Looking for centrally located hotels and restaurants in both cities along with suggested places to see. Thank you all knowing Board.
OT - hotel and restaurant recommendations needed for Lisbon, Portugal, and Barcelona, Spain
- Thread starter Nitwit
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The farmers' market just off las ramblas in Barcelona is terrific.
Story: we were at breakfast in Barcelona and I wanted fresh orange juice, so I told the waiter orange juice with pulp, con pulpo. My daughter said 'dad, you just ordered orange juice with octopus!'
http://www.boqueria.info/
Story: we were at breakfast in Barcelona and I wanted fresh orange juice, so I told the waiter orange juice with pulp, con pulpo. My daughter said 'dad, you just ordered orange juice with octopus!'
http://www.boqueria.info/
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In Barcelona, look in the Gothic Quarter. On the recommendation of a friend, we stayed in the Nouvel Hotel (http://www.hotelnouvel.es/en/barcelona-city-centre/) just steps from Las Ramblas and a block from Placa de Catalunya (the center of the old city). The hotel decor is a little dated but was fine for us. There are many other hotels nearby, some more budget and some much more elegant. There are restaurants everywhere - check out the Placa Reial a few blocks down toward the water for a scenic square full of restaurants. It is a great city - Enjoy!
I'll pay for a 4 or 5 star hotel, but let's say something under $400 per night if that's realistic. I'm more concerned with quality and location.
Visited Spain and Portugal earlier this year for the first time. In Lisbon we stayed at the Tivoli Avenida Liberdade and liked it very much. Big rooms, lobby was bring remodeled while we were there. Great breakfast buffet. Avenida Liberdade is the main boulevard in Lisbon and it is less than a fifteen minute walk down this tree lined street to the Baixa (buy-sha) which is the old historic district. Ride around on the historic trollies and take one up to the old castle to walk around and explore. Nothing in Lisbon is level and the streets are narrow so the trollies are closest thing in public transportation to Mr. Toad's wild ride. Beautiful city, with the hills and climate it reminded me of San Francisco. Even the bridge resembled the Golden Gate bridge! but the company designing it also designed the SF Bay Bridge so maybe it shouldn't be a surprise.
In Barcelona we stayed at the Avenida Palace. It's about two blocks from the main square whose name I can't remember and Las Ramblas starts from there. Rooms were smaller than other hotels where we stayed but it was fine. It's an older hotel and their big claim to fame is that the Beatles stayed there. Don't know if you are much into architecture and churches but the Sagrada Familia is the mostly finished basilica designed by Antoni Gaudi. It's an Art Nouveau meets Gothic meets Dr. Seuss and there is nothing else like it in the world.
Have fun! They are both great cities!
