Catalogne Auberges de Jeunesse

Party at Danzatoria in Tibidabo and eat at Quinze Nits just off La Rambla in Placa Reial! Barcelone is an amazing city!!!

Be warned if you're travelling in Barcelone during August - I arrived in late August expecting to easily get into one of the many hostels - it took 5 hours on the telephone before we found one.....SO BOOK!

Barcelone is great! There is SO much to do. If you are bored you must be dead or not trying, because there is something for everyone. Try and visit early in the summer or late spring. The weather will be warm but not hot and the crowds will be smaller. You MUST eat at Quinze Nits in Placa Real. But be warned there will be a line up that starts an hour before they open (8ish) and will remain until after 12. Also, try to go to the Chocolate Museum.

I went on a monthlong tour of Europe in 2005, visiting London, Paris, Rome, and Barcelone each for one week. Barcelona was the only city where I made a point to leave early. It does have its finer points -- the Marina and beaches were worth visiting -- but the heart of the city, Ramblas, had a very tense, uneasy feeling about it. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I knew that the city did not have a homey or vacationy feeling about it. In the evenings, it became apparent very quickly that this area draws a big drunk and wild crowd. Now, I love drinking and partying myself, but this was not a fun, happy crowd -- it was the sort of crowd that brought around lots of crime, drugs, and violence. I wish I could say that the Cultural scene would save my trip, but that was disappointing too. I was not moved by any one particular structure, and I am easily moved. If you find yourself there already, I recommend taking a bus tour of the city, stopping at the interesting spots, and heading to…

PEE-U! This city STINKS!!!! Smelliest city I've ever been too. It's just generally cramped, crowded, dirty, and filthy. I was really excited to be going to Barcelone, after having so many people tell me how great it was, but totally dissappointed after having spent 6 days there. I thought it would be a bright, open, airy, mediterranean city with a great climate and interesting people. It was the total opposite. I've never seen so many ugly people! And the humidity made New York seem like a paradise. I'll take Madrid any day over Barcelona. Though I was never robbed, a surprising number of people told me they had their pockets picked. Yes the Sagrada Famillia is magnificent, and ok, I had a GREAT time hanging out in park Ciutadella on Sunday, but overall I wouldn't go back.

If you're looking for a good free map of Barcelone, don't use the one the tourist office gives you for the Bus Turistic. Instead, ask them for a brochure from City Tour by ALSAtouring. This brochure includes a map that actually details all of Barcelona's streets, especially the confusing ones in Barri Gotic and Ribera. This is essential to finding your way around.