Hi everybody,

I've decided to spend a week in Barcelona next June and I was wondering of anybody can help me with some hotel recommendations and what not to miss while there.

I'm not interested in museums/nightlife, I just want to try the local food, do some shopping and stroll around in order to get the atmosphere of the city. I've just ordered a bookguide and I won't receive it until next week. In the meantime, I will look through all the posts about Barcelona, but any advice about this city that I should know or not missed?

Thanks!

> Hotel recommedation

What category, 5 stars? or hostals? What budget?

It might help if you mentioned above.

I totally forgot about mentioning my budget concerning the hotel.

I can spend no more than 100 Euros for a double room with breakfast included and I can only pay with credit card.

MCM:

From what I've experienced in Barcelona, your budget will give you a one or two star hotel. If you'd be willing to raise the ante, it's possible for a three star.

We've stayed at the 3-star Gran Via, around the corner from the Catlaunya fountain, Rambla and Passeig Gracia...excellent location, comfortable hotel. I don't know the rates today, but two years ago it was in the 100 Euro range.

Wherever you stay, you'll love the city. The energy will bowl you over from the minute you arrive.

Stu T.

MCM:

Does this new June '08 plan mean you're shelving Romania?

SZtu

Hi Tower, I'm not really shelving Romania. I usually plan a couple of trips and then do one and leave the other one for some other time.

I'm willing to pay a bit more concerning hotels, but if I could find one for 100 Euros would be perfect.

I don't know how this sound (you guys tell me), but I was thinking arriving in Madrid, go straight to Toledo for 2 nights and then move to Barcelona for 5 nights. Would that be crazy? I know I could leave Toledo for a later trip to Madrid, but, even though I've never been there, Madrid has never been on my list of "places I must see before I die".

What do you think of 5 nights in Barcelona considering I'm not interested in museums/nightlife; just strolling, trying the food and doing some shopping?

Thanks.

you should spend at least an afternoon in the art galleries or on a tour bus to get the feel for madrid, you will probably be sorry if not (whether its your thing or not). before you come to barcelona and toledo.

You can download guides for free:
Barcelona:
http://maribelsguides.com/mg_barcelona.pdf
Madrid:
http://maribelsguides.com/mg_madrid.pdf
Segovia:
http://maribelsguides.com/mg_segovia.pdf

If it helps, these are the things that we did on a first trip to Barcelona last September,

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g1...ngs.To.Do.html

And the places we ate

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g1...ggestions.html

Pjk

Speaking of places to" see before you die" - Madrid is just "a bit" more attractive than Bucharest (IMO)!

Toledo is a lovely, but it has a feel of a place that is totally geared towards tourism ( same with Dubrovnik): too many souvenir shops and restaurants serving bad food.

The city I loved in Spain and plan to go back to is Rhonda. Not a big city with a lot of things to do or see, but a very attractive city to walk in, out of, and up and down the gorge.

Pjk

Well, I've decided to spend the whole week in Barcelona. I'll leave Toledo for another trip along with Madrid.

pjk-- there is no Rhonda in Spain.

Help Me Rhonda, it's Ronda.

Hello,

You will have plenty of things to do in Barcelona and june is a perfect month. Just avoid the dates of the sonar music festival as Barcelona will be much more busier.

If your trip is about gastronomy you will find a lot of oportunities to enjoy in areas like the old city, the born and the eixample.
Time out has a good on line page about restaurants.

About accommdations you should consider also to rent an apartment that will give you great value and an extra terrace if you wish.
Check the website: http://www.apartmentsbcn.net it's a serious company with a good selection of apartments in Barcelona.

Best Regards.

I recommend the Hotel Continental (www.hotelcontinental.com/)
I just checked and it's €82 for a single and it includes not only breakfast but an all day "breakfast bar" so you could get coffee and fruit and soda, etc any time. Right on Las Ramblas so close to everything and quite nice if you don't mind some kind of funky wallpaper.

I put together walking tours from several sources - guidebooks, online info, etc. I have a couple of books with walking tours of cities that included Barcelona. Anyway, I put together my own very detailed walking tour and it took me several days to do it all. I really enjoyed the Poble Espanyol which is a little village with architecture representative of various parts of Spain. My photos of Barcelona are at www.pbase.com/annforcier and I tried to put them in some kind of order based on the different parts of town. That might give you some ideas of things you'd want to see.

You could get a nice studio by the beach with change leftover for breakfast and lunch:
http://www.way2stay.com/Barcelona-ap...-en-52-509.htm

Barceloneta is also the best part to try seafood/tapas.
(look for Jai-Ca bar on c/Ginebre).

What not to be missed:
Picasso/Miró/Gaudí(all)/beach/Montjuïc, and a wander around Ciutat Vella.

Enjoy..

I stayed at Tryp Melia in Barcelona and Loved it. The hotel was very clean, coffee shop next door, shopping right across the street. And breakfast was included and it was fantastic.

Theresa in Detroit.