5 nights in Barcelona in October, but where?

I was there last September and stayed in a B&B, El Balcon de Born...a couple of blocks south of the Picasso Museum on a pedestrian only street. The building dates from the 1800's, and the B&B is the top rated one in Barcelona. Not luxurious, but a great staff, tasty breakfast, and central location all add up to a fantastic stay. I hope to stay there on my next visit.

Get your Sagrada Familia tickets on line before you go and save a long long wait in the line to get in.

Enjoy walking the las Rambalas and all the side streets...lots to do and see.

Great restaurant not on the tourist path Reataurante El Raco De Villa...check out the web site...Also Bernie's Diner, basically behind the church Maria del Mar...fantastic American cuisine...

Have a great time.

Five nights sounds great and october is a great time to visit.
Save money and check out options for renting an apt. Start w Airbnb to get a taste of options.
Save more money by jumping on the metro to get out of the tourist zone to est or use the apt kitchen to make some meals.
You have time for a daytrip, suggest Montseratt.
Often overlooked is the palau de la musica. Check out the website to see if a concert interests you. An excellent experience.

I try to spend several days in the Barcelona area every October. I missed last year but will be going back this October. The weather at that time is perfect - high 70's to low 80's and sunny - for outdoor tourist activities. The Barcelona Tourist Office (under Placa Cataluña) operates several excellent guided walking tours. Check out their web site to see what they are. Also a company called Runner Bean has some great walking tours. I especially recommend the Gaudi tour offered by either of those organizations. The RS guidebook lists most of what there is to see and do in Barcelona, but be sure not to miss the two great churches: the Cathedral and Santa Maria del Mar.

Rick's hotel recommendations are all pretty central in the city, so I wouldn't expect much in the way of views, and street-side rooms will come with street noise, especially if you open your window. You'll see some of those issues addressed in the book listings, such as for www.hotelcontinental.com, which has a choice of small balconies on the street side (125 euros) or quieter rooms in back (105 euros). Barcelona is one of the few cities served by www.crosspollinate.com, for finding apartment rentals.

I want a hotel with a terrace where I can bring my own coffee or glass of wine.
A warm pool or jacuzzi would be nice too.

In October a pool may not be useful unless it's heated, correct?

We stayed in the Hotel Continental Barcelona last spring. It is right on La Rambla close to Plaza Catalunya. We had one of the rooms with the cute little balcony overlooking La Rambla. The hotel has a 24 hour small buffet plus beer & wine all included with your room. It is very clean and the bathrooms are somewhat small but nice. The rooms are a little small but there are some very creative uses of space. The staff is top notch and very helpful. We will be back in Barcelona next year and will most likely stay there again.

A terrace where you bring your own coffee or glass of wine---sounds like a person after my own heart! I always looks for a place with a balcony or terrace, either private or shared. The evening glass of wine with a view is part of our Europe experience, not to be missed.

We spent three nights at aaHotel Jazz in Barcelona in April and I cannot speak highly enoughnof the hotel. The location, a block from Plaça Catalunya was perfect ( more on that later). And yes, it has a rooftop terrace with a swimming pool ( and maybe a hot tub as well but I do not recall). We took our own wine up there each evening to enjoy the view before heading out to dinner. This was at the end of April so the bar up there was not open. I don't know if you can BYO when the bar is actually open---but it may not be in October anyway. People were enjoying the pool on each occasion. We did not take coffee up there as the room had no in-room coffee maker ( these seem to be a rarity in Spanish hotels). The hotel breakfast was quite expensive so we preferred to go out to a little coffee bar nearby, alone would in Italy.

As for location, Plaça Catalunya is pretty much the center of Barcelona. Airport buses go directly there ( although the previous stop, Universität, is closer to Hotel Jazz, so get off there). It is at the top of Las Ramblas and the start of the Eixemple. We walked everywhere from the hotel---down Las Ramblas, through Bari Gotic, along the the beach to the Gehri sculpture, up Montjuïc and back, and to Sagrada Familia. The only place we didn't walk was Parc Guell, but Rick's directions for the Gaudi walk from Sagrada Familia to the hospital and then the bus were easy to follow.

Barcelona is very pedestrian-friendly and wonderful for walking. The Eixemple has broad tree-lined streets with a pedestrian path in the middle. The traffic is well separated from you and not intrusive. And the Bari Gotic has pedestrian zones. And then there is the path along the beach. It's all good.

About street noise---Hotel Jazz is between two major streets but it faces a small pedestrian-only square and all the rooms face onto the square as well. There was no street noise nor did we hear any annoying drunks late at night as one might in a pedestrian area. Some people who stay there mention the rumble from the metro below. Ask for a room high up ( we were on the 6th floor) and you'll be fine.

We paid 130 euros a night for a nice double room. Their website is down right now so I couldn't check prices there, but Booking.com is offering 5 nights in October for $909, or $181 a night. That converts to €133 ( checking today's rates).

For the length of your stay we suggest staying in an apt which offers the following advantages: less expense, more room, a kitchen and you can search for apts to suit your needs. Our first choice for stays of more then three nights is always pats. Take a look at Airbnb to gain an understanding of options and how the system works. There are many other websites offering similar opportunities.

Hi,
You probably already have booked a place. We went on line and found an apartment for 100 Euros per night with a balcony and a really nice neighborhood. Two metro stations were around the corner.

We usually took a metro to the south end of the Ramblas or Gotic and walked back toward our place. Sagrada Familia was six blocks away. the north end of las Ramblas was 11 blocks. But Las Ramblas is just a braod street packed with foreigners and, so they say, pick-pockets.
We searched airbnb and found this nice place rented by Reynaldo. The neighborhood was the Eixambles on Carrer de Bailen.

wayne iNWI

We were there for a similar amount of time in August 2012 and it was way too hot, ha ha. I think El Born is the best area as its close to everything but doesn't have the late night revelers or shady looking types that are very common near Las Ramblas. We stayed in a suite at Banys Orientals, which was huge and is around the corner from the proper hotel. More like an apartment. It was wonderful and 130 euros per night. They have hotel rooms for a bit less as well. As for things to do, I quite liked the Matisse Foundation, the walking tours put on by the tourist shop (we did maybe four of them), Parc Guell and The Gracia neighborhood. If you're interested in soccer, FC Barcelona is a must. We also just liked wandering to all the food markets and into churches and old buildings. The people in Barcelona are pretty friendly in my opinion, so you could also just find a pub and soak up the atmosphere. Have a great time.