Areas to stay in Madrid & Barcelona
 

I would like to know which are the 'safer' areas to stay in Madrid and Barcelona?
Some apartments described being in the centre of Madrid - how is security there?
Also, for Barca - Las Ramblas, Barca centre and cultural hub?

Las Ramblas is not the place to stay in BAC .(IMO)
it is a street full of tourists, street performers, and fast-food restaurants.

"Center of Madrid ' is rather big area in a huge city.
If you know the street, or approximate location of the apt
...would be easier to comment
same for BAC...

Hey Danon,

Would you recommend staying NEAR Las Ramblas, not really in Las Ramblas? Also, I don't know the street or approximate location of the apartments I checked out on www.vrbo.com as they do not provide the full addresses of the apartments :(

There is one apartment that says it is walking distance to Puerta del Sol, Reina Sofia museum & Plaza Mayor in Madrid, should I be looking at that general location of accommodations?

some ares near Ramblas are not very good either , for example: El Raval, or close to the lover part of Ramblas
in Bari Gotico.
You may wish to rent an apt. from a reputable agency like
http://www.habitatapartments.com ( in BAC)
and know the exact location.

"walking distance to Puerta del Sol, Reina Sofia museum & Plaza Mayor in Madrid, should I be looking at that general location of accommodations?"

Yes ,but post the link to the apt, and someone will be able to give you a better idea of the location.

Danon,

Thanks for your advice. :) What do you think of the Borne area in Barcelona? My cousin also said staying in an apartment near the Sagrada Familia means we are about half an hour away from the city centre? I am apprehensive about apartments because of the cleaning fee that they impose, also I will not have a concierge/reception to ask for information/directions, and the lack of security an apartment has compared to a hostel/hotel.

I have a few links below that shows some descriptions of apartments in Madrid and Barcelona, if anyone could check them out and offer their opinions, it would be splendid!

Madrid
1) http://www.vrbo.com/177293
2) http://www.vrbo.com/222652

Barcelona
1) http://www.vrbo.com/110463
2) http://www.vrbo.com/228299
3) http://www.vrbo.com/122444
4) http://www.vrbo.com/217451
5) http://www.vrbo.com/2189586
6) http://www.vrbo.com/81592
7) http://www.vrbo.com/221763

Madrid:

>>There is one apartment that says it is walking distance to Puerta del Sol, Reina Sofia museum & Plaza Mayor in Madrid<<

Sounds good. 177293 has a good location.

Barcelona:

Born would be my prefered area to stay. An old neighborhood in the process of gentrification. Lively, lots of good restaurants. 110463 looks like a good location.

The location of 228299 looks also okay - very central, but not in the seedy areas.

122444 is not very close to the tourist attractions.

217451 says nothing about location.

81592 seems okay.

221763 could be in the seedy part of Barceloneta.

Thanks, Traveller 1959!

Agree with Traveller...
the firs two on both lists seem the best location, although hard tell with VRBO's until you get the exact address.

Hello Bizarre,

I was living in Madrid for 5 years near plaza del Sol. In general the center of Madrid is pretty safe, the one thing that you need to be wary of is pick-pocketers. As long as you are not out until the wee hours of the night partying then you will not run into any kind of trouble.

While dining or just walking around seeing the sights you should always know where your things are, keep your bags closed and your phone in your pocket.

Besides that the area that you spoke about is beautiful!

Good luck!


http://www.allabout-languages.net

p.s.
if you are worried about security you might consider a hotel.
We stayed in 2 diff. apt in BAC () one in MAD, in very good and safe locations but the cost was a bit higher than the one's you are looking at.

Thanks Danon & Larry, big help you guys gave :)