into Barcelona

Contemporary apartments in Barcelona’s trendy El Born district plus quirky walking tours for foodies, designers and culture vultures

What marks these apartments out from all others is that the people who run them offer truly groovy tours of the city, with insiders showing outsiders Barca’s best-kept secrets. You can stalk the streets in search of food, wine, shops, art and bars. We thought we’d seen it all before, but the walking tour exhilarated us like no other and made our stay in the city.

These 49 apartments are wrapped up in the mazy ancient alleyways of El Born and the Gothic quarter. El Born is one of the chic-est areas in town, full of cool bars, restaurants and boutiques. To complete a hat trick of reasons to come, it’s a walk from the sea (the city’s fishermen used to live here) and, in summer, clubs, bars and restaurants open up on the beach. Split between mostly 18th century buildings, the El Born apartments are all close to each other, with 1 or 2 bedrooms and perhaps a small balcony or a roof terrace. Good value for money and you’ll feel like a local.

Highs

• Stylish interiors are just the ticket
• More flexibility and space than a hotel room with an optional breakfast delivery service
• Brilliant location with restaurants, tapas bars and boutiques on your doorstep
• Unusually for apartments, you can book for just 1 or 2 nights
• Great prices for a European city
• Fun walking tours that uncover some of the city's hidden gems

Lows

• El Born and the Gothic quarter are popular at night, so expect some noise - and occasionally sounds from adjoining apartments
• Beds are a bit hard and not huge; bedrooms in the San Pere apartments are windowless and have single beds
• No parking in pedestrianised zones - taxis can drop you off 100m-200m away