Madrid to Barcelona

Train tickets should be purchased from the official provider: https://www.renfe.com/es/en
If you arrive early enough, you should head to BCN on arrival, then put your Madrid time all together. That saves you from having to check in/out an extra time.

It's always better to buy train tickets from the company that actually runs the trains and not from some third party site. I recommend Iryo, www.iryo.eu since their website is much easier to use. But Renfe is also an option between the cities, www.renfe.com

Hi and welcome to the Rick Steves forum!

If you do a search on this forum, you will find lots of recommendations for hotels in Barcelona, as well as food tours:

https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=1y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=barcelona+hotel&utf8=%E2%9C%93

https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&filter=Travel+Forum&query=barcelona+food+tour&utf8=%E2%9C%93

Here's one informed opinion - "How to buy train tickets for Spain"
https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-spain.htm#How_to_buy_train_tickets_for_Spain

I'd second the suggestion to just book directly through the Renfe website. 1)Tickets are cheaper if booked directly, no service fees. 2) As we discovered when all trains leaving Valencia were cancelled after the flooding we could get an immediate refund from the Renfe office at the train station. Everyone using a 3rd party app had to address the issue with the booking company. I've heard from a couple of people in our traveling group that they were only refunded the price of the ticket, none of the service fee. 3) I found it much easier to find the best price for my trip by using Renfe directly, many of the booking sites had only limited (more expensive) options.

Have a great time, Spain is a great travel destination.

Do not use a third-party site to book train tickets.
Use RENFE or, the one I prefer, IRYO.

With only three days (TWO nights??) in Barcelona you do not have time for much off the beaten track, except maybe restaurants.

Want to eat the traditional Catalan meal of calcots in a restaurant with a tremendous view of the city?
Read up on calcots, calcotada, and their meaning in Catalonia.
You can take quick train ride and then a tram, to the restaurant.

Why are you not flying home from Barcelona instead of going all the way back to Madrid...lots of wasted time and money.

What price is mid-range, to you? You'll likely need to go close to 300euro in April.

Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions and resources. We are looking to stay at or under $300/night for a hotel. We will be there 4 days 3 nights.

Regarding flight, those are booked so we are not changing them. We got a really good deal on the flight and originally intended to stay in Madrid the whole time. My husband decided he wanted to go to Barcelona as well and with a 2 hour train ride it didn’t make sense not to go for a few days. We know we won’t get to see as much, but we plan to come back with our kids down the road so we are ok with that.

We enjoyed our stay at Hotel Praktik Rambla in Eixample. Location is convenient to most everything. Our room was lovely. Staff were helpful and kind. Croissant and coffee are provided in the morning. And, there is a small garden for relaxing with, or without, a bottle of wine. We would happily return.

We stayed here and found the location perfect. https://www.hduquesadecardona.com/en/

We are also going to Madrid in April. It will be my first time and my husband’s third time. We are doing the devour food tour- he did this tour and loved it so much that he’s willing to do it again. That is saying a lot.

For @santarellin and future visitors: here's a general tip—unfortunately, the concept of “somewhere close to the main sites” doesn’t really exist in Barcelona. This is a common idea among tourists that can sometimes lead to poor decisions when planning their stay.

Barcelona, like all cities, wasn’t designed as a theme park. It’s a place that has evolved—more or less chaotically—over 2,000 years, growing to meet the needs of its residents through different historical periods and within the constraints of the time. That’s how all cities work, after all. The "placement" of this church, that museum, a charming square, or the trendy restaurant you’ve read about wasn’t planned with 21st-century tourists in mind. On top of that, Barcelona grew by absorbing nearby towns over time, which means it doesn’t have a neat radial layout like some newer cities—think many U.S. cities, for example.

Take the actual district of Gràcia, for instance. When it was annexed into Barcelona in 1897, it had already existed as a separate village for more than 300 years. By then, it had developed its own "downtown," local shops, monuments, and community vibe. The same is true for many of Barcelona’s neighbourhoods—there are 73 of them in total! Here. http://bit.ly/BCNhoods

So, what does this mean? The “main sites” are spread out across the city. Yes, a lot of them are in the oldest parts of Barcelona—like the Barri Gòtic, El Raval, or La Barceloneta—but plenty of must-sees are well outside the "historic centre."

But here’s the good news: it’s not a problem at all. Barcelona is very walkable, perfectly sized, and has an excellent public transportation system—efficient, cheap, clean, safe, and easy to use. This means where you stay doesn’t matter all that much. I always recommend choosing accommodation that suits your needs without worrying too much about its exact location—within reason, of course! No need to book something 10km away from the centre.

Then there’s the matter of neighbourhood preferences—this one’s better than that one, this one’s prettier, that one’s safer... but honestly, it all comes down to personal taste. My favourites? Well… check this post: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/the-quintessential-question-where-to-stay-in-barcelona

Renfe would be great if it works for you. It did not for us. We used trainline.com. If there is a difference in price (mostly not), it is only a couple of Euros. Worth it if renfe flakes out for you.

FWIW, we stayed at the H10 Catalunya Plaza Boutique Hotel and loved it. This area is very central. You can find cheaper hotels if you go a block or two away from the plaza.