Paris or Barcelona?
 

Hi! Based solely on best value for dollar what would you choose between for a trip this May? Airfare seems to be a higher from NYC to Barcelona but apartments for 8 nights seem to be ~same price (looking to stick around E85 per night). But all the research on Paris eats(my initial choice) seems to reflect that even casual dining would cost around E75 (bistros, with 1 or 2 glasses of wine for 2 persons). So now am considering Barcelona.. What do you think?

Hotels in BCN are pretty expensive but if you rent an apartment you may beat that.

Food and drink are still very inexpensive in BCN and certainly less expensive than in Paris. This is even more true for more remote regions in Spain.

In BCN, a decent meal including wine for less than 20 Euros, even less than 15 Euros should be no problem.

Hi S,

You can eat reasonably well in Paris for about 25-30E pp, with wine.

Check out creperies and bistros.

For example,
Rotisserie D'en Face
Brasserie Balzar
Leon de Bruxelles

((I))

suetibu, Paris is my first love, and I just returned from my first trip to Barcelona. While I do agree with Ira that you can eat mor cheaply in Paris than E75, I was very pleasantly surprised at how inexpensive Barcelona was! We ate and drank QUITE WELL, casually, but quite well, for very reasonable prices. We stayed in an apartment for a reasonable price (considering it was holiday time.) Most importantly, Barcelona, while different than Paris, is a fantastic, fun, beautiful, friendly city!

Thank you. I am going to start searching for apts in BCN to fully compare.

S

Agree, with most posters.
Love, love Paris but Barcelona was a find. A fantastic city much cheaper than Paris, London or Rome.

Hi! THe difference in airfare between barcelona and paris for 2 persons is $550(NYC to barcelona is more expensive). I was hoping to make this up this difference with a cheaper Barcelona apt but have had no such luck (I have a great Paris apt in the 5th quartier for E580 for 8 nights). Am I missing something or will all the other costs in Barcelona be significantly cheaper to make up for this increase in airfare and apt? Or should I just stick with Paris?

Thanks,
S

I told you, accomodation is surprisingly expensive in BCN, but food & drink is cheap.

Given that you pay for the flight, consider earnestly travelling to Paris. IMO, Paris is much more spectacular than BCN.

And if you are on a budget, you will be able to save money in Paris, too. You don't need to eat in restaurants regularly, Paris has wonderful snack places, too. You can buy fantastic French food in a charcuterie or boulangerie together with a bottle of wine and have a meal on a park bench (don't forget to bring cutlery, plastic plate and plastic glass). We even enjoyed our picnics on a graveyard (nothing wrong with that, like Savannah).

If you have not already been to Paris, I would recommend Paris over Barcelona absolutely. It's a no brainer.

Barcelona is cheaper than Paris for food and drink, but Paris is more spectacular than Barcelona, for sure. But I love both cities.

If you go with Paris b/c airfare is cheaper, you do NOT have to spend 75E for every meal. There are ways to keep the budget down.

If you have an apartment, that means you can buy food at the grocery store and eat it in the apt. for a couple of meals to cut down expenses. Eat at a creperie for lunch, etc. Save up the dining dollars for one or two great meals but go cheap-o at other times.

Hi everybody,
This will be our first trip to either place. And I am leaning towards paris based on(cheaper than anything I can find in BCN) and "wow" factor. We live in NYC and eat out a lot. We are not interested in trying out expensive restaurants. We will definitely try to picnic also. Some of our favourite restaurants here in NYC cost $15 or less for entree. I am looking for similar places in Paris. I also want to try the more unique foods available in Paris - crepes, couscous, falafel,cheese etc.. So any suggestions. I have gotten a list from fodors and elsewhere as a rough guide for where we are in the area. Any comments on if I can be more affordable?
racines - wine bar
tavern henry 1V-wine bar
cuisine de bar-sandwiches
L'Atlas- seafood coucous
Le Rubis-wine bar
la maison du jardin-bistro
creperie bretonne
des Gâteaux & du Pain-bakery
La Fromagerie 31 -cheese tasting
Alléosse’s-cheese
Restaurant Polidor
la petite chaise - bistro
Les Fetes Galantes
mariage freres
poilane-bakery
brasserie balzar
L,Impasse
pierre herme 2-macaroons
le relais de venise-steak frites -
severo-steak frites,wine bar
L'as du fallafel
chez omar-coucous
le voltaire-bistro
chez allard-bistro
cafe de flore
willi's wine bar
le tais- couscous
Taillavent-sat 10-6,wine tasting
la regalade-bistro
l'avant gout-bistro
gerard mulot-bakery
cave de la bourgoggne

Thanks,
S

CORR:
And I am leaning towards paris based on cheaper airfare, fantastic apt(cheaper than anything I can find in BCN) and "wow" factor.

If you live in NYC, you'll find both cities very affordable. I'd choose Paris over Barcelona if for no other reason than I like the food a LOT better in France than in Spain.

Les Poulbot off Place du Tertre, Monmartre, serves a 3 course lunch for 10 euros (15 euros for dinner.)

I thought that was the best meal I had on my recent 8 day trip.

Restaurant Bruxelles, right outside of the Luxembourg Metro entrance and opposite the Jardin du Luxembourg, is our favorite place in Paris. Excellent moules, frites, and Belgian beer!

If you continue up that street, away from the garden, past the Pantheon and into the Latin Quarter (I think), there is a Savoyard fondue restaurant that is also superb. A locals' place, filled with students and older couples, very friendly and welcoming.

Barcelona is cheaper.

Paris is a better city.

Go to Paris and eat cheap- even the cheap food is amazing.

I vacationed in Barcelona this past September. When I was looking at flights I could fly point-to-point on Conti fom $700.00 but chose Air Portugal (TAP) for $200.00 / person less. This required one stop in Portugal with a plane change, but only added 1 hour to the trip over and back. It was worth the saving (and the food was better)

Have you priced all of the other airlines and also flights out of Newark?

Pjk