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Stay near beach or not in Barcelona?

I'm traveling to Spain at the end of May and debating on whether to stay near the beach or closer to the city center, maybe around Eixample. We found a great hotel near the beach, which would put us about 20-25 minutes from a lot of the main attractions. I know we'll explore different areas so not opposed to the distance from the beach, but wondering if that is a mistake? The hotel is called Pullman Barcelona Skipper, it has gotten good reviews on Tripadvisor, but wondering if anyone has stayed there or knows about it. Are there other hotels/areas we should be looking at?

Thanks in advance.

Posted by
7175 posts

If it's your first visit to BCN I would look in Eixample.
Somewhere that is not more than a 5 min walk to Passeig de Gracia.
Below are approx walking times from Pullman Barcelona Skipper to the major sights, all quite a hefty hike.
Even though you have a Metro stop 5 minutes walk from your hotel, you will end up exhausted.
Barceloneta 6min
Parc de la Ciutadella 15min
Picasso Museum 18min
Cathedral 24min
Ramblas 24min
Palau de la Musica 27min
La Boqueria 28min
Placa de Catalunya 32min
Sagrada Familia 35min
Casa Batllo 41min
Casa Mila 47min
Placa d'Espanya 55min
Montjuic 63min

Posted by
4535 posts

When you say 20-25 minutes from the city attractions, do you mean walking or by metro? Because I've stayed well outside Barcelona and it took no more than 20 minutes door to door to be at Placa Catalunya. The metro is very extensive and convenient and runs very frequently. And there is a stop only a block away. So honestly you'll only be 10 minutes to Placa Catalunya.

I personally love the Eixample, but if you want to be near the beach, stay near the beach.

Posted by
12313 posts

I consider Placa Catalunya to be a good central location. If you're near there, it's easy to catch an airport express bus to/from the airport and the metro fans out from there.

I don't think staying near the beach is necessarily a bad idea, but you will find yourself taking longer to get places around town.