dwzemens

Hello to All,

Last year we spent 5 nights in Lisbon in mid February and had a blast. So, this year, our group of ten (5 couples) have decided to spend five nights in Barcelona in mid-February.

We are interested in any and all suggestions or advice:

1. Where to stay?
2. What to eat?
3. What to see?
4. Private guide suggestions?
5. Private tour suggestions?

You name it, we'd love some suggestions. We all love history, food, and wine. Nobody is overly zealous about museums, although interest is such that we'd not exclude a museum visit in the right circumstances?

We'd specifically like Private Guide suggestions.

Thanks to everyone!

dwzemens
Rochester, Michigan USA

kja

Questions 1 - 3: It depends on what you want!

Question 4 - 5: I can't help, as I don't like to work with tours or guides. (No criticism intended -- just a preference.)

I would strongly encourage you to get a good guidebook or two. And you could search this forum for the many, MANY threads that cover Barcelona, whether as part of a planning thread or trip report. Here's mine:
Four Awesome Weeks in the North of Spain and Catalunya

BDKR

1) I would stay in Hotel Espana if I could afford it. (Since you don't mentioned your budget, I take it is not an issue for you).

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Espa%C3%B1a

2) Since you're in Catalonia, focus on the local food. You don't have to eat paella in Barcelona, leave that for Valencia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_cuisine

February is in the calcotada season. Try to take part in this great culinary tradition.

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/sp...n-onion-craze/


3) What are you interested in?

You want to see the most iconic sights like Sagrada Familia for sure, but you don't need to hunt down every Modernisme style building if you're not actually interested in architecture, although it is exactly a style which appeals to a lot of people not normally interested in architecture.

The best answer is really as mentioned above: Take your time and learn about Barcelona. Read a good guidebook or watch YT videos if you don't like reading.

" Nobody is overly zealous about museums, although interest is such that we'd not exclude a museum visit in the right circumstances?"

Right, there is no better place to escape a pouring rain than a musuem. The good news is that Barcelona has loads of museums and I'm sure you'll find at least one which fits in with your interests. If you may not be interested in art, but you may be interested in the Maritime Museum or the Football History museum of Barca or the Barber History Museum?

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_...eluquer%C3%ADa

thursdaysd

jpie

I second staying in the Eixample area. It is a wonderful area with beautiful architecture and with enough to see and do in walking distance and an area with great restaurants. I much prefer it to the more "tourist central" areas of the city. It is still close to everything with buses and metros that make it easy to get to other areas.

We stayed at 2 places in Barcelona-the first one was a lovely residence hotel in Eixample called Murmuri Residence Mercader. We were 3 adults traveling together and rented a 2 bedroom apartment through booking.com. I prefer booking.com since I can generally choose a rate that is "cancellable". It is in the heart of the neighborhood on Passatge de Mercader,

We also stayed a few nights in another place that is in the adjoining neighborhood called Gracia. The property there is called Espais Blaus Apartments. We prefer apartments because we like to have our coffee in the morning in our rooms and also sometimes have lunch in, etc. It is also a great area although perhaps with a more "local residential" feeling than the apartment in Eixample. It was also in my recollection a little cheaper than the other apartment.

I would gladly re-book at either place although Murmuri would definitely be my first choice.

almesq

We stayed in the El Palace Hotel, which is in the Eixample area. Really enjoyed it, and very conveniently located. Easy walk to Las Ramblas, and also well located for checking out other parts of the city.

atennislover

HI dwzemens:

We'll be there at about the same time. Sounds like you will have a great time with 10 people!

I wanted to let you know that the Festes de Santa Eulalia will be going on around Feb. 12. And also people mentioned the calcotada season. We are going to plan to go to one of the those outside of Barcelona. Looks like alot of fun!

Have a great time.

dwzemens

We booked our trip and will be staying in the Eixample district. We are staying at the Room Mate Carla Hotel, which gets terrific reviews on TripAdvisor. We just confirmed our tickets yesterday, so now we begin the process of figuring out what to do for our five days.

We like to start off the first day with a walking tour/food tour, which allows us to "keep moving" after the overnight flight, gives us a feel for the area, and allows us to eat and drink! Other than that we will have to figure out what else to do.

Thanks to all for the advice, particularly for staying in the Eixample area. I look forward to any other tips, ideas, etc.

kja

Of the guidebooks I used for Barcelona, I thought the Michelin Green Guide and Rough Guide most comprehensive.

If planning to visit any of the modernista sites (whether by Gaudi or Domènech i Montaner), you'd probably do well to make advance reservations.

Nikki