Barcelona 2006: Do you want to post anything here?
 

I am pondering a trip to Barcelona, possibly the end of May 2006, for 5-6 nights. I thought I would start a thread where folks could post their experiences, suggestions, and web-links regarding Barcelona to help me (and any other interested parties) fill in a travel plan over the next couple of months. I've never been to Spain and my husband's experience is limited to a brief Navy port call in the 60's.

My husband and I are in our 50's, like visiting a few 'key' museums, churches, parks, lots of walking around, and will use public transportation. We aren't really night-owls but might pop into a club or bar to have a look; otherwise, we're usually in our room by 10pm. (I know, just when most restaurants are getting busy!). We operate on a budget so we'll usually spend: (to give you an idea)
<90-120€ on a twin room (we want a minibar, and I can see that breakfast is an add'l charge)
< 6-10€ pp on take-away lunch food
< 15-30€ on dinners out

I have printed a notebook of information to study (probably after the holidays!) from:
<u>www.maribelsguides.com
http://www.takeoffguides.com/english.html</u>
and various articles from the Barcelona tourist information websites, Fodors/Frommers, etc. I also bought the TimeOut guidebook for Barcelona. So - I have a lot of reading to do (which I love).

In the meantime, if you have something you would like to offer about &quot;Barcelona&quot;, I thank you in advance for posting it here.
- - - - - - - - - - - ((Y)) ((~)) ((N)) - - - - - - - - -

I suspect you use public transport so here is a good URL for the Metro.

I suggest that if you DO use it you consider buying one of the T-10 tickets which more than one person can use since the tickets are required ONLY when you enter..for two people you simply enter the ticket each time someone goes through and the number of trips is debited from the ticket.

That URL is

http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.c...metro-map.html

A general piece of info about nearby Montserrat, esily reached by rail from Barcelona and well worth the time IMO.

http://www.donquijote.org/barcelona/city2.asp

Cool - I was thinking we could do one day-trip outside of Barcelona...
That's nice to know about a 'shared' transportation ticket.

Re the post about the &quot;faked&quot; restaurants along Las Ramblas...that's total BS..there is nothing &quot;fake&quot; about them..there are a variety of restaurants both in the middle of Las Ramblas as well as along each side. The quality of the food varies a good deal and if you really think that nobody who lives in Barcelona goes there and that everyone is a tourist, well....

Another, rarely mentioned eating spot, is the so-called &quot;Ramblas Catalunya&quot; above the square...lots of choices there and they seem to be of much higher quality than some of the offerings on Las Ramblas itself.

Hi Travelnut,

Barcelona is a lovely city. Returned there last summer after an absence of about 40 years! This was a trip of just a couple of days, a rendez-vous with my wife after she finished a conference. We stayed at the Neri, a boutique hotel in the old city, between the Ramblas and the cathedral. The hotel is fun, quite a highly-designed adventure with a very pleasant roof garden, great for a late night drink before turning in, but pricey. We did like the area a lot and I think your would too if you could find more sensibly priced lodging there. Took a long ride on the double-decker tourist bus past the Gaudi sites and a whole lot more but without debarking, though you can. In restaurants, the Cinc Sentits was a highlight. It's new in the last few years, run by a Catalan-Canadian couple. We went at mid-day, had the tasting menu and received a lot of attention since there was only one other couple dining. If you like a crowd, better to go at night. Also had one very pleasant dinner at the Neri. (But how does one choose between two dozen different kinds of mineral water?) The Ramblas is a must see, but it's a little too heavily trekked for my taste. We walked it to find a hotel that I stayed at in 1966, on the Plaza Reale. Still there, but now part of a chain. We also stumbled into the seediest part of town, off to the right from the Ramblas, while walking toward the port, in mid-day. Lots of street life - and street business! That was memorable but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're very adventurous. We visited the one-room shoe museum near the hotel, where the one quide, an elderly gentleman, did a great job of commentary, intermittently, in pantomine. There also is a lovely small square behind the Neri hotel with a small church and a few trees. The Neri had a few tables in the square where drinks were served. Very pleasant and anyone can &quot;give their custom,&quot; I believe. Otherwise, we walked, much as you like to do. Saw the circle dancing by the cathedral that everyday folks join in, on Saturday as I recall. That's adorable. Also, on the old-quarter square that contains the Catalonia and Barcelona government buildings, we fell upon (no pun intended) a &quot;human pyramid,&quot; traditional Catalan street circus. Of course it's the young lad who gets be be at the top! Very impressive. One memorable evening consisted of no more than tracking down music that was coming from a tiny bar on an old town side street. It was filled with young people, obviously friends, who had brought their own instruments and were dancing. We took one of the two tables outside, by the door, and had ham, bread and beer, and a lot of fun watching the fun. I think you'll love the city. Have a great time.

I just found this website last night. It's some guys travelogue about his trip to Barcelona but he includes several useful links and his photos are excellent (view the photos from his photo link, not just the thumbnails in the travelogue itself).

www.bearcave.com/barcelona/

Over the net we found recommended The Continental Hotel on the Ramblas.. a funky hotel.. looks like it was decorated by your great, great grandmother.. but it has a/c and heat plus private baths with tubs..and the best part was that it was right on the Ramblas and you could sit on your little balcony and watch the world go by.. Breakfast and refreshments are gratis all day long in the common room as is the internet service . The other smart thing we did was hire a guide (name available if you wish) to take us on a tour of Barcelona.. We probably saw more of Barcelona in one day then many of the people in the hotel saw in a week.. You can then go back and re-visit areas that look interesting. He took us to an old church and as I looked out the window of the cab I became very excited... . on a buildng was a primative Xmas scene... he told me it was done by Picasso.. had never seen or heard of that building and work before. Also along the beach there is a beautiful sculpture of a Conquistor HAT AND A FISH...We asked our guide to take us to a local restaurant and was absolutely wonderful.. communal tables and the best paella and sangria we have ever had...wasn't cheap..but it was delicious.. As it turns out some people call it a tourist restaurant, but we didn't feel it was..it is called the Salamanca. The Guadi Church was mobbed... I was very UNDERwhelmed by the original but impressed with the new interpretation. The Gaudi influence is seen in apartment buildings, sidewalks, etc. and is very positive. [email protected]

Thanks for directing me to the &quot;Bear Cave&quot;, Isabel... Dave, I'm considering two hotels so far:

&lt;&gt;Hotel Atlantis
http://www.hotelatlantis-bcn.com/
Located between Place de la Catalunya and Universitat
Their website prices a double at about $130 incl taxes but not breakfast

&lt;&gt;Hotel Regencia Colon
http://www.hotelregenciacolon.com/eng/hotel/index.asp
Located just north of Cathedral, and near Place d'Antonio Maura.
Expedia prices a twin at $157/night incl. taxes but not breakfast.
------------------------------------
<b>QUESTION: do hotels in Spain (or Barcelona) typically offer lower rates if you contact them directly?</b>

Sorry, I don't have the answer to that rate question.

OK, Dave...
ParrotMom, I appreciate your comments. I find that we have strong tendencies to 'not' want to commit to appointments on vacation, so I hesitate to reserve a personal guide, although I'm sure a visit is much enriched by doing this. I have to read up on Gaudi, all I really have is the images of the church in my head, and I understand there is so much more. I also hadn't remembered a &quot;Picasso connection&quot; when Barcelona came to mind, so more study there, too!

Yes, the Picasso museum is great - or was great four decades ago and I suspect it still is.

Also, I remiss in not mentioning that we had a very nice seafood paella on the terrace at one of the large eateries on the waterfront. The hotel suggested it, and it looked like the best of several of them. When I find the receipts from that trip, I'll post the name.

I'd like to recommend Taller Tapas on Argentaria, just a short walk from the Catedral (5 mins) and 2 mins from the Picasso Museum. Just down from Metro Jaume 1. Really good selection, great value, and a lovely little plaza to sit in. Do try their crema catalana to end the meal! There are also lots of other 'cheap' tapas places in the old town too. Just a few to share fill you up so you may find you don't need to actually have a full meal!

Otherwise, definitely do the bus tour to get a feel of the city, and then go back to see what you want to. It is a fabulous place. Have a great time.

PS I'm only a little younger than you and I visited with daughters then aged 13 and 15, and we felt perfectly safe around the city, and on the metro.

Also, for your budget, have you considered renting an apartment? I rented one (sleeping up to 5) just off Argentaria for around 100 euros a night.

www.barcelonaflat.co.uk

It had 2 bedrooms and a sofabed in the living room, a large kitchen area with a huge fridge. Plenty of little supermarkets nearby to stock the fridge, balconies, airconditioning - we loved it!

I've been hesitant about apartment-renting, worried it will be a hassle or have some 'surprise' when we get there. (not that a hotel couldn't 'surprise' us, too!).
Also, we're accustomed to twin-bed sleeping, a holdover from different work schedules a long while ago. (and often, hotel rooms are bigger with twins). Haven't seen many apartments with twins, but I might have a look online anyway.

I know there is a 'bus touristic' and we might do that; or I presume there are 'orientation' tours for a one-time overview of the sights. I'll get into that later.

Regarding &quot;tapas&quot; - I'm guessing that's a kind of &quot;hors d'ouerves buffet&quot;...? We don't really like huge/heavy meals, so those places sound like they'd be good for us.

thanks, kvenker - I'll investigate further...

Hotel Continental with breakfast is advertised as 85 euros.. We hired a guide because we were only going to be there three days and then catch a cruise ship..He told us why there is such a strong influence by Gaudi on the arichitecure of the apartments, the streets and explained why there are beautiful ocean themed mosaics in the cross walks. Across the street from the hotel is a subway and of course buses all over the place.. Other than Barcelona which is really a big and crazy city and I wouldn't recommend renting a car. we toured Malaga... which we liked much more, beautiful city and more affordable.

OK, being that it's Monday and everyone is back to work, ready to post on Fodor's ;) I'm topping for myself...

I'm going to borrow from the Paris Superthread concept, and add links to other &quot;Barcelona&quot; posts here so I can keep track of them...

<u>Hotels in Barcelona</u>
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34719565

<u>Help w/Itinerary and Tapas</u>
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34718399

<u>Cathedral &amp; tapas</u>
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34714664

<u>Barcelona-Madrid trip report</u>
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34691148

<u>Pickpockets? Safety tips</u>
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34707521

<u>Dali / Figueres</u>
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34467407

&lt;Cafes /Bars
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34667965

bookmarking

In my experience, request by email in Spanish directly to the hotel do bring a better rate than published in other sources.

We're booked at the Neri in Apri so I was interested in your comments Dave....!!! It's really pricy for us but looked so good..and the area seemed perfect. If you have any suggestions for eating near the Hotel please let me know...

How was it walking near the hotel at night?.I understand the area is questionable????

I love Barcelona and plan to go back as part of our 25th anniversary trip, so have been watching this thread with interest.

We stayed at the Continental Hotel also and the only thing I liked about it was the absolutely goregeous Great Pyrenees dog--otherwise, we weren't too happy with it (except the location is good).

While we enjoyed the Picasso Museum here, it's MUCH MUCH in Malaga--it's his private collection there. Did love the Miro museum though, and DD, who was there last May told me the Contemporary Art Museum is fabulous too (we didn't make it last trip, but will this time).

For a great inexpensive dinner out (I assume you mean 15.30 per person) I highly recommend La Dolca Hermina at Magdalenes 27.

Thanks Travelnut! This is great info I'm going to bookmark for my own trip plans!

The circle dancing is called &quot;sardana&quot;, and the human pyramids &quot;castellers&quot;, both are typical Catalan traditions.

Consider an apartment in the Born area. We were there for a week and needed public transport only up to Park Guell--Barcelona is very walkable. We did a Gaudi week--taking tours of all accessible homes, apts, the church, with stops along the way. Loved the markets and eating at tiny neighborhood type restaurants--or getting take out and eating home in our apartment as we were tired from walking. Bakeries everywhere and open very late, even on holidays, so grabbing &quot;breakfast&quot; and eating in one of the squares would be easy. Barcelona was the first time we tried apt. renting vs hotel (in our 50's with 3 adult &quot;children&quot; in tow, so it was cheaper), and now thats how we prefer to travel in Europe. We found the apt. through a Catalonia web site. Have fun--I'm jealous.

topping and bookmarking

Parrotmom - If you see this could you share the name and contact info. of your guide?

I hope others are finding this inquiry useful... things have changed for me, so now we're not going to Barcelona in 2006 ... but some day, some day...

Thanks for telling us that, Travelnut - I was about to pester you for a trip report.