Need Barcelona and Venice Hotel Recommendations

[celtic sailing]

Any recommendations for hotels in Barcelona and Venice? We will be on the August 29 Millie sailing from Venice and will go into Venice one day early and stay one day post cruise in Barcelona. Want good location (walking distance to major attractions), 3 or 4 star hotel. I know Celebrity offers packages, but I think we can do better on our own.

[cavou]

Celtic -

 

In Barcelona we always stay at Hotel America, which is in the Eixample district of the city. The hotel is a very modern boutique-type hotel that is close to all of the major attractions in the city (without all of the noise) and is a short walk from the Diagonal and Provenca metro lines. We have stayed here several times and have never had any problems. Enjoy your trip!

[Bruin Steve]

Any recommendations for hotels in Barcelona and Venice? We will be on the August 29 Millie sailing from Venice and will go into Venice one day early and stay one day post cruise in Barcelona. Want good location (walking distance to major attractions), 3 or 4 star hotel. I know Celebrity offers packages, but I think we can do better on our own.

 

A lot depends on what your criteria are...

 

I've visited both cities several times each and have stayed in a few places...

Here are my general recommendations:

 

Barcelona: You will want to be as close as possible to the Placa Catalunya--which is the central hub for all transportation systems and also the center of the most visited tourist sites...it sits at the Northern end of Las Ramblas...and it's where you'll go to look for restaurants and nightlife...My advice is, if not right at the Placa, to stay relatively close...and preferably to the north, in the "Eixample" District than to the south...One cruise, Celebrity put us up at the Gran Havana,...which we thought was very nice (they had reasonable prices through Celebrity for that one)...a few blocks walk to the Placa, but in a nice quiet area of the Eixample on Corts Catalan...There are several hotels in this area...(Note: I would not stay at the Hilton as we did the trip before this, it's a little more remote--at least from the tourist sites...)...

 

Venice: First of all, stay in Venice Proper...not on Lido, not in Mestre...You will be rewarded by a special enjoyment of the atmosphere of the city itself that you will not get by staying off of the island...There are two areas of the city I would consider staying in--near Piazza San Marco or near Piazzale Roma--though, really, anywhere in Venice Proper you stay, you can get around quite easily on foot or using the Vaporetti...We've stayed in three different hotels near P. Roma--the Capri, the Carlton and the Sofitel...All are VERY convenient to the transportation system and ship shuttles (main reason for staying near P. Roma)...Stying near Piazza San Marco, puts you closer to the cathedral (San Marco) and to the Doge's Palace...but it also makes getting all of your luggage there and back a little more complicated...This last cruise, we caught a very good bargain at the Hotel Anastasia--a nice little 17-room hotel right near Piazza San Marco and the Valeresso Vaporetti Station...But there are lots of choices around here as well...

 

I would do a search on both cities on tripadvisor.com and see what you come up with...

 

Good luck...

[Michael Kays]

WE are booked in Locanda Orseolo for Venice and Hotel Continental Palaceta wuile in Barcelona. Both highly recommended by many fron cruise critics and trip advisor.