Apartment Rentals in Barcelona
 

I am looking into renting an apartment for month in Barcelona for this May for my family. There are four of us and I have two toddlers. I know of the usual online sites like vrbo, home away and airbnb. Are there other ones that are used more in Spain? Or does anyone have a apartment they've rented in the past they could recommend? Also we would like to be centrally located so we can walk everywhere since we have young kids. Are there neighborhoods we should look into and neighborhoods we should avoid? Thank you!!

Hi mmodrich

I have just rented an apartment in Barcelona through likelivingthere.com

The apartment I have rented would be too small for your group, but they do have a number of apartments they handle. Ken has looked after all my email enquiries most professionally, and I would have no hesitation in recommending him.
Di

<i> I know of the usual online sites like vrbo, home away and airbnb. Are there other ones that are used more in Spain?</i>

This is google-able. Barcelona has a LARGE tourist apartment rental organization that lists apartment rental companies. The website is www.apartur.com. From there, you will find links to just about every reputable company in the city.

<i>Are there neighborhoods we should look into and neighborhoods we should avoid?</i>

Of course there are. Don't stay in the Raval. Do get a street map that shows the Metro stations and look for an apt within (or near) the box formed by the Placa Catalunya, Diagonal, Verdaguer and Tetuan stations.

Barcelona is the size of Philadelphia, you can't walk the whole city so familiarize yourself with the Metro system. And you really cannot walk to Parc Guell with small children (it's uphill from central Barcelona).

And if Barcelona is your last stop in the Eurozone, get a place that allows you to put the apartment deposit on credit card instead of cash. That way you don't have to exchange a lot of bills at a bad rate right before you leave. We stayed with www.barcelonastuff.com and they allowed deposit on credit card. Our flat was on a private (read: gated access and silent) street three blocks from Placa Catalunya.

Thank you everyone! Great tips BigRuss. I am looking at that site now. I googled but was overwhelmed with how many sites came up and want to make sure I am going through reputable sites. So thank you. I will be back with more questions I am sure!

I heartily recommend AirBnB for staying in Barcelona - you get a bigger, better located place at a cheaper price than you would at a hotel. I looked at the other sources mentioned above but went back to AirBnB for the aforementioned points.

We were absolutely THRILLED with the apartment we rented via AirBnB last May: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/640709
It is in El Born, which turned out to be our favorite part of BCN - lively but not crazy (I *hated* the crush of tourists in other parts of the city, esp. Las Ramblas), lots of v good restaurants, wine bars, etc. It's also close to a park and the zoo and a lot of other cultural interests. And a 10-15 minute walk to the beach! There aren't really hotels in this neighborhood so you get to really feel like a local. Sarah, the owner, was super friendly and helpful both before and during our trip. Note that this particular property is a 2 bedroom, 1 bath with kitchen and living room - so may be tight for your group but it is in a fantastic location on the corner, with little terraces.

Besides El Born, another neighborhood that would be nice for families is Eixample. Safe, quite, lots of sidewalks for walking (e.g., Psg. de Gracia) and gorgeous architecture in this more upper crust part of town. Gaudi's two famouse buildings are in this neighborhood.

Have fun, you will love it!

We used the Apartur website as a screener for reputable renters. We generally don't like airbnb or vrbo for non-US or non-UK/commonwealth locations (although we did very well in Kyoto).

The negatives for airbnb and vrbo are simple: lack of guarantee and lack of recourse. If there are a LOT of reviews for the place, that's an indicia of reliability. If there's not, be careful. And don't wire anyone money.

we used www.habitatapartments.com several times
if you wish more upscale : www. destinationbcn.com

ttt

Just for information:
A law has been passed in Catalunya that states that all rentals for vacations must be registered. The law also states that any advert for the property must also show the licence number issued by the Generalitat de Catalunya. This number is called Habitatge d'Us Turistic. Key symbols will be shown as to the grading of the rental, if teh property has been inspected by the Generalitat de Catalunya. However this is not obligatory.
This is a link in English which explains what owners must do. It will be handy for you to read and understand your rights too. http://bit.ly/Turistic

Thank you everyone! AandEd - the apartment looks really nice and in a great location. I saw in the description that it can be loud. Did you think the apartment was really loud. ribeirasacra that is great info as well. Thank you!

We stayed at an apartment with Inside BCN: http://www.insidebarcelona.com/ We had a terrific experience with them a couple years ago and will be staying with them again in the fall. Our apartment was clean, roomy, and wonderfully positioned in El Born on a quiet street. Reserving is easy (with credit card), and the people are a joy to deal with. Excellent reviews on Tripadvisor as well. Highly recommended!

The above 2posters have linked to websites which are breaking the laws. If you book one of their apartments just beware of this.

In what way are they breaking the law?

I was wondering the same.

Read the link I gave above, they have to show a licence number in the adverts. No licence number the property could be running illegally.
http://bit.ly/lawrequirements

Ahh ok. I was thinking that was the case but wasn't totally sure. Thx!

ribeirasacra -- You need to take a closer look at the Inside BCN website. The topic "Legal Notice" states that they are indeed registered as you can see below. I would hate to see an excellent company unfairly maligned.

"Please take the following legal issues into consideration:

Who we are

INSIDE-BCN ( www.inside-bcn.com) is a trademark under the auspices of Inside-BCN Servicios Inmobilarios, S.L. with registered address in Barcelona at Carrer Esparteria No. 1, Local 1, duly entered in the Barcelona Registrar of Companies and bearer of Corporate Tax Identification Number B-63036552. Inside-BCN Servicios Inmobilarios, S.L. is, in turn, a registered member of the Register of Tourist Companies and Activities of Catalonia with number EB-0084."

Legal company or not they are not applying to the rules. They MUST give a licence number on any publicity or face sanctions. If they fail on a simple thing like showing the number then, for me, it begs the question what other duties (under this law) are they not doing.
All I am doing is making vacationers aware of the laws here in Spain. If they want to book with any company they can, but obviously if the authorities start enforcing the regulations then the vacation could be ruined.

Ribe: if someone posts and links and is not affiliated with the company, it's not illegal (Magster's link to inside-bcn). If someone posts and links for the company, it is.

And if that's incorrect, then the flippin' Spanish authorities can try to extradite me from Texas for posting the website I mentioned above. Good luck with that - just ask the World Court how international "orders" fare in Texas.

ribeirasacra, are you saying that the registration number Inside BCN discloses on their website is not the right number?

To repeat this is the statement on their website:

"Inside-BCN Servicios Inmobilarios, S.L. is, in turn, a registered member of the Register of Tourist Companies and Activities of Catalonia with number EB-0084."

I don't know how your average tourist can be expected to sort this out.