Barcelona - Hotels-Food-Entertainment

Soldato
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Myself and 3 other guys will be staying in Barcelona for a few days and will be there to enjoy watching the world cup final which would be fantastic if spain win it. Anyhow, I know nothing about Barcelona so I was wondering what things can you recommend us to do to enjoy enjoy ourselves before heading south for the festival. Good places to go at night on the rip, nice places to eat or things to do during the day. A tour around the Nou camp is all I have planned.

On an Important note, where is a good cheap place/hotel to stay and is in a good location so we don't have to travel miles to get to the entertainment?

Your suggestions are very welcome.
 
Associate
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I stayed near Playa de Catalunya which is fairly central.

For touristy stuff, definitely visit Las Ramblas, both in daytime and evening, daytime/evening it's a massive market, and leads to streets with loads of bars and restaurants.

Gothic Quarter, worth a wander around, some great sites.
 
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I stayed in Apt Ramcat which is a hostal, but with private rooms - it's just off Las Ramblas and near the tube.

Food wise, I would be wary of many of the places in the city centre, there are some really good ones, but some really terrible ones as well, and it's easy to get stung for some filthy food if you're not careful. I paid over 10 euros for the worst pizza I've ever eaten there! If you're going out for a meal then I would check reviews first.

I would also recommend the Gothic Quarter, and the Gaudi stuff. The unfinished cathedral is a must see, but quite expensive to go in
 
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Stay on Ramblas, Carrier De Ferra or Placa De Catalunya and you will be smack bang in the middle of everything you need.

Do not eat or drink on La Ramblas itself, and also stay away from Irish Bars as they rip you off something rotten when it comes to most alcohol.
 
Soldato
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I also stayed literally on Las Ramblas when I went. Had booked us to stay in a hostel just off of it, but for some reason they had overbooked, so had organized a private apartment for us. It turned out to be huge with loads of room and looked right over the street, but it was a bit of a mission because the owners of the hostel didn't speak any English and took them ages to get the keys from someone who owned the apartment.

I think I went to one of those Irish bars... all owned by the same people I believe. I went in there a couple of times, more just because it seemed like the only place that there were fellow Brits. But we did go right at the end of summer, so it wasn't as busy as I'd imagine it is over the main summer months.

I'd also agree with the comments about being careful where you eat. The first night we were there, we stupidly ate at a place called Genove 1911 on La Ramblas, it was the worst meal in a restaurant I've ever had. My one friend had to leave, he felt so sick. We then had an argument with the manager who threatened to phone the Police. It's funny that I just googled the restaurant and found out we weren't the only ones who had the same treatment!

http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserR...50044370-Genove_1911-Barcelona_Catalonia.html

So avoid that place like the plague!
The ones I heard which were good is the one in the gothic quarter which has a fire oven outside it. There is also one in a big courtyard near the Irish Bar which has a que at dinner time to get a table that stretches across the whole square!

There is lots of interesting architecture to see. The market off Las Ramblas is great, especially for fresh squeezed juices, which are only €1. The beach also doesn't take too long to walk to.

Las Ramblas at night is a pretty interesting experience also. It totally changes from how it is during the day. All the street performers and sellers get replaced by more shady characters. Drug dealers and men selling cans off beer are literally every few steps away. There are also hundreds of african prostitutes who will try and grab you and your mates if you aren't with women. It was like being chased by zombies at one stage when they were banging on the door outside our apartment! It's not right!

Also watch out for pickpockets, as one got my mate and its pretty rife in Barcelona.
 
Soldato
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It was like being chased by zombies at one stage when they were banging on the door outside our apartment! It's not right!
[REC] :eek:

You might get some good lunch time deals on Las Ramblas but, in my experience, most places are overpriced and poor quality come dinner time.
 
Soldato
OP
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Cheers for the info guys. I take it, we need to book a hotel as close to Las Ramblas as we can get?

I looked at the GBB Hotel mentioned above and it looks very sweet indeed and you can't complain about the price. Only problem is whether you would consider it too far from Las Ramblas meaning local transport to get in and out?

Nice food and nice places to eat at are essential as I love to try new things when I am on holiday so any recommendations for restaurants are welcome. I do not want to waste time hunting for nice places or taking chances hoping they will be good.
 
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