The location of your accommodation in Barcelona can really make or break your stay. You want to be close to the action, somewhere central, easily connected to public transport, but not somewhere you can't get any sleep because the area you are staying in is right on a main road or upstairs from a hardcore techno club that doesn't shut until 3am.

Our advice is to choose one of the following areas based on what kind of holiday you are looking for and which area will bring you closest to your interests. Then you can choose the perfect holiday accommodation in Barcelona that will put you right where you want to be!

Get Ready Barcelona has apartments in all of these areas, so go check out our website to find your perfect holiday apartment in Barcelona!

Hands down, the best way to experience Barcelona is by renting yourself an apartment while you're here. Not only are they more economical, especially among a group of people, they offer privacy, independence and the opportunity to save money by cooking at home.

Check out these little beauties!

Baluard Studio Apartment, Barcelona

This studio apartment Barcelona is a lovely pink haven for two. Located just a few blocks from the beach, 20 minutes walk into central Barcelona and around the corner from the fresh food market, Baluard is a romantic getaway studio apartment waiting for you to enjoy!

See more Barcelona apartments

This is the beachside area of Barcelona. It was originally a fishing village and is the oldest settled area of the city. Today, Barceloneta is not only right by the beach, making it a perfect holiday location, but it's also in a relatively quiet residential area that has a great selection of seafood restaurants, supermarkets, pharmacies and other essential amenities.

Not only that, the centre of town and Las Ramblas is just 20 minutes walk away- so you can enjoy the best of both worlds: your peace and quiet, and all the action and excitement in the centre of town.

The Raval used to be a seedier area of town but lot has changed in recent years and the local council has made a real effort to clean up the area with more public parks, better street lighting, police patrols and community meeting places like the Rambla de Raval (a smaller version of the tourist packed Las Ramblas). The area is now a vibrant and integral part of Barcelona's city centre, and home to MACBA, the Museum of Contemporary Art.

This area is home to a lot of Barcelona's ethnic communities so its full of exotic food options- Indian and Pakistani restaurants, kebab shops, halal butchers and Indian spice supermarkets can be found here, as well as a weekend craft market on the Rambla De Raval where you can shop from local artists selection of clothes and gifts.

El Borne is also a very popular location for tourists in Barcelona. It's the far side of Barrio Gotic (The Gothic Quarter) towards Barceloneta and is therefore easy walk to the centre of town, Las Ramblas and the beach, but its a lot quieter and has its own unique character.

Picture small winding streets that connect little plazas lined with cafes and tapas bars. Add to that some of Barcelona's best boutique shops with art, craft and fashion by local artists. Then add to that some great art attractions like the Picasso Museum, the Chocolate Museum and one of the best preserved Cathedrals in town. Then imagine a range of quirky and funky bars whre you can enjoy a quiet drink or a raging night out and you've got a great suburb for your stay.

These popular areas are in the upper section of the city centre, above Plaza Cataluyna, but still within easy walking distance to Las Ramblas and the old centre of town. This part of the city was built during the Modernist period and is therefore home to some of Barcelona's most beautiful and interesting architecture. In particular, this is where you'll find two of Antonio Gaudi's apartment buildings- Casa Batilo and La Pedrera.

Also in these neighborhoods are some great shopping opportunities. All the international and local fashion labels can be found here, around Passeig de Gracia. There's also a good range of restaurants and cafes to enjoy.

Of course, you could choose to stay right in the centre of town. But keep in mind this is the busiest area of the city and you could end up being in a noisy hostel or above a busy road, making it difficult to get your rest or chill out and relax.

Of course you're right in the centre of all the action, so this option will likely suit younger visitors rather than families. If you really want to stay in this area, try one of the streets off Las Ramblas and put a little distance between yourself and the noise!

Get Ready Barcelona has apartments in all of these areas, so go check out our website to find your perfect holiday apartment in Barcelona!

If there's a right time to visit Barcelona, it's during one of the local festivals!

Festivals are big in this corner of the world and there's something happening all the time. At least thats how it seems to those of us lucky enough to live here...

Here's a guide to the biggest and best Barcelona Festivals, not to be missed!

The biggest day for children in Barcelona over the Christmas period is without a doubt Three Kings Day. The three Kings are also known as the Three Wise Men, who arrived in Bethlehem to bring gifts to newborn baby Jesus.

In Barcelona today, its a day where kids get to open their Christmas presents and are showered with candy whilst they enjoy a huge parade in the centre of the city.

They arrive in Barcelona late afternoon by boat and join a huge parade which travels to Parc De La Cituadella, showing the crowd with candy as they go. A great family spectacle, which would also be enjoyed by anyone with a sweet tooth and a sense of Christmas spirit.

Every 23rd April, the Catalan people celebrate the arrival of Spring and the feast of their patron Saint, San Jordi (Saint George in English) with a springitme festival of red roses and books!

The legend goes that the Saint Jordi's blood spilled during the battle with one of his fire-breathing dragons, turned into a rose bush. He gifted a rose to his rescued princess and won her heart. Since the 15th Century, Catalan men have been giving a rose to their "princess" to celebrate the day!

Unrelated to Saitn Jordi, the girls in return give the gift of a book to their men- as a remembrance to the death of William Shakespere and Miguel de Cervantes, both authors who dies on April 23rd!

Although the day is not an official public holiday, the streets of Barcelona and other Catalan communities are usually filled with celebrations, including a theatrical re-enactment of Saint Jordi's dragon slaying, plus book stores and rose stalls as far as the eye can see! Happy Saint Jordi day from Barcelona!

12 May 2008

Yet another festival! Today marks the "second Christmas" celebrations in Barcelona. Traditionally this event was celebrated by sailors returning home with gifts to spend some family time together. Today, this translates to local residents getting together in the streets for a big parade with locals getting dressed up to re-enact the coming home of sailors. They come with gifts (usually a selection of funny items like stuffed animals, rubber chickens and biscuits, pinned to their vests) and their costumes range from modern sailor" outfits- to the outrageous- sequins, hot pink and glitter, need we say more?

Alcohol, of course is a big part of the celebrations which span the whole of the weekend and include the Monday (today). We would imagine there will be a few sore heads at work tomorrow...party on!

30 April 2008

The sun is back out this week in Barcelona. Hopefully it will stick around for May Day (Labour day) this Thursday. Lots of tourists around already, enjoying our beautiful city. If you're considering a trip to Barelona this summer, make sure your book your Barcelona holiday accommodation as soon as you can!

23 April 2008

Today is Saint Jordi day in Barcelona, everyone is out on the streets enjoying the sunshine and buying roses for the girls and books for the boys! To celebrate we're adding a section about this celebration to this lens! Hope you enjoy it!

22 April 2008

Gorgeous weather today! I was a bit frustrated getting to work on my Bicing bike as there were no spots to park it in Barceloneta. Read all about Barcelona's bike sharing concept right here on todays addition to our lens!

21 April 2008

After a week or so of heavy rains (and even hail!) the sun is back today, providing warm, low 20 degree temps and plenty of sunshine. Spring is definitely in the air. Lots of visitors walking around, enjoying the sunshine and the sights. bulldozers have arrived to truck in new sand to reinforce the beach and provide plenty of room for all to lay down their towels throughout the summer!

Barcelona is a compact and relatively flat city, so you may want to opt for walking around rather than taking public transport. You get to see a lot more that way! But, this might not be a great option when its especially hot or if you're short on time, or if you want to visit some attractions which are not right in the centre of town.

Luckily, the metro system is easy to use and inexpensive. The best ticket to buy easily is the T10 Ticket which is valid for ten trips anywhere in the zone that you buy it for. For the city centre, you need Zone 1. The ticket costs 7.20 euros and you can buy them from the machines in any metro station.

These tickets are valid for transferring to a different colored line, onto a bus, or tram or onto the other metro systems like the FGC network. Best of all, more than one person can use the ticket so buy one amongst a family or group of friends and simply buy another if you run out of trips. Easy!

A great idea that many cities in Europe are considering or have already started is a community bike sharing system. In Barcelona, the system is known as Bicing! At the moment it is only available to residents but hopefully soon the concept will be expanded to include tourists. Its such a great idea- here's how it works:

1. Apply at the Bicing Headquarters with you NIE number and proof of your address. You will register credit card details at the office.

2. A card is sent to your home when your application has been approved.

3. Go to any Bicing station and swipe your card at the machine.

4. Take the bike number the machine allocates you and off you go! You can use the bike for free for the first half hour, after that its 30 euro cents every half hour after that. The bike MUST be returned after 2 hours at any Bicing station.

For more information, visit the Bicing Website!

Community Classifieds
Things to buy, swap and sell, job offers, accommodation for rent or sale, and more!

Barcelona Accommodation
Apartments for holiday rental in all the areas mentioned in this lens.

Cultural and Events Guide
Website and Printed magazine in English with the best whats on where information.

Weekly Events E-zine
Another great guide on local events and design talent.

Official Tourist Information
A link to the council's website with useful tourist information.

Get Ready Barcelona are the short term apartment rental experts. We've been matching tourists and visitors to Barcelona with the perfect, affordable holiday accommodation rental solution, in the best areas of the city.

But there's more to us than that. We love helping our customers plan their Barcelona Holiday.. We believe that the most important part of the experience is enjoying everything the city has to offer. Which is why we've created this lens!

Lenses about our destination cities, by Country

Lenses in SPAIN

All about Granada!

All about Valencia!

All about the Costa Del Sol!

All about Seville!

Lenses in WESTERN EUROPE

All about Nice, France!

All about Amsterdam!

All about Rome!!

Lenses in CENTRAL AMERICA

All about Bogota!

Lenses about our Company for holiday makers and holiday accommodation owners

Free holiday accommodation listing!

Holiday accommodation in Spain

About our company, Get Ready Rentals