Oh oh Planner13 - you have me cornered. We loved Barcelona but perhaps because of factors particular to us. We (including three children) arrived in Barcelona from Cairo and before that Turkey. Those places were also wonderful but Barcelona seemed especially beautiful coming in the order that it did.

We are outdoors/sports types so wandering around the Olympic area, including the Stadium and Museum, was fun. The Catalunya Art Museum is a great place to sit and listen to someone playing a guitar, with a view of the city below. There is a water fountain display there four nights a week as I recall.

After reading threads here we were suspicious of Las Ramblas but it was a hoot. The waterfront is beautiful (though we found the aquarium to be disappointing) as is the Barri Gotic. To be honest we spent much more time just walking around than we did visiting the main attractions e.g. La Sagrada Familia, the Picasso Museum, which were nice but secondary to us. Actually I don't quite get Sagrada Familia but who am I?

We took a day trip to Montserrat and lucked out with a perfectly clear day. And we hiked up the mountain which was gorgeous.

So I am reluctant to offer tips as ours was "walk around and observe" much much that a culturally driven visit.

I liked your response. In fact, our family likes the same things but will spend time in the museums because our daughter is a senior at Savannah College of Art and Design. I was also glad to hear that you loved Barcelona, especially coming from Turkey and Cairo, which is also on our list. Thank you for the good tips.

Gotic or El Born because they're ancient neighborhoods from Roman times. As an American I like that kind of thing. Eixample is a beautiful neighborhood built in the early 20th century, resembles Paris more.

Thanks for all the comments. After reading the suggestions I can see positives in the Eixample, Gotic and El Born neighborhoods. I wish I could stay in each of them on our first visit but that much moving around would drive me crazy Thanks again, Deborah

Yes there are positives to all three and you really can't go wrong with any of the three.

One can easily walk from one area to the next..
does not matter that much where you stay.
Barcelona is beautiful all over!