As the thread title says thinking about going to Barcelona for a short break & watch a match as well ,has anybody on here been to Barcelona? Searching the web for cheap hotels/flights anybody know of any good websites besides the usual Easyjet etc?? Any info welcome.
Thanks

I'd love to be able to help, but I'm usually in no fit state when in Barcelona. Great city, with a really edgy sub-culture. I would say its worth investigating appartments as opposed to hotels. Loads of choice and good value.

Be careful where you fly to the one airport is over an hours drive to the city and the better located one if I remember right is expensive to fly to,look into which is which.

As Phil says, been a few times but never remember much.

If your into the arty bollocks, make sure you visit the Gaudi area (Think its North of the city). Definatly worth a peek.

Probly best with sleazyjet or one similar.

Some good graff about in the suburbs aswell and the ladies - mwah mwah mwah.

G.

[quote="Gelse"]As Phil says, been a few times but never remember much.

If your into the arty bollocks, make sure you visit the Gaudi area (Think its North of the city). Definatly worth a peek.

Probly best with sleazyjet or one similar.

Some good graff about in the suburbs aswell and the ladies - mwah mwah mwah.

just watch your pockets,or they will be in them
G.[/quote]

They sure will, thats why I cut holes in my pockets so they can have a good feel

G.

I vauely remember the area around the uni being pretty cool. Gothic Quarter????

They love a good party. Some of the bars are brilliant, real quirky

I remember going for a piss down this alley and some old African prozzy came up and started trying to grab my junk. I gave her a spray of urine and pegged it!

[quote="Gelse"]They sure will, thats why I cut holes in my pockets so they can have a good feel

G.[/quote]

Think the gothic quarter is the Gaudi area.

Fucking hell, we are all bloody useless. Probly best going on some other forum

G.

[quote="Mersons Bookie"]I remember going for a piss down this alley and some old African prozzy came up and started trying to grab my junk. I gave her a spray of urine and pegged it![/quote]

your luckly it was just your junk, both my mates add there money lifted by the african ladys of the night, deadly them there..

[quote="Mersons Bookie"]I'd love to be able to help, but I'm usually in no fit state when in Barcelona. Great city, with a really edgy sub-culture. I would say its worth investigating appartments as opposed to hotels. Loads of choice and good value.[/quote]

we have boooked an apartment for 14 on the ramblas laods better than hotels and cheaper. About 30 quid a night each and have a communal area to chill out as well as all sleeping areas.

http://www.cocoonbarcelona.com/en/barcel...efined#location

this is the site we used.

Thanks for all the advice lads

Yeah, think Ryanair fly to the shit airport that's miles away IIRC ?? Personally think the place has become well dodgy, the Ramblas late on is scarier than Moss Side IMO, 3 of us walking at 4am were surrounded by these groups that each had their own sector where individuals would walk alongside trying to get into your pockets... The police just sat in their cars not giving one...
The prozzies too, as already mentioned are a nightmare to shake off and unfortunately they only understand one language (violence)
That aside, the architecture is cool and if you're lucky enough to know ex pats (or locals) there's some pretty cool clubbing to be had. We went to this party in the basement of a Thai restaurant last time we were there, proper "word of mouth" job... Also remember scoring some rocket fuel charlie one night in the harbour off this boat owner. If you fancy seedy, check out the "Cafe Baghdad" (or hotel bagdad ?? ) It cost about 50 Euros to get in and included live sex show plus the opportunity to get up there yourself all included in the price - fookin legendary :-)

Las ramblas is a touristy rip off area. Full of pickpockets and overpriced tat. Spend an hour or two here maximum.
Get yourself to the cathederal ( La sagrada Familia ) it's fucking mental.
I've not been for a few years so bars and clubs have good and bad spells just like anywhere really. Lonely planet and virtualtourist usually have decent up to date info.
I stay at the hotel Cristal Palace. Brilliantly located.
If you can take in a game then do it. Do the tour if you can aswell.
Lastly get a copy of the Lonely Planet Barcelona guide book before you go. It's got pretty much everything you need and has helped us find some great eateries and bars/ things to do.
enjoy.

I ended up there after staying out of the city for a day, cant for the life of me remember where I was staying, but was a wedding and few of us made our way on the train, didnt have a fucking clue where we where, just bombed round, very surreal, the way the place switches from tourism to city centre, missed the nou camp, ended up in some massive dept store grabbing all the Lois very cheap, and Diadora trainers. All i seem to remember a really long road pedestrian going up an hill, O and found one shop selling SPW....
Would like to go back for a proper mooch

The "long road " selling SPW im guessing was pasiege gracia , just up from the ramblas , there was a shop called "furest " ( think thats what is called ) , last time i was their it didnt have any in !! in fact it was shite , previous it sold belstaff,cp,si etc .

I keep away from the ramblas , esp later on when most tourists have headed back to hotels , my mate did get his wallett knicked last time tho , we were about 5metres from the hotel!! cunts followed us ! and they made a hash of it as his wife sussed what they were doing . W e were too pissed to chase them tho we did try , Watch out for the " have you got a cig geezer " hes the one disratcing you as his mate bumps into your mate !

Only time ive/weve been done in about 15 visits , also only time we were really hammered tho

,get a timeout book ( send me your address and will send you mine )

Fookin brilliant place imo

i fly with JET2 think we paid £12 going out and £47 return .

Also keep away from" place real " bottom of ramlas on the left , full of smack head homeless !!!

[quote="OFFHand"]I ended up there after staying out of the city for a day, cant for the life of me remember where I was staying, but was a wedding and few of us made our way on the train, didnt have a fucking clue where we where, just bombed round, very surreal, the way the place switches from tourism to city centre, missed the nou camp, ended up in some massive dept store grabbing all the Lois very cheap, and Diadora trainers. All i seem to remember a really long road pedestrian going up an hill, O and found one shop selling SPW....
Would like to go back for a proper mooch [/quote]

Lets get something organised???

G.

Yeah i defiantely think our one year meet should be somewhere special G.
I also just remembered we ended up in a cobbled st area full of Goth shops and tattooists, think even there were naked and weird and wonderful people walking around hand in hand,
got to have been Barca version of Manc's Canal St.......
Please somebody confirm this for me?????

I had an incident in Praque were luckily my mates clocked it, but as per I was taking in the scenery oblivious to what was going on, one of their lot made advances towards me and my pals shouted me back which fumbled them as I turned and saw them looking to my side, I then clocked the pickers sheepishly looking away, and slying off, but they continued to follow us and was not looking good, This was on the walk upto the Square, notorious for it, so we went into a bar and sat down to be suddenly surrounded by loads of muckies ;) I like a twat went drinks all round, bought evey fucker a drink and bouncers locked the doors. We knew what was going on and said drink up, i paid the bill of something like £70 to get out, Praque back then was cheap too, We were young naive but hell did we make up for it once we knew all the pitfalls spiralling out of control, think my pals ended up going back 3 times a year spending a lot of dough.....

The barstewards in Bara aren't even subtle. Out of a dozen of us last time, half ended up getting mugged or pick-pocketed. Groups of youths hang around in the wee hours looking for lads on their own, they wait around cash points, corner you and get the knives out, then it's phone and cash or your fucked.

I'm sure a couple of years back a magazine showed a photo on the front page of some tourist getting a blowie from a prostitute on La Ramblas. The mayor went mad and said he was going to crack down hard on everything, don't know if it's made any difference since

Went last year for a break in September (me and the missus) and loved it. Lots of people had said it was pick-pocket central but personally only real felt it was about to happen once and headed it off before becoming a situation. Although being with the missus meant I was out on the lash at 3am etc so not in the same situation as others have had to deal with.

Thought it was a brilliant place myself, love the Gaudi architecture, Sagrada Familia and the Parc Guell are 'must sees' in my book. Didnt make the Nou Camp but did end up towards the Olympic area which was ok.
Thought the bars , cafes and restaurants were excellent, loads of places to stop off at and enjoy the tapas etc and the locals really seem up for a laugh. Walked back from Parc Guell towards town on the sunday , stopped off at this square and enjoyed a 2-3 hour lunch and a few civilised scoops that didnt break the bank.
Found a good GA shop and Armand Basi had a couple of good places. A fair few little independents as well. Poor for SPW but no great loss these days.

Great place for a break, just be careful as you would in any unfamiliar city

went about this time last year, stayed on the las ramblas, only time we had bother was me and a pal left the pub next door to our hotel(unbeknown to us at the time, to much to drink)turned the wrong way, then spent the next hour looking for the hotel, then losing each other and trying to fend off black prozzies for an hour before we found each other again, oh and also having a run in with the asians who sell the cans of beer on the street, one tried to rip me for fucking 50cents, some choice words where said. other than that just take a walk about, we found bars that were cheap as chips midweek then up there prices for the week end, down the little lanes of the ramblas, check the harbour area and beach during the day.

sounds like you need to keep your wits about you and not wander around alone when pissed late on.