accommodation in barcelona for family of 4

I know nothing about apartments. Th olympic stadium, if that's what you mean, is a couple of miles from La Rambla and the walk is not that interesting. There are bus lines, however.

I assume Kristine means the former Olympic Village which is down by the beach, near the Port Olympic marina and the Gehri statue. I suppose this might be nice if you want a beach, but it is a long way from the main tourist sights of Barcelona. (My husband and I actually walked there from Placa Catalunya so I know exactly how far it is!!!) You can easily get to the center by metro or bus, however. If you see a particular apartment there you like, it is well-priced, and you want to be by the beach and don't mind the public transport necessity, then it's OK. Personally I really liked being near Placa Catalunya, with easy walking access to nice eateries in the Eixemple, and the main tourist sights. There have been several reports on Tripadvisor of scams involving Barcelona apartments, particualry with Owner Direct, so you might proceed with caution. The destination experts there could advise you on reputable apartment rental agencies. Or you could book an apartment though a hotel, such at Hotel Sixty-Two which rents a 2-bed apartment next door at 64 Passeig de Gracia.

Kristine, when we are in the EU, we rent most of out apts from VRBO.com and Homelidays.com. You can also check Tripadvisor. We have occasionally had good luck usint the local town website to find apts. Pick an apt with lots of good references. We also loved the central location of Placa Catalunya, but Barceleona, like other big cities, has a good subway system. If you can find a good neighborhood, near the subway, then that may also be an excellent choice. When you are looking at apts, make sure you get the actual address, and use Google Street View to ensure that is not on noisy street, etc. And, find out what actual floor it is on, and if it has an elevator.

Our family of 5 stayed in a 3BR luxury apt, full kitchen, spacious right on the metro line, between Placa Catalunya and Placa Espana, just a few blocks from Placa Espana. Right in front of the Rocafort metro stop. It is quiet, a market around the corner, small shops, lovely area. We loved being a bit away from the more touristy area and in more of a residential area, yet only an 8 minute metro ride or a 15 minute walk to Placa Catalunya, 2 of the Gaudi houses, Las Ramblas, etc. and only 2 blocks from the Magic Fountains and Montjuic. We loved Barcelona and this particular apartment was fabulous---limited availability, $200/night for a large apt. http://www.vrbo.com/274411 SuzieeQQ
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