Quiet section to stay in Barcelona for lodging

Let me reply to your second question, first......taxi fares in Barcelona are among the lowest of cities in Europe. The metro is excellent, but not always convenient. In February, four of us took a taxi from Park Guell to Placa de Catalunya - eight euros was the cost. Que Bueno. Barcelona is very walkable and many of the "don't miss" attractions are near La Rambla. Cobbled streets, everywhere.

Quiet hotel location? Spain is a "late night" country, Barcelona is a "late night" city......a "quiet location" might be best discovered with a good set of ear plugs.

You will love Barcelona - everyone does.

My friend, Las Ramblas is probably the most noisy/busy part of Barcelona. If you want quiet I would definitely not choose that area. It is, however, within walking distance to most of the top tourist attractions in Barcelona. The only sites you would probably have to take a metro/transportation to are La Sagrada Familia and Parc Güell.

Quiet and Barcelona usually don't mix, but if you are looking for relatively quiet you could try the western neighborhoods of the Sant Martí district such as El Clot although this area may be too out of the way of the action.

Personally, if I were a tourist, I would stay in Gràcia, which has the reputation of being the hip and cool neighborhood to stay nowadays.

"I was told that La Rambla was a quiet section to stay in Bercelona. "

Whoever told you this has clearly never been to Barcelona. You should immediately be skeptical of anything else this "expert" has told you.

Unless, that is, you are mixing it up with something else. Did they perhaps mean La Ribera?

We stayed at hotel Balmes on Calle de Mallorca. Not certain what that part of town that is. It’s close to casas Mila and Batlo, a couple blocks from a metro stop, and not terribly far from the Sagrada Familia (12 blocks) and Plaza Catalonia (8 blocks). You’re away from the hustle bustle of the Ramblas, but close enough to get there in a short amount of time.

To be frank, quietness -which is always very subjective- is perfectly attainable in Barcelona, it all depends not so much in the area or neighbourhood but on the specific location of your hotel/apt is located. You can be in a seemingly very noisy area but the hotel be tucked just two streets away and be a remarkable peaceful accommodation. Time of the year is also a factor, and while we Barcelonans go out all year round, in Winter one tends to stay indoors so the level of noise in the street is probably lower than in the high of Summer.

Look at hotel villa emilia, it’s close to metro and has great reviews.

I found a pension just a couple blocks from La Rambla, across the street from the Palau de la Música Catalana. It surprising how quiet the side streets can be.

As a solo budget traveler in Spain during the summer of 2016, I was often in a small single room looking out on an airshaft. Blissfully quiet. If I had a noise problem it was usually because of noisy fellow clients inside my own hotel.

I recommend reading a bunch of reviews on booking.com with an eye for comments about noise level. Avoid places with multiple comments about significant street noise or "paper-thin walls" and the like. I'm unaware of any way to completely avoid being housed near folks who choose to have full-volume conversations in the hall right outside your room at 1 AM--which is likelier to happen in Spain than most other countries because dinner ends at midnight (more or less).

And always, always travel with earplugs. They make a huge difference if you somehow end up in a noisy place.

Avoid Las Ramblas if you want a quiet location! In fact, avoid Las Ramblas after a quick look.