Hotel Granvía ★★

BOOK

While every hotel on this site deserves to be here, some are more deserving than others.

The red stars (★ to ★★★) next to a hotel's name do not indicate the official, local ranking of the hotel, which can be from modest 1-star to luxurious 5-star and is based largely on a laundry list of (often pointless) in-room amenities and (often uneccessary) hotel services.

(I do try to include a mention of that official rating designation in the description of each hotel, since it affects the city tax you'll pay; see the tip below).

Rather, the red stars on this site are my own subjective indication of how great a particular hotel is. This is based party on location (proximity to the sights and neighborhoods you came to see is high on my list of hotel "amenities," so anything near Plaça de Catalunya or on La Rambla or Passeig de Gracia pretty much gets a star for location alone) but mostly on such intangibles as its overall value, sense of style, friendliness, etc.

So a fabulous, quirky, friendly, cheap hotel with a Modernisme touch right in the heart of the action that's (officially) rated as a "one-star" might actually get a ★★★ here (my equivalent of a standing ovation), while a fairly bland yet nevertheless decently-priced and well-located chain property that offically ranks four stars might only rate ★ in my book.

Hotels with no stars? They're still perfectly good options—and still recommended; they just don't stand out as much.

The € to €€€€€ price ranges indicate roughly how much you could expect to pay for a double room for one night.

Keep in mind that rates can vary wildly with the season and with room types, which is why you'll sometimes see a range, such as €€–€€€. (I try to stick to the rates for standard rooms only, but some hotels have upwards of eight room categories; teasing them apart gets tricky.)

The ranges are as follows:

There are two taxes which can be charged on hotel stays in Barcelona.

Spain's VAT tax of 10%, which is usually folded into the rates (though always ask, since—especially at expensive hotels—it is often left off).

City hotel tax, which was introduced in late 2012 and is on a per person, per night basis, rising with the hotel's star category rating:

• €0.72 for three-star hotels
• €1.21 for four-star hotels
• €2.48 for five-star hotels

(Note: Kids under 16 do not pay this new city tax, and it is charged only for the first seven nights—though, frankly, if you are staying for more than a week, you really should rent an apartment; it will be far cheaper.)

SIGHTS

Barcelona tourist info: Barcelonaturisme.com (info office), Guiadelocio.com (events mag); Catalunya.com (regional info), Spain.info

Sightseeing passes: Barcelona Card (20+ sights; transport; discounts), Museum Pass (6 sights)

Tours & activities: Viator.com, ContextTravel.com, UrbanAdventures.com, City-Discovery.com, Intrepidtravel.com, Gadventures.com

LODGING

Hotels: Booking.com, Venere.com, Priceline.com, Hotels.com

B&Bs: Booking.com, Bedandbreakfast.com, Airbnb.com, Venere.com

Apartments: Rentalo.com, Vrbo.com, Booking.com, Airbnb.com, Interhomeusa.com, Homeaway.com

Hostels & campgrounds: Hostelbookers.com, Hostelworld.com, Hostelz.com, Booking.com

TRANSPORT

Airfares: