There are teams of professional thieves that focus on 19 year old shoppers. My advice is dont carry a bag and have eyes in the back of your head. and stay out of the raval after dark. The raval is the best source of clothes indaylight hours. lots of independent desigmers and 2nd hand stores. borne for shoes, but after dark raval is dangerousnd at the . the whole ciutat vella is dangerous.
for food, rey de la gamba on passage borbon, excuse my spelling. Ive had paella in valencia and sevilla, theirs is the best, this time of year. ask for the fish mountain. They have a huge turnover of tourists so their seafood is very fresh, paella is exquisit but order any fish. it was alive within the last 12 hours, such is the ttourist traffic of this restaurant. local knowledge mofo.
I can only offer you advice as to a good restaurant. I am generally not a big fan of tapas because of the inconsistency of how they are prepared. However an absolutely superb and very popular place in Barcelona is called Tickets. Without the doubt the most unusual and well prepared tapas we have ever eaten. Each one is a masterpiece of flavor and texture. The ones with shrimp and marinated beef were outstanding. It is located at Av. Parallel 164. Prices are a little high but the quality of the food and the experience of it is worth it. Some great VT pages on Barcelona. Mine is current but focuses mainly on some of the architectural sites and the St George's Day celebration which also in May. If you are there on that day you have to go to downtown to the Las Ramblas. Have a great time.you have all the info you need on the race here barcelona-tourist-guide.com/... amongst many other things on the city the site can tell you.
When I was in Barcelona last year I stayed in a town called Coma Ruga, it was about a 30-40 minute bus ride to the city from there. It's a beautiful town that overlooks the Mediterranean. The beach there is definitely the most beautiful beach I've ever been too. There wasn't a rock in sight just smooth sand everywhere. There's also a rather large boardwalk with multiple bars, shops, cafes, etc along which offer a pretty good night life. It's one of my favourite places I've ever visited and have recommended it to basically everyone I've talked to about Barcelona, I definitely plan to visit again in the future. The hotel I stayed at was called Hotel Natura Park. It overlooked the water and you get the most beautiful view in the morning and at night of the beach. I strongly recommend it, you wouldn't be dissapointed.
shop: go up Rambla de Catalunya, turn right and go down Paseo de Gracia - then through Port del Angel, then through the old streets.
Avoid the Ramblas. it has become just a tourist trap. Keep clear of the Raval to the right of the Ramblas, towards the sea. It is VERY seedy.
I like the area around Sant Maria del Mar - despite the thieves.
Take a day on the beach at Sitges (about an hour by train down the coast).
I am a 19 year old girl. My friends and I are planning on spending the week focusing on shopping and eating with a possible trip to the beach. What area should I focus on getting a hotel in?
