Sleep in Barcelona: the best areas to stay in Barcelona

Are you looking to stay in Barcelona for your stay in Catalonia? Here is a mini-guide of the districts of Barcelona for a successful holiday.

With its 100 km2 of area, Barcelona has a size similar to that of Paris . The second city of Spain, the Catalan capital enjoys a strategic geographical and economic position, and it is also one of the most visited tourist cities in Europe: in 2015, 9 million people visited Barcelona.

You don't know anything about the city? Finding a neighbourhood where to stay in Barcelona is not really difficult. Hotels, apartments, vacation rentals on Airbnb... The offer of accommodation is varied and because of its Mediterranean climate and its rich heritage, Barcelona is one of the most visited cities in the continent. Whether you're staying in the historic centre around the Ramblas, on the seafront at the Barceloneta, in the El Born district – that of tapas bars and trendy places – or in the bohemian and alternative district of Gracia, you'll always have a different atmosphere, including a non-exhaustive presentation.

Las Ramblas:Barri Gòtic and El Raval

Barri Gòtic

This is the historic centre, the oldest in Barcelona. This is where you will find the Spanish vestiges of Antique Rome, for example the Temple of Augustus, and the famous medieval cathedral of Sainte-Eulalie. Between the paved alleys and historical monuments, the different ages of time are surrounded, as well as the inhabitants and visitors, who walk through the most vibrant streets of Barcelona.

In this area, a walk on the emblematic avenue La Rambla – a large pedestrian path of 1.2 km long – will allow you to reach the famous Plaza de Catalunya at the old port, where the throne of the statue of Christophe Colomb (Use from the point of view on the city from the top of the mirador).

El Raval

On its western part, the El Raval district is multicultural and is therefore perfect if you are looking to sleep in Barcelona in a dynamic location. Once malfame, it now hosts many tapas restaurants and bars and good cultural outing ideas and is ideal for staying in Barcelona. Visit for example the Museum of Modern Art of Barcelona or the Boqueria market in which you can, in addition to the visit, take a local cooking class .

Prices can be high, especially in the summer. If you stay there, wait for the atmosphere to be rather noisy and lively: tourists, noise and music, because let’s not forget that the Spaniards live outside until very late at night.

El Born

Old pedestrian streets, terraces, tapas bars resting on small shaded squares, museums – like the famous Picasso Museum –, shops, the Sainte-Catherine Market, the Santa Maria del Mar Church... El Born is quite central and has everything to seduce tourists because it offers for all tastes. Attention, however, to stay in Barcelona in this corner of the city asks for a certain budget: hotels are rather chic and expensive.

In the heart of the city, also enjoy the Barcelona Zoo and the Parc de la Ciutadella, a large green area of 60 hectares in Barcelona. Life is effervescent, between sunny terraces and bars to enjoy nightlife and very crowded streets.

Gràcia

Renowned to house the famous Park Güell – built under the aegis of Gaudí -, Gràcia, southern part of the city, has small village looks in the Catalan megalopolis. This area, which is far from the city centre, lives at the pace of the premises, between traditional bars and small craftsmen. Gràcia is the best area to stay in Barcelona for many visitors and expatriates.

Rather young and dynamic, it welcomes the young bohemian, alternative or even libertarian, and many tapas bars that snake the neighborhood, and especially the big party that makes the annual hull of the inhabitants of the neighborhood after 15 August: the festa major de Gràcia .

Because of its rather remote location, the rates of accommodation are much lower than in the city centre, and the neighborhood is more, rather enjoyable to live: this makes it an ideal drop point if you don't know where to sleep in Barcelona during your stay. If you want to make cultural visits exclusively, don’t stay there for more than one night, because apart from Parc Güell, there’s little to do with the cultural surroundings.

L’Eixample

The largest administrative area in the city, the city is divided into two by Passeig de Gràcia Avenue. The Eixample represents the time when Barcelona had to undergo wide breakthroughs, an enlargement operated by engineer Cerda, who is not without recalling the work of Haussmann in Paris.

There are many buildings in this area, including the famous Sagrada Família . If you like modernist architectural art, then the Eixample is an excellent area where to stay in Barcelona for you. Because in addition to the Sagrada Família, you will find most of Gaudí's creations, such as the Sagrada Família. Casa Milà and Casa Batlló . This corner of Barcelona represents "The Illa de la Disòrdia" , the island of discord, because it is here that the modernist architects were engaged in a competition of all the most extravagant buildings.

Despite a rather large population density, housing is not cheap. To stay in Barcelona in this area, sit on a rather comfortable budget.

La Barceloneta and Villa Olímpica

La Barceloneta

Located in San-Marti, Villa Olímpica del Poblenou, a former fishing and marine area of Barcelona is located on the seafront, south of Barri Gòtic. Renowned for its popular holidays, tourists and locals like to come and enjoy the Mediterranean atmosphere that reigns there, with small tapas bars to snack "until no time".

Villa Olímpica

If you like to sit on the terrace – with, please, the feet in the sand – by swallowing a good pint in front of the sea, or enjoying a good seafood tray, La Barceloneta the area where to stay in Barcelona that you need. Between the northern harbour and the Olympic port of Barcelona, the Barceloneta beach offers the opportunity to visit Barcelona Aquarium – the largest aquarium in the world dedicated to the seabed of the Mediterranean Sea – or the history museum of Catalonia. Ideal for sleeping in Barcelona by contenting small and large! Precaution of self-use: this neighborhood being adjacent to the city centre, it is also very popular. The high summer affluence is likely to increase already high accommodation prices.

El Poblenou

Poblenou is a neighborhood located northeast of the city centre, on the seafront. It is a former working and popular neighborhood with a lot of factories – not sexy so, for tourists – it represented the largest industrial basin in Catalonia. Just that!

Today, the neighbourhood has been modernized and renovated, so it has a significant interest: a singular contrast is offered to the visitor between the squares and their popular alleys typical of Spain and modern buildings. It offers a little less interest than the other quarters, but nevertheless remains appreciable, especially for visiting the seafront by bike or shopping at the Diagonal Mar shopping centre.