Three of us will be staying in Barcelona in early June. Does anyone have a recommendation for a great place to stay for 3 nights/2 days. Any recommendations for what to see during that time?
Gaudi, Gaudi, Gaudi!
The Cathedral of the Sacred Family, for starters. The Parc Guell, but make sure it’s sunny day; you’ll want that for all the colors. The Casa Mila apartment building, and make sure to take the tour and go up onto the roof!
Barcelona is one city I didn’t spend any time in museums or concert halls. The whole city is a piece of art. Great architecture EVERYWHERE.
Also, great food. And the hot chocolate is even better than in Vienna, so don’t skip breakfast.
We stayed in two different hotels. The second was up north into the city in a quiet neighborhood. The first was right on the Rambla, but the rooms were set far enough back that the noise didn’t keep you up at night. If it’s your first visit to Barcelona, why NOT stay on the Rambla?
Bars, cafes, restaurants, that huge marketplace.
If you’re a girl, plan to buy some boots. If you’re a guy, get ready to look at lots of beautiful women wearing boots. Flats, heels, ankle, thigh-high, every kind of boot. Barcelona is the Boot Capital of Europe. I’m no shoe fetishist, BTW – believe me, you’ll notice.
It’s not a cathedral…
Nava, former parishioner of the Sagrada Familia Expiatory Temple.
In the Parc Güell, look for the only column in the colonnade that’s got an actual shape. And in Canaletes (the top of the Ramblas, not counting Rambla Catalunya), drink from the fountain: it’s supposed to enchant those who do so they’ll come back 
I rarely stay in hotels there (hey, that’s what Grandma’s house is for), but:
- a lot of “apartments” are illegal. Those don’t have any service. Cheaper (not always) but they may prove too interesting.
- Eixample (the chessboard area) and Gràcia (upmountain/NW from the chessboard) are generally safe; they’re well-communicated with the airport, with downtown (I know many Americans think that any mixed-buildings area is downtown, but by that criteria all of Barcelona would be), with the theatre district…
And don’t forget the Casa Battlo, with the bones and the dragon on the roof. Go inside; the interior is gorgeous Art Nouveau.
And **Nava ** is right; Sagrada Familia is not a Cathedral. That doesn’t make it any less magnificent.
Sorry for the error, guys. To an atheist, any big-ass church is a Cathedral.
Take the subway to Sagrada Familia! You go up the steps, turn around, and your jaw just DROPS.
Nava, I hope the roof was up when you were a parishioner. Did people bring umbrellas when the Temple was open to the sky?
As explained in one of the other threads, Mass takes place in the crypt (that officially means “basement”, not “grave”). There have only been a few upstairs so far. Anyway it’s Barcelona: 335 days per year you’d need the umbrella more as a “sun stopper” (that is, as the “little shadow” of the English word’s origin) than as a “rain stopper”…
Don’t remember the exact location, but my wife & I stayed at a hotel called ‘Room Mate Emma’ or something like that. It was modern, conveniently located, and included breakfast for an extremely reasonable rate. It was within walking distance from the Gaudi house and La Rambla, etc. Also very near the subway station.
The ‘Room Mate’ chain apparently has hotels in many different major European cities. We stayed at another in Madrid and it also was a great value.
Picasso is from Barcelona and the Picasso museum there has one of the best collections of Picasso works throughout his lifetime.
You will also find original Picasso sketches hanging in most restaurants around the city. Later in life while dining at restaurants there he would draw a sketch and leave it for the proprietor.
Don’t overlook AirBnB for excellent lodging. From Castles to cuartos.
Make a day trip to Montserrat if you have the time. Another site to consider is Montjuïc.
… what Gaudi house?
Picasso was from Malaga.
I stayed in an apartment through airbnb. It was a few blocks from the Las Arenas stadium. I was there for an event at the convention hall across the intersection from it.
The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc was nearby so I walked to it a few times to watch the show.
My favorite outing was Mount Tibidabo. It was very touristy I took the cable car up and everything. It overlooks the city has a mini amusement park and a beautiful cathedral.
I did a hop on hop off buss tour thing. It was a 4 day pass. I did end up doing all the routes it offered. It was rather convenient as simply a means of travel.
I’ve only stayed in Barcelona once so stuck with the more touristy stuff the others I was there with wanted to do, I was quite happy with the trip. In 3 days you’ll have a packed schedule.
Be aware Barcelona is the pick pocket capital of the world. Be on guard, be protective of your belongings. My friends and I had no issues, a number of other attendees did.
Las Arenas is a former bullfighting ring turned mall. The Church of the Sacred Heart on Tibidabo is, again, an expiatory temple.
I swear to God, cathedral does not mean “big church”!
My mistake. honestly I’m not sure how to tell the difference by looking at them. I assume the differences are more purpose than structural though.
Yes, a cathedral is the “see” or “chair” of a bishop. It’s a bishop’s parish. Architecturally speaking, it can be a hut.
There is a cathedral in Barcelona, and it’s worth visiting, if only for the geese. – But it’s not as spectacular as Sagrada Familia.
Incidentally, the largest Christian church of them all is not a cathedral – St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican is not the cathedral church of the Bishop of Rome – so size is not everything.
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… what Gaudi house?
If I were to take a guess, I’d say Casa Milà.
Sombrilla is strange, in that the “little shadow” in English uses the Spanish: para el sol: parasol.