Rome or Barcelona....HELP PLEASE!

frugle

Hello I need some help please!

I am thinking of arranging a weekend break as a birthday present for my boyfriend, Ive looked at flights and Rome and Barcelona are quite cheap, ive been to Rome before many years ago with school and I think he would like it, but I keep being told that Barcelona is lovely.

Which would you suggest as I know little about Barcelona but am open to suggestions. Also does anyone know of any good hotels that are reasonable priced ive looked on lastminute.com at their secret hotels but am not sure about booking somewhere I dont know, normally we stay at Ibis hotels as you know what you get with them, I am looking for somewhere clean and warm with a shower ensuite.

His birthday is in January so that is something to bear in mind. If anyone has any suggestions about places to stay and things to do that would be great, as i'm stuck and dont have a huge budget! I know its not for ages but the sooner I book something the cheaper it will be! Thanks for your help in advance.

ellay864

Weather wise wont be a lot to choose. I've not been to either but after talking to friends have put Barcelona above Rome on my wish list. Apparently although the main attarctions in Rome are great, the city itself isn't that wonderful. Barcelona apparently is a lovely city. My son loved it when he went and if your BF is a football fan how about a trip round the Nou Camp stadium? Las Ramblas (old shopping area) is also a must. Friends have also mentioned the beach but I guess that won't be high on the list in January!

kittykarate

I love both Rome and Barcelona.

Rome is great if you like historical buildings, there's just so much to see. Food is quite expensive and you have to check to see if there are any special events at the Vatican as that can push up the price of accommodation massively. There are some lovely old squares and things, but it does feely much more busy than Barcelona.

Barcelona is a good mix between shopping, historical buildings and just nice places to chill out.

I've been to Barcelona in late January - the weather was rainy at times, but was a mild 10 degrees or so.

amylou8

I have been to both Barcelona and Rome this year so maybe I can help! I loved them both but in completely different ways.

Rome is an amazing city with many things to see but I wouldn't describe it as a relaxing break, there is so much to get round that we were exhausted by the time we came home! There are many overpriced chain restaurants where the food was horrible, we found that the smaller, back street less appealing looking places actually sold the best food! Everything in Rome is so overpriced, my bf was paying €8 a pint in some places!

Barcelona was fantastic as there are fewer major sights so we just took the tour bus and got off at places we wanted to visit and then had plenty of time in the evening to relax, eat and sit on Las Ramblas with a few drinks watching the world go by!

(If you choose Barcelona you have to be very protective of belongings as muggings happen often. We just used general common sense and were fine!)

I think I would recommend Barcelona over Rome for a nice weekend away. We stayed at the Hotel Grand Marina at the Trade Centre which is a 5* hotel but worked out the same price as most 3* when we went. I would advise looking at booking.com for hotels as they normally have better deals! If you have any questions then feel free to message me!

poet123

Rome, every time for me.

blue_haddock

for me barcelona is a much better place. i've been several times and am going back shortly.

i've been to rome once. i've no desire to go back.

robbiecaratiger

Having been to both, it's definitely ROME every time for me.

I stayed in this hotel


www.hotelraffaello.it


Very reasonably priced, pretty central so you can stroll to within many of the city landmarks. Smashing breakfast at a price that doesn't break the purse.

cro-magnon

It depends what sort of holidaymakers you both are. As has been suggested, if you are looking for a relaxing holiday go to Barcelona. If you want a more adventurous holiday go to Rome as it is hectic!

I spent 3 days in Barcelona in 2007 and saw pretty much everything I wanted to, whereas I spent 7 days in Rome and didn't see everything I wanted to, so if you are only going for a weekend probably Barcelona and then hold off a longer holiday in Rome.


Price-wise I found Barcelona to be more expensive than Rome but then I didn't know anyone there and hadn't been before. I went with my girlfriend and although we did get our hotel room on Parallel cheap and it was near a metro stop/clean enough etc I wouldn't recommend it as it wasn't a place that would conjure up romance and it also involved walking through El Raval to get to Las Ramblas. To clarify, this is where a lot of immigrants live and not wishing to come across as racist, the issue I have with El Ravel is that we would walk down the streets and not see a single woman until we came to a particular street full of prostitutes....anyway, we were eating/drinking in touristy spots and IIRC 2 glasses of coke cost around 8€ in a pub just off Placa Reial. However we did get a good 3 course meal in La Fonda with Sangria for about £35 (again just off Placa Reial but in the opposite direction). We also had lunch in an awful place on Las Ramblas, which was (I think) 18€ for effectively 2 sandwiches and soft drinks.

EDIT: Just remembered that we also ate in a place called Bell Amic and had their menu del dia (menu of the day) look out for these down the back streets. A menu of the day consists of 2 or 3 courses and coffee and can also include a glass of wine, which the deal at Bell Amic included. I think for all this it was about 12€ each but I recall seeing places doing deals for under 10€.

Despite being told by a number of people that Rome was really expensive I actually found it very cheap, but then I was staying with someone who had lived there for a number of years and he knew cheap places to eat. Takeaways pizzas were very inexpensive (you pay by weight not size of toppings) and tasted great and this was my dinner for most nights. I also recall eating in 2 restaurants, both outside the tourist areas and I had a main course in a Thai restaurant with glass of tap water for a mere 4€. The trattoria I went to for dinner cost around 10€ for a huge pizza and beer.

The going rate for a beer at the touristy places was 7€ - this was in Jan 2007 so it probably is about 8€ now as mentioned by amylou8. I was mainly in a studenty area at night where a beer cost...honestly I think a beer was only about 1 or 2€. It's probably about 3€ now.


If you do go to Barcelona seriously heed the warning about thieves as I know someone who had their laptop stolen in broad daylight and another who had a bag snatched while walking in a crowded public space during the day.

kittykarate

I've seen pick pocketing gangs at work in both Rome and Barcelona. As both are big cities, neither are places where you can switch off your brain.

poet123

The difference is that in Barcelona the police are disinterested, jaded and rude. Expect no help from them or even good manners.

At least that was my expereince when our car was broken into on a main street at lunchtime. Their behaviour and attitude to the queue (yes, queue) of people in the police station who had been robbed was disgraceful. I vowed then I would never set foot on the spanish mainland again for a holiday. Contrast that with the police in Venice, who, when I was pickpocketed (some years ago) were kindness itself, very efficient, and apologetic that this had happened in their city.

magic_pants

Barcelona...less Eastern European gypsies and beggars who seem to infest Rome these days and have really put me off the place.