice, a place you have to see and savor at least once in your lifetime. Just my opinions, but that's what you asked for!

BKP

<<While Paris draws me back time and again, Barcalona is exotic and maybe like Venice, a place you have to see and savor at least once in your lifetime.>>

This. Exactly.

Several trips to Paris. One to Barcelona. Very glad we went but not in a hurry to get back, unlike Paris!

Aduchamp1

Please note that Barcelona dates at least to Roman times, and quite possibly earlier. It was an economic power in the Mediterrean from 11-13th centuries and its extensive Barri Gotic evidences its wealth from that time.

janiekins

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for all of your replys. Still not ready to "pull the trigger" on setting up a trip to Barcelona. I will keep you posted. Are there any other European cities or areas that you think we would like for 5-6 days? We will be flying from Boston. Looking for great food, architecture and a few museums.