I
f you are going to visit Barcelona, especially during the busy season, there is more than a little bit of planning that needs to go into your trip. This doesn't just stop with getting a cheap flight, in fact, booking your hotel is one of the hardest parts of your entire vacation experience.
The first thing to take into account is how close you want to be to the city center. There are many events that take place within the streets of Barcelona itself, like street markets, concerts and street entertainment, and a number of hotels will actually be positioned in ways that will allow for participants and tourists to never have to leave their hotels. However, if you prefer your vacation time to feature lots of relaxation and a minimum of noise, you might want to avoid these hotels and the street events around them.
As to location, this depends largely on what you want your holiday to be. The Barri Gòtic or other hotels around the Cathedral area are right in the center of the city and it features lots of history and many cute little cafe's, as well as transport links to all over the city. Alternatively you could try The Ramblas, which is about as central as a hotel can be, or if you don't mind street noise and want to be in the centre of the shopping areas with good access to clubs, bars and restaurants then perhaps consider finding a hotel in the Eixample area.
Even if you do decide to get one in an area where festivities are being celebrated, you will want to make sure that you look for a hotel with a second floor. Being on the second floor will generally protect you from the crush of people, put you above the usual chaos of tourist season, and give you the best access for photographs or videos of the city throughout the day.
