In my quest to focus on me 
and not watch news, I’m thinking of booking a Mediterranean cruise.
I can book hotels through the cruise line but am thinking it wouldn’t be difficult to do on my own.
Any recommendations for hotels in Barcelona and Athens? Also any recommendations for guides and things to do is appreciated
I was just in Barcelona. My husband was there for the whole month of September so we had an Airbnb. We had drinks at the rooftop bar of the Hotel Colón, I’m sure it’s very pricy to stay but it was beautiful - right across from the National Cathedral in the Gothic Quarter.
It’s a great city to visit. You will read a lot about pickpockets, crime, and anti-tourism but that was not my experience at all. I felt very safe and welcome.
There is a museum of Catalan History which is very cool. The Picasso museum. A team that goes from the waterfront (close to the cruise terminal) up to Montjuic - there are restaurants set into the hillside where they had Olympic events, like the diving with great views of the city below. One of the Gaudi houses offers a nighttime illuminated experience that I thought looked very fun! You need to book La Sagrada Familia in advance - I booked three weeks out and there was only one day/time slot open. A tour company automatically pops up, but if you are really dogged you can get to the actual Sagrada Familia site and book tix there for much less. (Without a formal tour)
We took a day trip to Montserrat and that was my very favorite thing.
Las Ramblas is very touristy and crowded in the Gothic Quarter, but if you head toward the top of it, it becomes much more gracious and spacious.
Thanks so much! Great information!
Hotel Colon is not outrageously expensive imo
In Athens I recommend the M Gallery hotel, right in Monastiraki, opened 2 years ago I think. It is across the street from the Grande Bretagne (nicest hotel in Athens) so the location is excellent. Prices are great for the level of quality. They have a nice rooftop bar and restaurant and a small rooftop pool with views of the Acropolis of course.
Hotel is walking distance to Plaka, Acropolis, and pretty much anywhere you’d want to go.
Athens is a fabulous city on the rise. Can’t recommend it enough! Have fun.
We stayed at H10 Madison in Barcelona last year and it was great. Smallish and well located. Great breakfast. Terrific rooftop.
On a side note, we enjoyed the Rick Steves self guided audio tours thorough a couple of neighborhoods.
My daughter and her friends stayed here in Barcelona last year - Hostal Boutique Khronos - they thought it was very nice and they walked to everything.
I stayed at Barcelona Edition in 2022. It’s very centrally located and it’s part of Marriott. It has a very nice rooftop. In 2023 I was there with D1’s family and we stayed at an airbnb.
In Barcelona, we stayed at the Hilton Curio Alexandra Barcelona. Centrally located so we could walk just about anywhere and we loved it!
Highly recommend eating at Babula Bar.
Note though - if you book your hotel through the cruise line, usually they will include transfers from the airport and to the port. If you book the hotel on your own, you’ll be responsible for the ground transportation.
Correct, the two day cost for Barcelona is $2000. For the hotel and transfers. And breakfast. Seems like I could do that on my own for less.
Athens is $1800 for two days.
It is nice to have transport already done when stepping off the plane but that seems like a steep price.
That is hugely overpriced for Athens. Hotel should be in the ~300 range. Even a bit less. Food is very reasonable there compared to the US. A phenomenal private tour guide for a day will cost you less than $200. Airport transfers are not too expensive either.
Unless the cruise lodging is the Grande Bretagne there’s no reason to pay that much.
We were in Barcelona in the spring and stayed at the Grand Hotel Central, which is a Hilton affilate. Very convenient location although there was street construction in front of it when we were there. Presumably that’s finished by now. Very nice rooftop bar. I agree with the recommendation to buy La Sagrada Familia tickets ahead of time. Same for Park Guell if you want to go there. We really enjoyed Casa Batlo. It’s a home designed by Gaudi that is very cool. We also did a day trip to Montserrat on a small group tour that was booked for us by the hotel concierge, and enjoyed it a lot. It was through this company and you can book directly: https://weareworldexperience.com/barcelona/
Wow - that’s expensive! It’s been a few years but we were in Barcelona before a cruise for two nights. And the cost was probably around 600$ for both nights and the taxi to the cruise port. I don’t remember which hotel exactly, but it was a Hilton property.
Barcelona is a great city, but yes, well known for pickpockets/scams. Just be cautious.
We followed a Rick Steves recommendation in Barcelona this past summer and stayed at Eco Hostal Grau, in the Gothic Quarter. We stayed in a suite that had a queen bed, twin bunk beds, and a sofa-bed in the front room. The sofa-bed was a little unfortunate, as sofa-beds tend to be.
Here was my wife’s description of it:
Great location in the Gothic quarter, good price for pricey Barcelona. Clean, no frills. Beds were great except for the sofa bed. No, the place didn’t have a ton of character, but being right in the mix of the Gothic Quarter was awesome.
We stayed at the Casa Camper Hotel in Barcelona for about ten days. The Camper shoe company, a Spanish concern, owns the hotel as well as another in Berlin. We have stayed in both.
It’s in a great location a block off the Ramblas, and has an eclectic, modern design. There is complimentary food available 24 hours a day, with a cooked breakfast in the morning and sandwiches, snacks, milk shakes, etc. at other times. There’s a rooftop area with indoor and outdoor seating areas and an honor bar. The basement has a cool bar with a pool table and games and there is a Michelin starred restaurant next door.
The rooms are modern and spacious. We had a suite with a sofa and a balcony overlooking the quiet, mainly pedestrian street below. Our daughter’s room had a separate living room across the hall with a hammock.
Edit: I just looked and it’s the #1 hotel in Barcelona on Tripadvisor.
My daughter and her husband were in Barcelona a year or so ago. They stayed at the Praktik Essens on Passaig de Gracia, on a side street in the downtown area; and also stayed one night at Seventy, centrally located as well. She highly recommends both places.
Barcelona - Jazz Hotel close to Las Ramblas but not on it. Nice rooftop bar, nice rooms.
Hop on Hop off bus.
Sagrada Familia and the two Gaudi houses and Park Guell. All can be booked online, timed entry. Suggest buying guided tour with Sagrada.
Las Ramblas is a fun and interesting boulevard for walking with lots of places to get Sangria, also lots of restaurants.
We have started a cruise in Barcelona, and twice ended a cruise in Barcelona, staying extra days each time. Excellent and fun times there.
We stayed at Holiday Suites in Athens this past summer during peak tourist season. Athens Boutique Hotel | Holiday Suites Arnis Street
Very close to the center yet away from the madness. Large, well-appointed rooms and decent breakfast. You can walk to some fabulous restaurants too. Try this place: https://www.simul.gr/
Neighborhood feel. Their sister property is the Crowne Plaza across the street. You can use amenities there.
Also, IMO you do not really need a travel guide. Instead I recommend some guided tours at prime attractions and some prior reading up.
We were in Spain in the spring and spent time in Barcelona. We had lots of AMEX points and splurged on the El Palace Hotel which was very “old line” and just beautiful-- breakfast was included in our package which was a huge plus.
In terms of the major sights, I concur that Gaudi’s work is spectacular. We took a small group tour that covered Park Guell and Sagrada Familia which we were very happy with. Sagrada Familia took my breath away. Went to the two Gaudi houses as well and particularly enjoyed Casa Mila. Gothic Quarter was charming – we walked around on our own and took a tapas walking tour there which covered a great deal of history along with tapas at five (or so) different places. We took a day trip to Montserrat with a stop at a winery which was a lovely day. A highlight for me was a classical piano concert at Palau de la Música Catalana which was a magical evening in a gorgeous concert hall (I kept thinking “how lucky are we to be in this place at this time”). I was disappointed by Las Ramblas and thought the Picasso Museum was fine but I’ve seen much of Picasso’s work before our trip.
We stayed just up the street from the Palau. We did the tour (amazing) and later that night watched a Flamenco performance. Out of this world. The Palau’s designer was Gaudi’s mentor.
I had forgotten when I posted earlier but we did this too (attended a flamenco concert at the Palau). It was well worth it and such a gorgeous venue. And it was a short walk from our hotel, the Grand Hotel Central.