Lolie

Looking for recommendations on which neighborhoods are best to stay in Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid. We will be renting an apartment in these cities and would like to be in a safe area, close to public transportation with easy access to tourist spots such as cathedrals, parks, etc.

Thanks for any suggestions.

kimhe

Barcelona. I would suggest medieval and vibrant El Born or modern, large and generally upscale Eixample district.
El Born: http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.c...s/el-born.html
Eixample: http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.c...barcelona.html

In Madrid, I like the very central district around majestic Plaza Mayor and lively Plaza Santa Ana, more or less the Barrio de las Letras district.
Plaza Santa Ana: http://www.gomadrid.com/sights/plaza-santa-ana.html
Plaza Mayor: http://www.gomadrid.com/sights/plaza-mayor.html
Barrio de la Letras/Huertas: http://www.barrioletras.com/

or the central and upscale Salamanca district:
http://madrid-guide.homesfortravelle...salamanca.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...ca-Madrid.html

Robert2533

Public transportation is one of the key points in visiting cities like Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia. All have excellent public transportation systems, which means you can stay at any number of great locations outside of the city center unless you want the ability to walk every where you want to go.

Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (www.tmb.cat/en/home)
AMB Barcelona (www.emt-amb.com/Principales/Inicio.aspx)
Transportes de Madrid (www.ctm-madrid.es)
MetroValencia (www.metrovalencia.es/page.php)
EMT Valencia (www.emtvalencia.es/ciudadano/index.php)

The official guide for Barcelona is Turisme de Barcelona (www.barcelonaturisme.com) which includes a section on "where to sleep".

For Madrid you should check www.descubremadrid.com and esMadrid (www.esmadrid.com) to see what's going on.

For Valencia, check Comunidad Valenciana (http://en.comunitatvalenciana.com

Lolie

Thanks for the suggestions. I will look at all the links you have supplied. We plan to use public transportation the entire trip.

lincasanova

There are many nice neighborhoods all well connected n Valencia. When you find some flats, come back and I can help assess their location. Center is convenient to historic district. Science center to the new part and closer to the beach area. All have excellent bus service. The metro does not go yet to science center, but really not a problem as it is on a diagonal fairly close to the main part of town, once you get your bearings.

I have visited these places just recently. Smack in historic district and a few steps from market.
http://www.orangevalencia.com/

This company has lots of places all over.. much larger places also.

http://www.valenciaflats.com/

lincasanova

Some friends rented through this agency once. I think they also work in Barcelona/Madrid

http://www.friendlyrentals.com/en/ap...dation-120.htm

Alan_CT

In Barcelona, the Eixample Dreta and within a few blocks of Passeig de Gracia in the Eixample Esquerra are convenient to sights and transportation, as is El Born and the Barri Gotic. General advice in the BG is to not stay between Carrer de Ferran and the seafront, or on Las Ramblas, although there are more calm spots nearby.

BigRuss

Get a map of Barcelona that has metro stations on it. Draw a box formed by (about) Placa Catalunya, Verdaguer, Diagonal and Tetuan stations. Anything within will be well-located. Anything nearby (within a few blocks - e.g., hard by Universitat or Arc de Triomf) will also be well-located.

Would avoid the Raval.

We stayed with Barcelonastuff.com.

Used www.apartur.com to peruse rentals. It's an apartment rental association whose members adhere to certain quality standards.

If Barcelona is your last stop before going home, try to find a place that will charge the security deposit to your credit card instead of a cash deposit. You don't want to have to change a wad of Euros to _____ (your currency, if not Euros) on your departure date from the Euro zone.

agonzo

Lolie-I would love to hear about your rental experience. I am planning a trip to Spain this summer-Barcelona, Valencia, and Madrid with my two children. We are hoping to rent apartments at each stop.