Stayed at the Tryp Apolo Hotel. A fantastic place with a class staff who took very good care of our group. Excellent breakfast, great location, and very clean and comfortable rooms, CAUTION - the cab drivers from the airport to the hotel charged us for the cab ride AND A PER BAG CHARGE. We were 5 adults with a total of 15 bags going on a 24 day cruise. It was 11:00pm and we were all very tired from a long day of travel and feel we were taken advantage of, but the cab driver apparently forgot how to speak English once we got to the hotel. Anyway, other than that we found Barcelona a wonderful place. Our hotel was just a coupe of blocks from Las Ramblas, and we found it very easy to navigate the streets and explore the city. The food, the shopping, the museums (always seemed to be very crowded) and the weather was all fantastic. We did a 2-day hop-on/hop-off tour to get an overview of the city. That provided excellent opportunities for great photos and an easy way to go back the next day to explore specific places. We found the locals to be very helpful and friendly. Some of the street vendors were very rude and pesky, not wanting to take "no" for an answer to their over-priced and cheaply made merchandise. Our cab ride to the port for our cruise was easy and we were not cheated by the cab drivers on this part of the trip. A flat rate (about 30 Euros for each of the 3 cabs). The port was just a short ride from the hotel and the baggage men at the cruise terminal were polite and courteous. A return to Barcelona is definitely in the future, but now that we know about the unscrupulous cab drivers and pesky street merchants, we will be better prepared to enjoy 100% of our visit.

I loved Hotel Cortes in Barrio Gotic. It was perfect. Right in the center of everything. You had Ramblas on the right when you walked outside and Centro Cataluyna to your left with every shop and eating place just steps away. The Hotel staff was wonderful! Between Andres hospitality(don't let his serious demeanor distract you because as soon as you talk to him he's just the best!) to June's smiles and amazing cappuccinos I couldn't have asked for better. Yes this is not a "luxury" Hotel but OMG it is suuuuuuuuper clean, the staff does Everything to make your stay amazing, the rooms are super comfortable the hot showers are amazing because the shower pressure is great, and I absolutely love city views and life so the views were absolutely amazing looking down the Barcelona city streets. Yes at night it's a tad bit noisy but if you don't like the city don't stay in a city hotel lol Anyways, I will be back and I will be staying here. Love this city and the prices of the leather and clothes is unbeatable! Well, at least if you're from the states lol. Hope this helps!

The city is immaculate. The people were helpful and friendly. It could have been cooler but we expected it to be hot in August! We ate near our wonderful hotel Olivias Balma and they were great! We saw Sacra Familia. I think that the authorities need to work on crowd control. The streets we almost unpassable and with no room to move. There should have been more shade andfences.

I was traveling with someone who has a disability so walking too much was the negative of this trip. Barcelona was the port we left to and from for our Mediterranean cruise. We primarily used taxis for the airport & port, as well as one of the hop on and hop off buses to get around the city (bought tickets directly at one of the hotels). When we stayed on Rambla de Cataluyna, it was a shopping district so couldn't find nearby supermarkets. Bakeries and cafes, yes. Hotel staff helped us find a convenient ATM around the corner. La Rambla did have supermarkets where we could find fresh fruit. However staying on La Rambla is way too noisy at night if you don't have ear plugs. We recommend touring Casa Batllo and Sagrada Familia. You will be amazed! So much talent! Fascinating! Casa Batllo doesn't have elevators though if you have a disability. My mom went only up a couple floors and didn't go to the roof. You can buy tickets on the Hop on and Off bus (Barcelona City Tours-red bus) for Sagrada Familia and other tours. I don't have many tips for finding bathrooms. In Italy it was more acceptable for you to buy something from a cafe or restaurant and be able to use the toilet. Not what we experienced in Barcelona. Obviously watch your belongings-money, passport. We wore anti-theft over-the-shoulder bags that we specially bought. Everything I had read said be very careful, especially on La Rambla. As such, we didn't have any problems.

Barcelona is a great city, a wonderful opportunity to see art, culture, shows, theater, etc. Unfortunately, we went during the hottest month of the year, and were not prepared for the high humidity and the overwhelming CROWDS on streets. I would LOVE to return to Barcelona during the off season, where there are less tourists, perhaps Fall and Spring, with nicer and more welcoming weather and streets less crowded. Also, it is important for someone that can´t go except in July August, to make sure at least, to reserve a lodging with AC, and with elevator, and make sure it is a clean and inviting atmosphere and average size rooms and bathrooms.

My boyfriend and I traveled around Europe for a month, catching the highlights of major cities with a 3-4 day stay in each. Barcelona was my personal favorite city and a great way to round out the trip. The hotel helped a lot - Ayre Hotel Gran Vía has a really helpful and professional staff and the rooms are beautiful. Best of all... we afforded it on a backpacking budget. It's super close to Arenas, an old bull fighting ring turned shopping mall. Best food find: Felice. It's a few metro stops away and the Dutch owners are super friendly (Dutch, English, Catalan, and Spanish fluent). We visited Parc Guell (mostly free, lots of tourists and locals alike, full of art) and Parc del Laberinto d'Horta (free on Wednesdays and Sundays). Favorite part about Barcelona : the people. We recommend buying metro ticket packs (we used together 14 tickets in four days) as the metro can get you pretty much anywhere.