Hotels in Barcelona

Staying in Barcelona

Barcelona is easy to read on a map. The old town, with the Barri Gòtic, El Born and the Raval, sits at the bottom near the port. The Eixample is the grid of chamfered blocks above it, with the Passeig de Gràcia running through and the Sagrada Família on its eastern side. Gràcia, further up, was a separate village and keeps its own squares. Barceloneta is the beach district on the point by the harbour, and Montjuïc, the hill to the west, holds the museums and the Olympic sites. Sants station, where the trains from Madrid and Paris arrive, is on the west side of the Eixample. Barcelona-El Prat Airport lies south-west of the city, past the port and the river. Rail and metro reach it, and the transfer routes listed on this page suit arrivals with luggage, groups and anyone heading to a hotel in the old town, where the lanes are narrow and a driver drops you at the nearest point. Keep the hotel address to hand for the driver. Stay in the Eixample for a wide street, a lift and the metro on the corner. Stay in the old town for the lanes and the late nights. Stay in Barceloneta for the sea. Gràcia suits a quieter evening and a longer stay.