danon

It is upscale area not too far from beautiful Rambla de Cataluya.and Passeig de Gracia
You would have to take metro to El Born and the beach .

Diagonal is a very busy avenue... Not sure if traffic would be an issue.

flygirl

Thank you Danon!

How do you like this location below?

http://www.barcelonabb.com/BB%20location.html

Christina

I think the second location is a bit better as it isn't right on Diagonal and is a bit closer to a metro stop. For someone who doesn't know Barcleona at all, I would think that area might be a bit farther from El Born, etc., than you would want to be. If you've visited and know the area, then I could see it. Also, you don't seem to care how far you are from a metro stop but I always care a lot. The first one, for example, isn't very close at all to a metro stop, which would be another reason I wouldn't consider it.

danon

Good as well . I like that upscale Eixample area (close to most Gaudi sites)
Barcelona's public transit is excellent and cheap.
Some posters prefer hip area of El Born or the narrow streets of Barri Gotic...or being close to the beach. Just a matter of taste .
We have visited Barcelona eight time ( last time less than a month ago), stayed in five different parts of the city....

danon

P.s. One metro stop is a few minutes from the apt. and Diagonal stop only several blocks.
Unless one has a mobility problem, not an issue.
The very center of Barcelona is Placa de Catalunya ( hoho buses , department store, etc).

flygirl

Christina and Danon, thank you (and Jent, sorry for hijacking!).

This is my first visit to Barcelona and I don't have a frame of reference yet. A colleague's daughter is going to grad school there and told me to stay in the Eixample and to use airbnb. I'm not completely sold on airbnb having heard the horror stories, but I've heard Eixample a few times now. That B&B seems to be near (if not completely within?) the square that BigRuss mentioned above.

I walk a LOT on vacation so walking doesn't bother me - even in Paris, which I know fairly well, I tend to walk more than metro anywhere - unless it's far such as Saint Sulpice to Sacre Coeur for instance. So being a half mile from a metro isn't a big deal and this B&B appears to be even closer than that.

I do really really like the idea of a penthouse with a terrace. I can't tell which neighborhood would have more cafes right outside the door, for instance. That would be nice to come home to. The B&B appears to be on or near Carrer Girona and not too far from Avenida Diagonal.

Thank you again.

danon

We never used airbnb, sorry. We rented from Habitat three times ..no problems.

Rambla de Catalunya. ( not Ramblas) and Paseig de Gracia are lined with shops, cafes ....etc.
El Born is more crowded and lively at night, but , for us, the " adult" Eixample is the favorite part
of the city.
If you can get the exact address of the building, google the street and see the surroundings.
I do it all the time if not familiar with the city.
Barcelona is very walkable and public transit is great.

jent103

Don't worry about hijacking - I just can't speak to those apartments, sorry! In terms of accessibility I think either would be fine - we walk a lot too.

We ended up staying in a Habitat apartment just around the corner from the Palau de la Musica Catalana, which is either in El Born or very very close (not sure where any exact boundaries might be). It was a great choice for us. But I think either of the locations you mentioned would be fine - that terrace would probably sell me too!