Staying near Placa Espanya?

Hi everyone!

Last year I spent 2 nights at Hotel Jazz near Placa Catalunya - loved the hotel, loved the area, and between the HoHo bus tour, a private tour of the city and Montserrat, and exploring on foot, I was able to see most of the city.

I will once again be in Barcelona for 1 night pre-cruise this fall. Unfortunately prices are insane for hotels that night. There are limited options available that are up to my standards and priced within my budget.

So I had the thought of maybe staying elsewhere and exploring a different area since I will only have from about 2:30pm when I expect to arrive at my hotel from the airport (preferably via Aerobus) until bedtime. Placa Espanya appears to be close to the magic fountains - one of the things I sadly missed last time around! So it might seem like a nice leisurely afternoon if I plan to stay in that area. I could check into the hotel, go for a stroll and grab lunch/a snack, either explore or rest at the hotel, then head for dinner and the fountain show (which looks like a 10 minute walk from most hotels in the area).

So my questions - have you stayed near Placa Espanya? Did you enjoy the area? Did it seem safe (young solo woman here). Did you get out to see the fountains at night? If so, did it seem like a safe walk? Were there some good restaurants or cafe's in the area? How much was a taxi to the port?

Thanks so much for any thoughts or advice anyone can provide!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Last year we stayed at the Renaissance Fira, just down the road from Placa Espanya. We really liked the area, lots of transport options, and felt quite safe at night. You have to remember that there quite the night owls in Barcelona - for instance, when we were out for dinner there on our last night at 10 pm, the place was full of families.

We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Fria last September and enjoyed it. It was cheaper than some other more touristy options and about a 10 minute walk to Placa de Espanya. Very safe feeling area and it is another 10 minute walk in the other direction to the Magic Fountains area where it is easy to get either the Red or Blue HOHO buses.

The location is excellent if you would like to save the expense of a taxi to the port. Just take the green line metro from Placa Espanya direct to the Drassanes. The port bus departs from right across the street.

Hi @Newbcruiser1

It seems to me you're worried about safety, as you've mentioned it twice :).... for your peace of mind you should know that Barcelona is one of the safest big cities in Europe. This is not to say of course there's no crime, after all, there are 2 million inhabitants -from all sorts and nationalities- plus a few hundred thousand visitors at any time, so basic precautions are in order. But as you're Torontonian you already know about that, right? If anything, know that major crime is very rare (no guns, no gangs). The city has no "no-go" areas (none that any visitor would go to anyway) although some areas might have more appeal than others of course. Thus, certain parts of El Raval in the evening might be a bit seedy for example. Or some other neighbourhoods, such as the left of El Poble Nou might feel a bit "empty" off hours.

As a solo female you can (and should) feel comfortable visiting any part of the city at any time, yet in the evening try to avoid dark alleys or empty streets -the same exact advice I would be giving to a solo male too. Not that anything should happen, but as anywhere else, safety is always in numbers. Having said that (lol!) when in very crowded places, be aware of pickpockets -i.e. the Magic Fountain during the shows... it can gather several thousand people.

Plaça Espanya is the joining point of five neighbourhoods, from la Nova Esquerra de l'Eixample and Sant Antoni on the right to Hostafrancs and Sants on the left. It's a very lively area and it has plenty of shops and restaurants. There are plenty of bus lines and several metro stations that connect you with the rest of the city in a breeze.

As per the cost of a taxi... I should ask first: which port are you referring to (there are several in the city) and also which pier? While most visitors arrive/depart from the Moll Adossat pier at the Port Vell, that's not always the case as there are quite a number of ships mooring as well in other piers of this port (ie ships to Italy or the Balearic Islands among other) and also smaller ships departing from another port at the other side of town as well. Then there's a third marina, but that's mostly yachts and smaller ships so I know you're not referring to that one.

Map of neighbourhoods: http://www.bcn.cat/publicacions/Cartografia/bcn.pdf

Thanks for all of the replies! I went ahead and booked a hotel near Placa Espanya and am very excited!

EnricM, I will be on the Freedom of the Seas, leaving from Mill Adossat with the rest of the large ships (same port I left from on the NCL Epic last year).

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Taxi should then cost under 20€... (traffic-permitting!)

Make sure you check and recheck your hotel rates to get the price down. Booking this far out for the fall they can sometimes drop a lot and unless it was a prepaid rate you should be able to cancel for free and rebook.

Thank you both!

Yes I booked a refundable rate. I booked when I did because it looks like a VERY popular weekend, and the rates were all sky high with little availability. I am keeping an eye on prices but so far they've only gone up further.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums