Where to Stay in Barcelona: Complete Guide for First Timers

Gràcia: Our Favorite Neighborhood in Barcelona

We stayed in Gràcia for the majority of our foray into Barcelona a couple of years ago, and loved it. It will 100% be the place we stay the next time we find ourselves in the Catalonian capital, which is about as good an endorsement as we can give. 

At one point, Gràcia used to be a completely separate village from Barcelona, and it’s easy to imagine that being the case as you stroll the streets early in the morning, before the hustle and bustle of Barcelona really gets going. 

I’ve seen the word “bohemian” used a lot to describe Gràcia, and I’m still not quite sure exactly what the word means.

I think Gràcia is a little hipster, a little family-oriented with plenty of plazas and green spaces full of locals (and their kids and/or dogs) going about their days, and a lot charming and packed full of amazing food, drinks, and shops. 

Gràcia is hip without falling into hipster cliches, managing to be both quiet and pedestrian friendly, yet also atmospheric and lively.

In short, we loved Gràcia, and think it would be a great home base for exploring Barcelona, especially if you want to stay somewhere that isn’t exclusively for tourists (though there are plenty of those around pretty much everywhere in Barcelona). 

Pros and Cons of Staying in Gràcia

Here are the pros and cons of staying in Gràcia as we see them.

Pros of Staying in Gràcia: 

• Great Transit Connections. There are two metro stops – Diagonal and Gràcia – that connect you to the L3 and L5 metro lines, which take you both downtown and to some of Barcelona’s main sights.
  
  
• Community Feeling. Obviously, as a tourist, you’re not really going to ever be a part of a community when you’re traveling. But it is very pleasant to sit on a plaza and watch as people go about their daily lives and feel like you’re immersed in local life, even if it’s just for a few minutes. The key is being respectful of that community – here’s how you can be a respectful tourist in Barcelona.
  
  
• Great Food and Drinks. Whether you’re looking for a morning cup of coffee or a nightcap, Gràcia has a pretty incredible array of places to eat and drink at all hours. It’s particularly energetic on warm summer evenings, when the outdoor terraces of nearly every bar and restaurant in the neighborhood are packed from 9:00 pm on. 

Cons of Staying in Gràcia: 

• Not Walkable to Ciutat Vella. While it’s walkable in terms of walking within the neighborhood, it does require a metro trip (or 30+ minute walk) to get to the Gothic Quarter and El Born.
  
  
• Not Many Places to Stay. There aren’t that many choices in terms of places to stay. There are a few hotels and aparthotels, but the vast majority of the area is residential (and we think that you shouldn’t stay in an Airbnb in cities). 

The Best Places to Stay in Gràcia

Here are some of our picks for the best places to stay in Gràcia. 

Be Mate Paseo de Gràcia: Great Location with Hotel Rooms and apartments

Right on Passeig de Gràcia (which means you’re two to three minutes from a metro station that will connect you to the rest of the city), this hotel/apartment mix has rooms split between hotel-style rooms with king beds that are surprisingly spacious, and apartments (one or two bedrooms), which means that they probably have an option that’s right for you, whatever your style and budget.

Some of the hotel-style rooms have private terraces (yes please!), some have balconies.

The apartments are spacious and stylish, with full kitchens (with ovens and coffee makers) and plenty of room to spread out and relax.

If we were to do a trip to Barcelona again, this would be where we’d stay. 

Raddison Blu 1882: A Beautiful Boutique Hotel

An eco-conscious boutique hotel in the heart of Gràcia, this beautiful hotel (recently renovated, too) is on the northeastern side of the neighborhood, closer to the Sagrada Familia than Passeig de Gràcia.

But it’s still within walking distance to everything in the area. Bike rentals, a nice pool, and a rooftop bar with views of the Sagrada Familia are a few of the things you’ll have to look forward to if you stay here.

Choose from king rooms, rooms with two twins, and triples and family rooms with space for three and four people. 

Feelathome Mozart Apartments: Spacious Apartments in a Great Location

A couple of blocks from Passeig de Gràcia (and the important Diagonal Metro Station, with two metro lines), this small apartment building has six apartments, all recently renovated and outfitted with air conditioning (a must-have for summer), full kitchens (with dishwashers), and washing machines.

If it’s available, grab the apartment with a terrace, where you can enjoy a sunset drink before heading out for a (late, because it’s Spain) dinner in the neighborhood.

They have options with one and two bedrooms, depending on your group size.  

L’Eixample: A Close Second (Excellent Location!)

Compared to Gràcia, which feels very much like a small village within a big city with its narrow single lane streets, l’Eixample is the modern part of Barcelona. L’Eixample was built as Barcelona expanded beyond the old city to connect the suburbs (at the time) like Gràcia to the core of the city.

The name literally means “the expansion” in Catalan because that’s exactly what it was. 

It was designed to be modern, and is characterized by wide, multi-lane boulevards lined with tall buildings with commerce on the ground floor and housing on top floors. Which is, well, very Parisian of them (don’t tell them I said that, though). 

It’s on a tight grid, too, which can’t be said of the narrow alleyways of the Ciutat Vella (where I’ve definitely gotten lost before and had to pull out my phone to see exactly where I was). 

It’s much, much more leafy than the Gothic Quarter, but not as much as Gràcia. It’s much more relaxed and laid back than the Gothic Quarter, but not as much as Gràcia.

It has more of a mix of tourists and locals, but not as much as Gràcia. See a pattern here?

In other words, it’s a compromise between the more laid back feeling you’ll find in Gràcia and the convenience you’ll get by staying more central.

Its superpower is being smack dab in the middle of the action. Which makes it an excellent base for exploring Barcelona.

It is worth noting that this particular neighborhood spans a wide area, basically all the way from Parc Ciutadella at its eastern end to the base of Montjuïc and Plaça d’Espanya to the west. 

In general, we much prefer the area in the center of the neighborhood, just south of Gràcia and west towards Place de Catalunya.

This part of l’Eixample is full of tree-lined streets, places to eat and drink, and leans more towards Gràcia than the Gothic Quarter in terms of its feeling. 

Pros and Cons of Staying in l’Eixample

Here are the pros and cons of staying in l’Eixample as we see them.

Pros of Staying in l’Eixample: 

• Central and Well Connected. There’s probably no better place to stay in terms of walkability and transit connections. You could walk almost anywhere from your hotel, though most people will prefer to save time and energy by taking the metro, which has multiple lines running through the area.
  
  
• Great Food and Drink Offerings. Coffee and food, in particular, are the winners here. Nightlife is a little lacking, but you can make the short journey to El Born for that.
  
  
• Tons of Places to Stay. Whether you’re looking for a luxury hotel or a charming, affordable guesthouse, this neighborhood has a plethora of choices for you to choose from. All styles and budgets can find the perfect place to stay here. 

Cons of Staying in l’Eixample: 

• It Can Be Expensive. Who could have guessed that the area where you’ll find the Prada store in Barcelona would also be an expensive area to stay? Lots of high-end hotels and shops here, which means you’ll likely be paying a little more than other places in Barcelona, though it’s arguably worth it for the central location. 

The Best Places to Stay in l’Eixample

There are a BUNCH of great places to stay in this part of Barcelona, here are a few that caught our eye.

Hotel Casa Bonay​: Beautiful Boutique Hotel (Where We Stayed)

Based in a leafy area of l’Eixample, Casa Bonay is a stylish establishment with a mini-orchard on the rooftop and a beach hut inspired bistro.

It also has a great coffee shop in the lobby (you get a token for a complimentary cup of coffee during your stay when you check in).

The hotel is in a building from the 1800’s that has been completely redone by a local design firm, and now is one of the most stylish places to stay in the city.

Rooms are a bit below average in terms of size, but like many modern mid-range hotels popping up around the world, the idea is to sleep in your room, and use the hotel’s common areas as a place to relax, get work done, or get a quick meal in before heading out to explore.

They do have larger rooms, with seating areas and plenty of space to spread out, but you’ll be paying a premium. I chose to do this so that I could have space to get some writing done, and found my room to be the perfect size.

My room had a lovely little sun room that had a view out over the city, and I spent my mornings there enjoying a cup of coffee and writing before heading out to explore. 

They have a nice rooftop deck too, and it’s exclusive to people staying at the hotel (they also have a rooftop bar, which is not). There is also a cocktail bar and a coffee shop on the ground floor. 

A couple of the rooms also have private terraces, some with outdoor showers.

The hotel is also something of a hotspot for local creative types, who you’ll find hard at work in the hotel’s gorgeous common areas on the ground floor.

Definitely recommended if you’re looking for a stylish place to spend your time in Barcelona. 

Praktik Essens: A Mid-Range Hotel in a Great Location (Where We Stayed)

The next three hotels on this list are all from the same group – Praktik – and they’re all super fun, we think.

We really like the idea behind their hotels – each of their properties is designed around a central theme, and they give the modern traveler everything they need, nothing they don’t, all at a reasonable price.

Matt stayed at the “Essens” location, which is all about smell. From the perfumery in the lobby to the fragrant soaps in the rooms, everything is about your sense of smell.

As you walk through the sliding doors you’re greeted with a waft of floral smells that follow you throughout your stay.

The soaps in the rooms (both shower products and hand soap) all smell lovely, though I’m not sure if that’s different from any of their other properties. 

I, Matt, chose this particular location because of… the location.

It’s right on Passeig de Gràcia – though at the southern end of the road, which puts it in l’Eixample. I walked almost everywhere, and everywhere I didn’t walk I was able to hop on the metro a few blocks away.

Rooms were refurbished recently, and they are cozy and compact, but that’s fine if you’re planning on spending most of your waking hours outside the hotel room.

Some rooms also have a private terrace with a hot tub, though you’ll have to pay a premium for that.

Good WiFi, A/C and heat (for the surprisingly chilly – though short – Barcelona winters), and different room sizes for different budgets. 

Praktik Bakery: A Mid-Range Hotel with an Onsite Bakery

The first ever bakery hotel (whatever that means). The second of the Praktik Hotels on this list is centered around one thing: bread.

There’s an in-house bakery called Baluard (which is why it’s a bakery hotel, I suppose), which is heavily featured in the hotel’s excellent breakfast buffet. We’re suckers for subway tile, so the rooms here are right up our alley.

Like their other hotels, they’re designed for modern travelers who don’t want much space, or the extra stuff that comes with an extra cost. Cozy, well thought out rooms at reasonable prices are the name of the game here.

Different room layouts and sizes based on your particular needs and budget live up to the practicality promised by the name. Everything you need, nothing you don’t (except, maybe, bread). 

Yeah Barcelona Hostel: A Hip Boutique Hostel

We really like the trend of “boutique hostels”, which offer the best of both hostels (the social aspects) and boutique hotels (the stylish and private room aspects) all in a relatively affordable package.

Yeah Hostel is leading the charge in Barcelona’s hostel scene, and it’s in a fantastic location too.

You’ll have access to all the common spaces, including a shared kitchen, and you’ll have your choice of dorm rooms or private double rooms. 

El Born: The Best Part of the Cituat Vella

As we mentioned above in the geography section, the main part of the Ciutat Vella is made up of three distinct areas (plus Barceloneta, which looks and feels very different).

El Born is the easternmost section, and is a little corner of the old city tucked alongside Parc de la Ciutadella that is actually made up of three different sub-neighborhoods (La Ribera, Sant Pere, and Santa Caterina – otherwise known as Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera). 

But everybody calls in El Born, so that’s what we’re going to go with too. 

El Born is an interesting combination. 

On one hand, it feels pretty similar to the Gothic Quarter in terms of the narrow streets and alleys (with surprise churches!).

But for whatever reason, it has suffered less from the overtourism that plagues the Gothic Quarter, and there are still local businesses that occupy El Born. 

That’s not to say there aren’t tourists in El Born – there very much are – but the lack of local businesses in the Gothic Quarter is really what makes it feel a little hollowed out (at least to us), and El Born has plenty of those. 

At the center of the neighborhood, you’ll find the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar, which comes out of nowhere as you emerge from the narrow streets at its base. 

It’s about as central as it gets without staying on La Rambla itself. To the east, you have Parc Ciutadella. To the west is the Gothic Quarter, the historic center of Barcelona.

South is Barceloneta, and if you head north you’ll run into Gaudi’s masterpiece and one of the most intricate and fascinating religious places in the world – the Sagrada Familia. 

Pros and Cons of Staying in El Born

Here are the pros and cons of staying in El Born as we see them.

Pros of Staying in El Born: 

• Great Nightlife. If you’re looking for cozy cocktail bars or places to go dancing until the early hours of the morning, El Born has what you’re looking for. Go after dark to see it at its most energetic.
  
  
• Super Central. You’ll be within walking distance of just about everywhere in Barcelona, and for the places you can’t walk (Parc Güell, for example) you can hop on the metro, which is an easy walk from most points in El Born.
  
  
• Romantic and Charming. Narrow streets, bustling plazas, and towering churches. It feels like you’re in a medieval city, mostly because… you sort of are. 

Cons of Staying in El Born: 

• It’s Expensive. As you might imagine, staying in a place that’s both central and trendy often comes with a high price tag.
  
  
• Limited Options in Terms of Places to Stay. Which exacerbates the “expensive” point above. Not that many hotels, and you should stay away from renting an Airbnb in Barcelona.

The Best Places to Stay in El Born

Here are a few places to stay in El Born that stood out to us.

Mercer Hotel​ (Boutique Hotel): Nestled between El Born and the Gothic Quarter, and featuring views of the dome of the church of Santa María del Mar, the Mercer is an opulent 5-Star luxury hotel in an extremely popular location.

El Born Guest House by Casa Consell (Mid-Range Hotel): At the southeastern edge of the neighborhood, adjacent to Barceloneta and Parc de la Ciutadella, this charming guesthouse is stylish, central, and surprisingly affordable given the first two attributes I mentioned. Rooms are a little on the small side (especially the “small double rooms”), but if you’re planning on spending most of your time out exploring Barcelona, you don’t really need a big room anyway. Some rooms have cute little balconies, which look perfect for an afternoon glass of wine. 

Pension Ciudadela (Guesthouse): A nice, family-run guesthouse (really, it’s a hostel without the bunk rooms) a few hundred feet away from Santa Maria del Mar, our favorite church in Barcelona after the Sagrada Familia. They have compact rooms – some with private external bathrooms, some ensuite – including family rooms with three beds (though the room is basically the same size, so it’s a tight squeeze!). Some rooms have balconies, and crucially, they all have A/C for the sweltering summer heat. 

The Gothic Quarter: Narrow Alleyways and Lots of Tourists

The Gothic Quarter, home to the famous La Rambla, is the most heavily-visited area in the city. Of the words you hear spoken in the Gothic Quarter, the majority are likely to be in a language other than Spanish or Catalan. 

Still, despite the fact that this entire area is built specifically to cater to tourists with shops selling knick-knacks and souvenirs that only tourists buy (and only a very specific type of tourists, usually, the ones who come on the giant cruise ships that dock nearby), there’s something very romantic about the narrow alleys and pedestrian-only streets of the Gothic Quarter. 

The former Jewish Quarter (“El Call”), in particular, is one of our favorite parts of the city. 

We’d highly recommend staying at least a block or two off of La Rambla if you do choose to stay here. 

You’re going to pay a bit more than your room is worth anywhere in this part of the city since it’s so central and charming, but that issue is particularly bad around La Rambla, where hotels (and restaurants, for that matter) don’t even have to try to be good because of the location. 

For what it’s worth, we’d much prefer the charm and ambiance of El Born, if you’re set on staying in the old city. 

Pros and Cons of Staying in the Gothic Quarter

Here are the pros and cons of staying in the Gothic Quarter as we see them.

Pros of Staying in the Gothic Quarter: 

• Romantic and Charming. Narrow alleys. Cobblestone streets. Plazas that emerge from seemingly out of nowhere. Once you leave La Rambla, it feels like you’re in a medieval town.
  
  
• THE Most Central Neighborhood. As you might imagine, the Gothic Quarter, which is the center of the Old Town, is the most central part of the city. Within about 15 minutes you can walk to El Raval, L’Eixample, and El Born, along with Barceloneta. 

Cons of Staying in the Gothic Quarter: 

• It’s Basically Exclusively Tourists. Around every corner, you’ll find a pack of tourists. Sometimes hundreds all shuffling along listening to a guide on a headset, if there’s a cruise ship in town (spoiler: there probably is). Everything in the Gothic Quarter caters to tourists, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing – it’s just a specific vibe that’s worth knowing ahead of time. 
  
  
• La Rambla. Is this the most famous street in all of Spain? It’s at the top of the list for sure. We also think it’s the worst street in the country. It’s worth strolling once, from Placa de Catalunya to the Columbus statue with a stop at La Boqueria, but we wouldn’t eat, drink, or spend much time at all within a block or two of this heavily-trafficked, highly overrated boulevard. 

The Best Places to Stay in the Gothic Quarter

Here are a few places to stay in the Gothic Quarter that stood out to us as good options.

The Wittmore​ (Boutique Hotel): Although located right in the heart of the old city, the Wittmore feels more like an intimate speakeasy or a private club. Think cozy and intimate, with a bar and dining area that are great for meeting new friends. Adults only, so perfect for couples!

Colón Hotel Barcelona (Boutique Hotel): I’m not sure the location of this boutique hotel in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter could be any better. Or, put another way, could the location BE any better (reference)? It’s right across the plaza from the Barcelona Cathedral, just a block from both the Mercado Santa Caterina and a couple of blocks from the Jewish Quarter, home of the aforementioned amazing tea shops. It’s a big hotel, with 129 rooms, and they range from “classic” to “design,” with the latter being both more stylish and more expensive. The important thing, we think, is the rooms with a Cathedral view, which is what you should probably focus on more than the design vs. classic distinction. 

Ohla Barcelona (Luxury Hotel): If you’re looking for one of the best luxury hotels in the heart of Barcelona, look no further. The Ohla Hotel is opulent and luxurious, and the rooftop terrace and rooftop pool (an infinity pool, no less) is an excellent touch. The rooms are gigantic, at least compared to most other hotels in Barcelona, and they’re all stylish and comfortable. We like that the rooms have wooden floors (because carpets in hotel rooms are kind of gross, aren’t they?). 

Barceloneta: A Vibrant Neighborhood with an Overrated Beach

Originally, I thought of Barceloneta as exclusively an area for the beach, which is a wide, sandy affair on the Mediterranean. We’re not huge beach people, so we kind of dismissed it and completely neglected including it in an earlier version of this guide. 

However, after connecting with two locals on my latest trip during/after tours, I can firmly say that there’s A LOT more going on in Barceloneta than just the beach (spoiler: it’s mostly great food and drinks). 

I actually had the privilege of walking through Barceloneta with Elvira, my guide on my walking tour with With Locals (highly recommend both the tour and Elvira as a guide!), and that’s when it clicked for me that Barceloneta is more than the beach. 

We went to Mercat de la Barceloneta, which is a cornucopia of Catalan food (though I have Celiac Disease, which is a lot more complicated).

To get there, we walked through the narrow streets lined by tall apartment buildings adorned with Catalan flags, and I realized that “oh yeah, people live here.” 

Barceloneta as a neighborhood is a triangular manmade peninsula that juts out into the Mediterranean, bordered by the sea, El Born, and Poblenou (and Parc de la Ciutadella).

Generally speaking, the closer you get to the beach at the southern tip, the more generic it becomes.

This part of the city has a high concentration of vacation rental listings, and their presence is hollowing out the neighborhood, forcing locals out as landlords chase the tourist money. 

Like we’ve said before in this guide, we firmly believe that we as travelers should stay in hotels (or aparthotels), rather than individual vacation rentals, which hurt local communities by increasing housing prices and destroying the sense of community in the area with a revolving door of one to two day residents.

Which brings us to the biggest issue with Barceloneta: there’s really only one or two places to stay. Which is fine, that means it’s probably worth visiting during your trip, but staying elsewhere. 

Pros and Cons of Staying in Barceloneta

Here are the pros and cons of staying in Barceloneta as we see them.

Pros of Staying in Barceloneta: 

• The Beach. The main reason to stay here is probably the beach, though it’s not the best beach in the city, we’d say. If you want to soak up the beach vibes while still being within walking distance of a bunch of great places to eat and drink (and an easy ride to other parts of the city), Barceloneta is a good option. 
  
  
• Good Food and Drinks. As we’ll cover in a second, this part of the city has retained some of the local residents and businesses that give it its character, and as a result there are some pretty good places to eat and drink here (more specifics in a second). 

Cons of Staying in Barceloneta: 

• It’s Not Particularly Well Connected. There’s a metro stop on the border with El Born (called Barceloneta), but as you get deeper into the peninsula, the connections become a little more tenuous, and you’re going to have a short walk to access the metro and buses. 
  
  
• The Beach is Madness in the Summer. It’s the busiest part of Barcelona come July and August, and we’d actually just completely avoid it during that period. Head out to Poblenou a little further up the coast for better beaches that are more relaxed. 
  
  
• There Aren’t Many Places to Stay. While there are a bunch of short term vacation rentals here (but we’ve covered that you should avoid these in Barcelona), there are only a couple of hotels in Barceloneta, which means your choices are few and far between. The main hotel – the beautiful W Hotel at the tip of the peninsula – is also pretty far from the metro. 

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