Long term stay in Barcelona

Excellent ideal! We have experienced the growth of Barcelona over a 20 year period with numerous trips and with the time you have to invest in Barcelona offer the following suggestions:

1) stay in an apartment fo the extra space, usually includes a small clothes washer and the convenience of a kitchen enhance the experience. Strive to obtain a unit with a balcony, but also consider an interior courtyard for the peace and quiet.
2) Twice I have been burned by giving folks recommendations to apartments we loved, only to learn the space condition deteriorated due to new management. Take a deep dive in learning how to vet apartment rentals and carefully contemplate the possibilities.
3) our preference is to stay in the area encompassing the L'Eixample. We like to stay on the edge of major tourist zones and Barcelona offers excellent public transport with an extensive easy system connecting to the train system.
4) Barcelona offers a huge menu of opportunities, but also do your homework on day trip destinations easily experienced from the city.
5) Book entries times to major destinations on line so you do not have to wait in line. Barcelona consistently is a top tourist destination and wise management of your time is well spent on line.
6) October is our favorite time of the year to visit.
7) Post, post, post your inquiries on this forum always with the subject identifying "Barcelona" and you will receive a wealth of great guidance.

Stay safe!

We too have stayed for longer visits to Barcelona (all pre -cruise, Sept/Oct and in VRBO/Air B&B). And hope to visit again. My per night target is usually @ $120 US... but for a great location - hmmm..

In '15 - stayed 7 nights - in a small studio near the Paral-lel Metro stop. I did the booking, after much research, & was really happy with the unit & area. If I remember this was @ $115/night. The area is a bit away from the main tourist spots - but we really enjoyed the feeling of being in a "real" neighborhood and the metro gave us great access everywhere. At the time prices were very good in this area.

In '17 - stayed 2 or 3 nights in a 1 bedroom just off the Placa de Catalunya. A friend did the booking and we were disappointed with the space (she booked the cheapest she could find - and it was very sad even at @ $120/couple per night). But the area is great if you want to be right in the heart of the tourist action. In this area, hotels might be the better option.

In '19 - I booked 4 nights right across from La Sagrada Familia (my DH's favorite building in Europe). OH MY! It was a bit pricy (split the cost of a modern 2 bedroom so @ $145/nt/couple). But what a fun experience - to see the cathedral lit all evening and too close to get a full picture.. There are also metro stops at each corner of the cathedral's plaza. It was verrry busy during the day - but very quiet after the cathedral closed. Then the locals took over the side streets.

In new-to-us cities/towns I frequently prefer a hotel - for the ability to collect suggestions from the desk. But in Barcelona - there was so much information about the city (RS' book is great) - we just sort of winged it. English is widely spoken - so felt comfortable - and even tried out my 1 semester Spanish (from 45 years ago) - had lots of laughs with that.

My suggestion would be to figure a few places you wish to see and then select your accommodations in that primary area. The metro system in Barcelona is great - so you can easily go to the outlying sites. Make certain to prebook your visits to Sagrada & most of the other Gaudi sites. There used to be official TI centers under the Placa de Catalunya and under the Columbus Monument that provided great help with tickets and local travel access- not certain if they are/will still be there. In Oct. '19 - I was saddened by the changes to La Boqueria market. Seemed to me that many of the local vendors had left and been replaced with "oriental" jamon sellers.. But there are 1 or 2 other markets in the city that may still be "authentic".

No matter what - you should have a great time.

We spent a week at Hispanos7Suizas which is on side street near LaSagrada Familia. Our apartment had two bedrooms, 2 baths, fully equipped kitchen with dishwasher, washer and dryer, balcony. We chose an inside apartment facing an open courtyard to avoid noise rather than a front street facing one. The front desk was very helpful, made dinner reservations, and gave us wonderful suggestions.
I highly recommend this Aparthotel and would happily stay there again. We were at the end of a six week trip by car that began in Lisbon and it was nice to relax in our own apartment. We dropped the rental car off at the Barcelona airport and took a taxi to Hispanos7Suizas .

A week... long term? LOL! That is not considered "long term", +30 days would be. Saying so because if you look up "Barcelona long term apartments" you'll (mostly) be presented places in which your minimum stay is far more than 1 week ;)

PS. Apologies for not pointing to any particular place, but as a resident, accommodation is not my 'forte', I will gladly advise on other matters but I have no use for hotels and apartments, so I am not 'in the loop'. Still, once you've decided, if you want, I can say a word or two on its location.

i agree with Enric. A week long rental is not in the “long term rental”category.

Me three, about 'long term' :-).
My Barcelona plans for November 2017 had to be nixed, but I had a 5 day apartment rental booked close to the La Sagrada Familia and the Hospital de Sant Pau. My interests in the city were more focused on the Modernista architecture, so I wanted to be in an area where I could walk the streets with this architecture in mind.
It may not be the easiest to get from there to the cruise line, but it can be done from the airport by subway. To the cruise line, it requires a few transfers. However, if you are using taxi or private car, then it will be less of an issue. It could be a nice neighbourhood for a week.